TORONTO — Ontario says it will immediately pay $39 million to the province’s optometrists to retroactively account for the increased costs of services funded by the government.
The one-time payment comes after optometrists threatened to stop conducting eye exams covered by provincial health insurance in September.
The province says it hopes the payment will preserve access to care as discussions with optometrists on operating costs and future fee increases continue.
But the president of the Ontario Association of Optometrists says the $39 million payment only covers less than a quarter of the group’s annual funding deficit.
Dr. Sheldon Salaba says the province isn’t committing to any long-term solution to address what the association has described as years of underfunding for eye doctors.
The association has noted that the province paid optometrists $39.15 on average for an exam in 1989 and now pays $44.65 for the service.
The group said the situation has left optometrists absorbing 45 per cent of the cost of an eye exam.
The Ontario Health Insurance Plan covers one annual major eye exam for residents aged 19 and younger, 65 and older, and those with specific medical conditions.