More cataract surgeries available for Nova Scotians in 2023
The number of cataract surgeries available in Nova Scotia is set to increase by over 60 per cent next year.
The expansion of surgery appointments, up to 6,000 compared to roughly 3,700 this year, is a result of an ongoing partnership between Nova Scotia Health and the Halifax Vision Surgical Centre.
"We know vision impairment can have a devastating effect on a person's life," said Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness, in a Friday news release. "This expanded partnership with Halifax Vision will help Nova Scotians who are waiting for much-needed eye surgeries see the world a little clearer and brighter, sooner."
The partnership will see the relocation of cataract surgeries from Nova Scotia Heath's Eye Care Centre to the Halifax Vision Surgical Centre in an effort to free up operating room time for more complex eye surgeries for patients across the Maritimes.
The surgeries offered at the Eye Care Centre, located at the Victoria General site of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, include procedures on eye sockets, eyelids, tear ducts and the face.
The renewed partnership will cost about $5 million per year. The centre has been performing cataract surgeries for Nova Scotia Health since 2020.
Since the partnership began, Nova Scotia Health has paid about $4.2 million to the Halifax Vision Surgical Centre, not including physician fees billed directly to MSI.
Dr. Marcelo Nicolela, Chief of Ophthalmology at Nova Scotia Health, said in the release that the centre has helped nearly 4,000 patients receive surgery even while other procedures were restricted in hospital settings due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
"This expanded partnership will comprehensively address waiting times in all areas of ophthalmology, allowing patients from the whole province timely access to eye surgeries," Nicolela said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.