Manitoba has largest pandemic-time reduction in eye surgeries: Doctors Manitoba

The hub for eye surgery in Manitoba has experienced the largest reduction in procedures in the country and there is worry the longer patients wait, the more complicated and expensive their treatment will be.

Dr. Jennifer Rahman, an ophthalmologist and president of Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, said the province has seen a 46 per cent reduction in cataract surgeries since March 2020 caused by the numerous elective surgery shutdowns.

“Some of these cases have been shifted to private surgery centres such as Western Surgery Centre and TLC. This has helped. However the total provincial cataract backlog is still about 5,000 cases,” she said at a press conference Friday hosted by Doctors Manitoba.

She explained not all patients are eligible for surgery at a private centre because they are more complex cases or have other medical issues. She said it is preferential that those cases are booked at the Misericordia Health Centre or other public facilities.

“The longer patients wait for cataract surgery, the denser their cataracts become,” she said. “They have more difficulty with their vision, daily tasks, driving and working and are more vulnerable to injuries and falls,” she said.

Using data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Doctors Manitoba has found Manitoba has had the largest slowdown in eye surgery including cataracts in the country.

Manitoba’s reduction was around 44 per cent between March 2020 and June 2021. During that same period, the national average was a 22 per cent reduction. Alberta had the smallest reduction, at two per cent.

Graph illustrates how eye surgery has been impacted in Manitoba compared to other provinces from March 2020 to June 2021 using data from Canadian Institute for Health Information. (Supplied: Doctors Manitoba)

Doctors Manitoba estimates the total pandemic backlog for cataract surgery in Manitoba to be 4,945, which does not include the waitlist that had accumulated pre-pandemic.

It is also estimated at Misericordia Health Centre, 8,898 fewer cataract surgeries have been done during the pandemic compared to normal pre-pandemic volumes. Western Surgery has picked up about half of those.

CTV News Winnipeg reached out to the province for comment on Friday, but were provided a statement.

“The province launched a task force last month to address diagnostic and surgical backlogs and is actively reviewing all areas that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” a spokesperson for the province wrote in a statement. “The first regular update is expected later this month.”