About Us
Rural Canadians
Rural Canadians often face long wait times to see specialists like ophthalmologists, and require long travel times to see them. This affects follow up care and leads to underdiagnosis of vision-threatening disease.
Ophthalmology Programs
There are 15 ophthalmology training programs in Canada, all based in urban or suburban cities.
No rural medical schools have ophthalmology training programs.
Residents a year
36 new ophthalmologists are trained yearly in Canada.
Few, if any, receive formal training on rural or Indigenous ophthalmology in Canada.
Permanent Ophthalmologists in Nunavut
There are no permanent ophthalmologists in Nunavut, with only visiting ophthalmologists from more southern provinces able to visit and fill the need.
Our Story
Many Canadians do not have access to timely or local eye care, with detrimental consequences. Our goals are to:
- Promote rural and Indigenous ophthalmology to medical students and residents through talks and events
- Connect patients to rural ophthalmologists who will be visiting their area
- Advocate for vision health and teaching in rural and Indigenous communities.