The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada: Summary Report - CNIB

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What We Can DoCanada needs to wake up when it comes to the vision healthcrisis. Vision loss places an enormous burden on society. Theproblem is widespread and increasing rapidly.• Three quarters of vision loss is avoidable – it can be prevented or treated.• With more research dollars allocated to vision health, we could become muchcloser to curing eye disease.• By elevating vision health as a public health issue (on the same level as smokingcessation or diabetes), Canadians could become much better informed aboutvision loss and take significant steps to reduce their risk.• The financial and human cost of unavoidable eye disease could be greatly reducedby providing cost-effective supports such as employment accommodation andrehabilitation services.Vision care has a variety of successful, evidence-based, and costeffective interventions.• In Canada, an intervention is considered cost-effective if it costs less than$40,000 per quality of life year (QALY).• Cataract surgery costs $2,100 per QALY for the first eye and $2,727 for thesecond eye.• Screening and treatment of diabetic retinopathy costs $3,190 per QALY. Screeningin remote First Nations communities costs $11,000 per QALY.• Canadian research shows $13 million can be saved over five years for every100,000 patients with dry AMD who are treated with high-dose vitamins.• In comparison, consider the following cost-effectiveness values for other healthinterventions:o Aspirin for coronary disease: $11,000 per QALY.o HIV/AIDS early anti-retroviral therapy: $14,000 - $28,000 per QALY.o Liver transplantation: $51,000 per QALY.o Breast cancer treatment – breast conservation/radiation or mastectomy:$82,000 per QALY.The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada: Summary Report15
A Call to ActionCanada urgently needs to develop a national vision plan to dealwith the vision loss crisis.• Canadians will never be able to reduce the overwhelming human and financialcost of vision loss without an overall strategy to get us there.• In 2003, the Canadian government made a commitment to the World HealthOrganization (WHO) to develop a national vision plan by 2005 and beginimplementing it by 2007.• Many other nations made the same commitment and have begun developingvision plans. Countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia are already wellon their way with implementation.• Since 2003, more than 262,800 Canadians have developed significant vision loss,and Canada still has no vision health plan to deal with the crisis.• Every year we wait costs us $15.8 billion.• Every year we wait, another 43,800 Canadians lose their vision.16The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada: Summary Report
Page 2 and 3: BackgroundIn 2008, CNIB and the Can
Page 4 and 5: Who Pays the Costs?All of us pay th
Page 6 and 7: Comparison to Other DiseasesWhen co
Page 8 and 9: Indirect CostsJust as important as
Page 10 and 11: Profile of Vision LossVision loss i
Page 13 and 14: Causes of Vision LossGlaucomaGlauco
Page 15: The Future of Vision LossUnless we
Page 19 and 20: Appendix BCosts of Vision Loss by T
Page 21 and 22: 1Table has been adapted from Buhrma
Page 23 and 24: 1Direct costs were calculated by ta
Page 25: Notes24 The Cost of Vision Loss in

The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada: Summary Report - CNIB

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