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

1Table has been adapted from Buhrmann et al, Foundations for a Canadian VisionHealth Strategy: Towards Preventing Avoidable Blindness and Promoting VisionHealth, National Coalition for Vision Health, January 2007, Appendix B, Table B1.4,which itself is adapted from Economic Burden of Illness in Canada (EBIC), 1998,Public Health Agency of Canada 2002; available at: http://www.phacaspc.gc.ca/publicat/ebic-femc98/index.html.Accessed May 1, 2009. Although themethodology used in the Cost of Vision Loss study is not identical to that used inEBIC, it is very similar. All costs have been adjusted for inflation to reflect 2007Canadian dollars.2Within EBIC’s diagnostic categories, which are based on the InternationalClassification of Disease, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) system, “Endocrine and relateddiseases” refers to diabetes. “Respiratory diseases” refers to acute respiratoryinfections, pneumonia and influenza, COPD, and asthma. “Musculoskeletal diseases”refers to arthritis and osteoporosis. For further explanation of categories, seeEconomic Burden of Illness in Canada (EBIC), 1998, Appendix 1.3Within the “Nervous system and sense organ disease” category, EBIC includesAlzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma, disorders of conjunctiva, andear infections. However for the purposes of this analysis, costs within EBIC’s reportthat are known to be related to vision loss have been adjusted to 2007 dollars andthen subtracted from costs associated with the “Nervous system and sense organdisease” category so that they are not counted twice.4EBIC lists “unattributable” costs as any data that cannot be allocated by ICD-9code. Although this category of costs is large, it has not been included in therankings since it does not refer to any one category of disease.20The Cost of Vision Loss in Canada: Summary Report