Celebrating Vision Health Month
Did you know that one in seven Canadians will develop a serious eye disease in their lifetime? May is Vision Health Month, a time to raise awareness about eye health and recognize the important work by St. Mary’s ophthalmology professionals and teams in preventing, diagnosing and treating eye and other serious health conditions.
St. Mary’s is the regional site for specialized ophthalmic procedures in the Waterloo-Wellington Region and we see the highest volume for adult ophthalmology procedures, providing over half of the volume of eye surgeries in the region. Currently, there are eight ophthalmic surgeons offering a range of surgical and non-surgical services at the hospital, many of whom are a part of the Waterloo Regional Eye Program providing services at other regional hospitals and throughout community programs.
The program is supported by a full team of staff that are instrumental in all of the procedures and support patients in their recovery journey. Each member of the team plays an important role in both the journey for patients’, but also the success of the eye program and its continued growth in the region.
The focus for this team at St. Mary’s continues to be cataract surgery as the need for these services in the community continue to grow. Cataracts are the most common cause of curable blindness in North America and are also the most commonly performed surgeries. A cataract is clouding in the lens of the eye, which is important for focusing light to help you see. Surgery is the only current treatment for individuals diagnosed with cataracts and involves the ophthalmologist removing the cataract and replacing it with a clear artificial implant, which restores vision.
St. Mary’s performs the majority of specialty ophthalmic procedures for the Region including glaucoma, oculoplastic, cornea, anterior segment, and strabismus surgeries. “Our team continues to grow and provide more subspecialty services as the regional centre for subspecialty care,” says Dr. Chryssa McAlister, Co-Chair Ophthamology.
The impact is often not only felt by the patient themselves, but also by their family and loved ones.
When David’s care providers noticed he was having some issues seeing things, they reached out to his mom, Margaret, and suggested he get his eyesight checked. David was born with a CMV infection that led to global developmental delay –he is mostly non-verbal and communicates with informal sign language, relying on his vision for communication. David was diagnosed with cataracts and referred to an eye surgeon at St. Mary’s. His eyesight rapidly deteriorated and ended up in a wheelchair for his safety. By the time David saw the eye surgeon, he was only able to perceive light. In December 2021, David underwent expedited bilateral cataract surgery at St. Mary’s. “After the surgery, it was like he immediately got his eyesight back,” says Margaret. “David was happy again.” |
It was a big year for the ophthalmology team in 2021 with three important program enhancements making eye care accessible for the community.
In April 2021, the surgeons in the region launched the first centralized cataract referral program in Ontario. This allows patients in Waterloo-Wellington to see wait times for each surgeon and then choose their preferred provider, location, or shortest wait time for surgery. “This program has served to equalize wait times and use resources more effectively,” says Dr. McAlister.
At the same time, this group also launched a new online Waterloo Regional Eye Program at www.waterlooeye.ca. “This digital platform helps coordinate ophthalmology referrals and empowers patients with information,” says Dr. McAlister. In addition to including the information about wait times, it has biographical details for each surgeon, and open-access multi-media educational materials on eye diseases and procedures for the community to use as resources.
In May 2021, St. Mary’s partnered with TLC Vision to address the growing need for cataract procedures. This partnership allowed for the volume of procedures to increase by offering off-site services, without compromising on the standards of care. Several of our ophthalmologists at St. Mary’s provide care through TLC Vision as well, which led to this partnership being an optimal solution and opportunity for growth. The off-site program receives the least complex cataract surgery patients and are selected by the ophthalmologists based on initial consultations.
St. Mary’s has a vision to provide comprehensive, equitable, surgical, and medical eyecare to all ages close to home. As the needs of the community continue to evolve and grow, the team is committed to exploring opportunities to expand services and look for growth opportunities both within the walls of the hospital and in partnerships throughout the community.
“We continue to look to improve eye care for patients in the Region,” says Dr. McAlister. “We are working with the eHealth Centre of Excellence, looking at eConsult and teleophthalmology opportunities and we are looking to expand the subspeciality services we provide at St. Mary’s to allow patients to get excellent quality and accessible care.”
Thank you to the teams that work hard every day to bring exceptional, equitable and patient-centred eye care to our community.
Learn more about the Waterloo Regional Eye Program and the care they provide with this short video.
For more information visit: www.waterlooeye.ca