Ontario has reached a funding agreement with optometrists that increases some payments to them and changes eligibility for some assessments, including less frequent eye exams for seniors.

Under the new four year agreement, people 65 and older are being covered for one eye exam every 18 months instead of one a year unless they have a condition such as macular degeneration, glaucoma or diabetes.

Optometrists withdrew from performing provincially insured eye services for a few months in 2021 claiming the province had been underfunding the OHIP-covered services, leaving them paying around 45 per cent out of pocket.

The Health Minister released a statement to say the agreement  includes an increase to payments for some OHIP-insured services and eye exams for social assistance recipients, but it doesn’t detail amounts.