Canadian Pensioners Concerned, Ontario Division, participated in a three-year project which was initiated by CNIB (see Viewpoint, February 2006). The report of the completed project titled You and Your Vision Health: Yes! Something More Can Be Done is reviewed below. For copies contact CNIB National Office, 1929 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4G 3E8, telephone 1-800-563-2642, email info@cnib.ca. There is no charge. The publication is available also at www.cnib.ca and in French and on CD.

This well-written report was supported financially by the Public Health Agency of Canada. It involved the extensive collaboration of a National Advisory Committee largely of professional practitioners and academics in the field. Other participants included several consumers with vision loss and represen-tatives of seniors organizations. A team of specialists reviewed the medical content.

Moving from a basic description of vision loss and anatomy of the eye, the guide presents the signs and symptoms of different forms of age-related vision loss. This covers macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts. The subject matter is technical but most readers should find it quite comprehensible. It draws attention to a French version and alternative formats on the internet.

Anyone who has been, or even might be, faced with age-related vision loss should find the second half of this guide especially practical, as should family members and friends who help them. Listing questions to ask the busy eye doctor makes a good start, followed by questions about follow up and treatment. Writing personal and family medical histories for the doctor can also be helpful. Only in passing does the publication raise questions about the costs of tests and treatment and how they are covered.

This guide is most valuable, but there is much more that we ought to know about how vision loss is being dealt with across Canada. For example, how are vision services provided in rural and more remote parts of Canada? How readily do older people in such areas learn about identifying, testing, and treating vision loss as it is presented in this guide? How accessible to them are the needed medical and supportive services?

Is there a plan or strategy for using the guide in local communities? Could seniors organizations work with CNIB and its specialists and arrange local educational forums, or is this already being done? Would this be an effective way to help to spread the word about vision loss? Might it encourage people to take steps needed to preserve their vision and use the resources available in the community, if necessary, to extend services?

The personal financial aspects of vision loss is a topic worthy of serious attention inasmuch as patients, sometimes of quite modest means, have paid thousands of dollars for certain treatments not otherwise covered. How many provincial health plans fully cover the costs of treating vision loss? How do they vary and on what grounds? Does the commercial sector (e.g. group insurance) share these costs? Are there cost variations for different age and income groups?

Shortcomings in these respects could well become major subjects of policy development.