A Manitoba eye doctor is warning the province’s backlogged eye surgeries could put patients in jeopardy and make procedures more complicated and expensive. The backlog counts almost 5,000 since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, not including a pre-pandemic wait list.
Wilson Anderson, who used to be an avid reader, has been waiting for cataract surgery since January 2020.
Since then, his vision has deteriorated to the point he can’t do some of the activities he loves without assistance.
“I know that the delays are not only causing physical deterioration, but they also cause me mental issues, because I can’t do what I normally do, which is reading, relaxing, walking the dogs, doing the volunteer work, which I really take pride in doing,” Anderson said at a Friday media briefing hosted by Doctors Manitoba.
A December report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information suggests Manitoba is suffering the biggest per cent drop in surgeries among all the provinces, excluding Quebec, which wasn’t included in the data set.
Between March 2021 and this June, Manitoba will have performed 44 per cent fewer cataract and lens surgeries than the same months pre-pandemic. The national average sits at 22 per cent fewer procedures.
Ophthalmologist Dr. Jennifer Rahman says Manitoba’s backlog worsened during COVID-19 with patients now waiting at least a year on average for their procedures, a period of time when they’re at increased risk of falls and vision loss. The national benchmark, however, extends 16 weeks, said Rahman, who also serves as the president of the Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba.
“The longer patients wait for cataract surgery, the denser their cataracts become,” Rahman said at the news conference. “They have more difficulty with their vision, daily tasks, driving and working and are more vulnerable to injuries and falls.”
Dense cataracts potentially require more complicated procedures that could cost more and take longer, Rahman said, which in turn could delay the patient’s recovery and return to work.
“Unfortunately, the backlog is creating more complex cataract procedures due to the lengthy wait times, and this will prolong patient suffering and cost us more time, effort and money to fix the longer the backlog remains,” Rahman said.
While cataract surgeries are the hardest hit, all types of surgeries — including the time-sensitive glaucoma and retina surgeries at Misericordia Hospital, Manitoba’s central ophthalmology hub — are undergoing delays, Rahman said.
“(The backlog) will continue to worsen with the aging demographics of our population,” Rahman said. “Developing cataracts is an inevitable part of the aging process, and almost everyone will need cataract surgery at some point in their lives.”
The province doesn’t have enough operating time for the surgeons it has, a persistent problem since before the pandemic, Rahman said.
While there’s room for private clinics to help cut down on the backlog, the province shouldn’t rely on their help, Rahman said, because they can’t perform all types of surgeries.
Rahman doesn’t want to see Manitobans sent out of province. She instead urges the province to boost funding to expand operating room capacity at Misericordia — where three out of five full-time operating rooms have been closed — and to hire more specialized doctors and nurses, many of whom retired, went on sick leave or took other jobs after repeated lockdowns.
Manitoba established a task force in early December to address the province’s diagnostic and surgical backlog. Doctors Manitoba estimates this figure exceeded 150,000 as of October.
A provincial spokesperson said in a Friday statement the task force was currently reviewing all areas impacted by the pandemic.
“The first regular update is expected later this month.”
Anderson, who’s been waiting two years, is still awaiting his surgery date.