Madam Speaker, most of us take our eyes for granted until we have a problem with them. When we have a problem, it is not the time to be scrambling for solutions. That is why I support Bill C-284, the national eye care strategy act. I thank the hon. member for Humber River—Black Creek for bringing this matter before the House.
One of the reasons I like this legislation is that it understands the need for co-operation in health care. It calls on the Minister of Health to establish a national strategy for eye care in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, as well as indigenous leaders and other health care-related stakeholders. There are approximately eight million Canadians who suffer from some form of degenerative eye disease. That means one in five Canadians.
Look around this chamber. Statistically, it is likely that 68 hon. members are afflicted by a degenerative eye disease. Sometimes people are not aware of it. It could be one of us. It could be me.
Fighting Blindness Canada, the largest charitable funder of vision research in Canada, estimates that 75% of eye disease cases are preventable in the event of early diagnosis. That is a sobering number and explains why we need a national eye care strategy. This afflicts one in five Canadians and in most cases is preventable. We would be derelict in our duty if we did not work to address this issue.
The most common eye diseases in Canada include macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. All of those can lead to blindness if not treated in time. The earlier the treatment, the better the chances of a positive outcome.
The bill calls for a national strategy to identify the training and educational needs of health care practitioners who specialize in ocular care; to promote improved research on prevention and treatment; to promote data sharing between the federal and provincial governments in relation to eye disease prevention; and to facilitate the rapid approval of new treatments used for eye disease. It is not that nothing is being done now; it is that we need to do more. That is why this bill calls upon the Minister of Health to take into consideration existing strategies directed at prevention and treatment of eye disease. A national approach taking into account what is already being done in the provinces should be of benefit to all Canadians.
This is a health care issue, one that affects the quality of life of millions of Canadians. As I said earlier, we tend to take our eyes for granted. I can think of few things that are more terrifying than slowly going blind, but that is the reality many Canadians are facing, and we have the opportunity in this House to do something about it. If we are serious about health care, then we should be serious about eye care, as our eyes are vitally important to our health.
As well as being a health issue, this is a financial issue. Fighting Blindness Canada estimates that preventable blindness in Canada costs about $33 billion each year, as the hon. member said earlier. That includes $9.5 billion in direct health care costs, $6.1 billion in indirect health care costs and $17.4 billion for the cost of well-being. Admittedly, this is not as much money as the Liberal deficit, but it is still a staggering amount when we stop to think about it. That is the cost of eye disease that could be prevented through early detection and treatment, something that would be enhanced by having a national eye care strategy as outlined in this legislation.
Vision loss will usually have a negative impact on an individual's financial health. Along with that comes a loss of independence and reduced quality of life.
Canada's population is aging, and many eye diseases are age-related. That means the number of individuals living with vision loss is growing. Those numbers will increasingly impact Canada's health system and economy, so it is important that we act now.
It is important, as the bill states, to “identify the needs of health care professionals for training and guidance on the prevention and treatment of eye disease and to vision rehabilitation;” to “promote research and improve data collection on eye disease prevention and treatment and on vision rehabilitation”; and to “promote information and knowledge sharing between the federal and provincial governments in relation to eye disease prevention and treatment and to vision rehabilitation”. We have the ability to make this a reality.
Bill C-284 also calls for the designation of the month of February as “Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month”. I also support that. This designation has been used in other countries as a way to bring the issue to a wider audience. In so many cases of eye disease, prevention starts with awareness. By concentrating on the issue for the month of February, more Canadians will become aware of the eye issues they may face as they age and what can be done in terms of prevention.
All of us age, although most of us cannot imagine what things will look like when we are older. We may think that macular degenerative eye disease is going to happen to someone else and not to us. However, the truth is that it affects too many Canadians. If a person does not suffer from it, probably someone in their family or a close friend or colleague will.
The experts tell me that macular degeneration occurs most often in people over 60 years old, and Canada does have an aging population problem. What is a problem now will only grow larger as the rest of the baby boomer generation moves into retirement. Age is a big factor when it comes to degenerative eye disease. A person in their 50s has about a 2% chance of getting age-related macular degeneration. By the time they reach 75, their chance is about one in three. Yet, as I said, most macular degeneration issues can be prevented with early recognition and treatment, which is why a month spent raising awareness of this issue is so important.
Losing one's eyesight is terrifying to contemplate. Vision loss is an issue that literally affects millions of Canadians. We have the ability to do something to prevent it. There is no reason to delay.
I support Bill C-284, the national strategy for eye care act. We need to do what we can to protect the health of Canadians. I encourage members to support the bill.