Region donates $1 million to ambitious new Waterloo Eye Institute: UWaterloo

The University of Waterloo says its optometry clinic will soon begin a major expansion, in part due to a recent donation from Waterloo Region, becoming the new Waterloo Eye Institute.

The University of Waterloo says that the region will give $1 million to the school as it is now more than halfway ($18.1 million) of its to its $35 million goal fundraising goal as it creates the Waterloo Eye Institute.

“The need is there to bring a world-class eye and vision care centre to our local community, so people like me, and thousands of others, can get the care they need here at home instead of travelling outside the Region,” Counc. Sean Strickland stated.

Currently, the eye care facility sees more than 28,000 patients a year but once the expansion is complete, the University of Waterloo says it will double the number of patients on a yearly basis.

The  schools says the new Waterloo Eye Institute will expand the delivery of essential eye and vision care, such as comprehensive eye exams, low vision rehabilitation services, dry eye disease treatment and myopia control.

The institute will also now be home to largest vision science research hub in North America, including a national tele-optometry centre, which will bring access to eye and vision care to remote and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Dr. Carol Cressman, who is heading the fundraising campaign, says that there is a growing vision crisis in Canada.

“Poor vision can severely impact a person’s quality of life,” the optometrist stated. “It is startling to know that one in five Canadians are already at risk of losing their sight due to eye disease, and that it’s expected this figure will double in the next thirty years.”