Canadians Organize to Support Healthy Vision    

For the past two years, efforts have been underway to bringtogether the various stakeholders concerned with the vision health ofCanadians (there is no National Eye Institute equivalent in  Canada).  TheVision Health Research Council (VHRC), a group of clincians, scientists,and industry representatives  was formed in 1998 by Dr. Jean Real Brunette, an ophthalmologist from Sherbrooke, Quebec.  Its leadership comes from basic and clinical vision research:  Dr. Martin Steinbach (aformer trustee and the 1985 vice-president of ARVO)  is the VicePresident, Basic Science. and Dr. Ray LeBlanc of Halifax is the VicePresident, Clinical.  The Board of Directors includes representatives fromophthalmology, optometry, basic science, and industry.  This organization (see its web page at:   VHRC.NET) has linked the scientists and clinicians across the five and one-half time zones of Canada and has been educating the federal funding agencies about the need for enhanced support for eye research.  The potential for improved supportexists because the Federal government recently announced a CDN$500 millioninfusion of new money to form the Canadian Institutes of Health Research(CIHR.  Web page: http://www.cihr.org/).  The CIHR will replace the primary health research funding agency, the Medical Research Council of Canada, in the year 2000.

The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and itsresearch funding arm, the E.A. Baker Foundation for the Prevention ofBlindness, is also gathering support for improvements to vision health.These agencies sponsored a very successful and influential meeting inOctober, 1998, the Consultation On the Crisis in Vision Loss.  One outcomeof the consultation was the formation of a group of stakeholders, spanningthe spectrum from basic science through rehabilitation workers, and knownas the National Coalition for Vision Health (NCVH).  This group too willwork to get the issues associated with vision loss onto the the nationalhealth agenda, and research is represented by the presence of the VHRC onthe Coalition's Board.

The government's CIHR initiatives will vastly improve Canada'sfunding levels for research and development.  The case has still to bemade, however, for vision health research to be given its fair share ofthe research dollars.  There is a risk that the CIHR will start off theway the NIH almost did in the U.S. - i.e., without an NEI.  The history ofthe NEI includes a time where intense lobbying was required to get aseparate Institue and protected funding for eye research.  Eye scientistsin Canada are 35 years later fighting the same battles for getting aCanadian Institute of Vision Health Research!   In addition to the activities of the VHRC and the NCVH to bring about a Vision Health Institute, there is another source of influence amongst the readers ofthis Newsletter that could be tapped:  There are many hundreds of Candianvision scientists and vision care clinicians who are working in the United States because of the greater opportunities for funding as well as the increased value of that funding.  These expatriates, part of along-standing "brain drain" to the United States, can help the VHRC and NCVH by writing to the Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, asking for his support of vision health research within his government's brilliant new initiative, the CIHR.  Copies of the letter should also be sent to thePresident of the MRC (Dr. Henry Friesen, Medical Research Council ofCanada, 1600 Scott St., Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W9; email:hfriesen@mrc.gc.ca) and to the Minister of Health (Allan Rock, Minister'sOffice - Health Canada, Brooke Claxton Bldg., Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa,Ontario, Canada K1A 0K9,  email: minister@www.hc-sc.gc.ca ).
 

Martin J. Steinbach,Ph. D.,

Director,Vision Science Research, Toronto Western Research Institute.
Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Toronto.
Professor of Psychology & Biology Centre for Vision Research,
Atkinson College, York University
Vice President, Vision Health Research Council of Canada

Tel: (416) 603-6479   Fax: (416) 603-5126
e-mail: mjs@yorku.ca
http://www.yorku.ca/research/vision/steinbac.htm