Are Your Extended Benefits Expiring? Don’t Leave Money on the Table

As the year comes to an end, many extended benefits will also be expiring. Approximately 55 per cent of Canadian adults have a health insurance plan that includes some form of eye care services coverage. Typical allowances cover $50-$100 towards an eye exam and an average of $200 towards glasses or contact lenses every two years. Despite this, more than half of Canadian adults who have vision health benefits don’t plan to use them before they expire, while 38 per cent of Canadian adults say they are overdue for an eye exam.

“It is important for people to understand that certain sight-threatening conditions, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, actually begin during middle age,” said Naomi Barber, Clinical Services Director at Specsavers. “These conditions can progress without noticeable early warning signs, meaning that by the time patients experience symptoms or notice a change to vision, the disease may already be advanced.”

75 per cent of vision loss is preventable and treatable. Canadians can safeguard their vision through regular eye exams and can benefit from a deeper eye health assessment with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), which is a 3D eye scan that allows your optometrist to look at the back of your eye and get a deeper understanding of your eye health.

OCT helps optometrists detect sight-threatening conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration in its earliest stages. All optometrist clinics within Specsavers locations are equipped with the latest imaging and clinical technology, such as OCT technology.

In Ontario, eye exams are covered by OHIP for children aged 19 years and younger, seniors over the age of 65, and for those with certain medical conditions or receiving social assistance.

Looking for something that fits in your benefits budget? Specsavers offers complete glasses including single-vision lenses starting at $69, and participating independent optometrists at Specsavers locations offer eye exams from $99.

“As benefits get closer to expiring, we are encouraging Canadians to get an eye exam and to have conversations with friends and family about prioritizing eye health,” said Barber.

Canadians seeking an eye exam can find a Specsavers location and book an appointment with an independent optometrist by visiting Specsavers.ca.