The province has improved access to vision care for people living with diabetes.
Annual eye exams with an optometrist will now be covered through Saskatchewan Health.
About 90,000 people are afflicted with diabetes in the province and this rate is two to five times higher in the Aboriginal community.
Canadian Diabetes Association Saskatchewan regional director Warren Wagner says the move will accomplish two things.
“Access to medical professionals, including optometrists, have been a barrier for some people living with diabetes so this will speak to both the cost issue and the access to the optometrist, so we see this as a very positive situation here,” he says.
The Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists says the new funding arrangement will ensure greater access to eye care for an aging population which is vulnerable to diabetic eye disease.
Association President Dr. Kevin Woodard says it will also help streamline the process for patients.
“It’s going to make a huge difference, you know less travel for those needing their annual eye exams for diabetes, decrease wait times for ophthalmology so they can concentrate on their tertiary and surgery care,” he says.
The eye exam for diabetics is part of a new agreement between the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists.
The average cost of an eye examination ranges from about $70 to $100.
Health minister Dustin Duncan says the new service will remove financial barriers and ensure timely access to vision care for people living with diabetes in the province.