See The Possibilities | Eye Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Get to know the Big 5

Five eye conditions are responsible for most vision loss in Canada.
Check out our quick-hit videos on each of the Big 5 serious eye health concerns and explore their causes, risk factors, and how they’re diagnosed and treated.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

AMD is the most common cause of vision loss in Canadians over 60 years old.

Cataracts

When the lens in your eye becomes cloudy and reduces your ability to see, it is called a cataract.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve caused, in most cases, by an increase in the pressure within the eye.

Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy develops over time in many people who have diabetes. This disease causes damage to blood vessels in the eye.

Eye injury

Learn about the most common eye injuries and how to avoid them.

Check your ‘eye’Q

How much do you know about these eye health topics?

Meet the 3 Os of the eye care team

Learn the difference between an optician, an optometrist and an ophthalmologist.

THE 3 Os

Follow real patients' eye health journeys

See the inspiring stories of patients facing serious eye conditions, and the ophthalmologists committed to helping to protect and restore their vision.

WATCH PATIENT STORIES

Ask the ophthalmologist

Leading Canadian ophthalmologists answer common questions about eye health and safety.

Learn More

The Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) is dedicated to providing all Canadians with optimal medical and surgical eye care.

We developed See The Possibilities as a resource for the Canadian public on the topics of vision health, serious eye diseases and what the COS is doing to promote eye health for everyone.

ABOUT OPHTHALMOLOGY

For Erika, healthy vision has been a lifelong purs $For Erika, healthy vision has been a lifelong pursuit. Nearly 35 years of glasses and chronic contact lens wear resulted in continuous eye health issues. In 2023, she underwent a Refractive Lens Exchange procedure, performed by her ophthalmologist, Dr. Milad Modabber. Since then, Erika has noticed an amazing improvement in the quality of her vision and her life. ➡️ Swipe through to see how the world looked before and after Erika's life-changing surgery and visit our website to read her full story. ______ Pour Erika, la santé visuelle est l’affaire de toute une vie. Le port chronique de lunettes et de lentilles de contact pendant près de 35 ans s’est traduit par des problèmes de santé oculaire constants. En 2023, Erika a subi une intervention appelée échange de lentille réfractive, réalisée par son ophtalmologiste, le Dr Milad Modabber. Depuis, Erika a constaté une formidable amélioration de la qualité de sa vision et de sa qualité de vie. ➡️ Faites glisser pour voir à quoi ressemblait le monde avant la chirurgie ayant transformé la vie d’Erika et à quoi il ressemble maintenant, et visitez notre site Web pour lire la version intégrale de son histoire. #SeeThePossibilities #Ophthalmology #EyeDoctor #EyeMD #VisionHealth #Eyesight #EyeHealth #HealthyEyes #Vision #HealthyVisionMonth #VisionHealthMonth$

Happy Victoria Day weekend, Canada! Will you be c

Today is the 12th annual Global Accessibility Awar

Did you know that ophthalmologists are highly trai $Did you know that ophthalmologists are highly trained surgeons who perform specialized procedures? 👀 Let's take a look at one of those procedures: the Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE). RLE is an intraocular procedure similar to cataract surgery but performed on an eye without a cataract. It changes the focusing power of the eye by replacing the eye’s natural lens with a thin intraocular lens made of acrylic or silicone. RLE is usually reserved for patients aged 50+, but in unique cases may be recommended for younger patients. Among those unique cases was Erika, who recently shared the story of how her ophthalmologist's innovative approach changed her vision and her life. Read Erika's full story at the link in bio. _____ Saviez-vous que les ophtalmologistes sont des chirurgiens hautement formés qui pratiquent des interventions spécialisées? 👀 Jetons un coup d’œil à l’une de ces interventions : l’échange de lentille réfractive (ÉLR). L’ÉLR est une intervention intraoculaire identique à la chirurgie de la cataracte, mais réalisée sur un œil sans cataracte. Elle modifie la puissance de focalisation de l’œil en remplaçant le cristallin (la lentille naturelle de l’œil) par une mince lentille intraoculaire faite d’acrylique ou de silicone. L’ÉLR est habituellement réservé aux patients de plus de 50 ans, mais peut être recommandé pour des patients plus jeunes dans certains cas uniques. Erika faisait partie de ces cas uniques. Elle a récemment partagé comment l’approche innovante de son ophtalmologiste a transformé sa vision et sa vie. Lisez la version intégrale de l’histoire d’Erika en suivant le lien dans la bio. #SeeThePossibilities #Ophthalmology #EyeDoctor #EyeMD #VisionHealth #Eyesight #EyeHealth #HealthyEyes #Vision #HealthyVisionMonth #VisionHealthMonth$

True or False: As you age, vision loss is inevitab

Meet Erika, a digital marketing professional who l $Meet Erika, a digital marketing professional who lives in Toronto with her rescue dog, Pip. 🐶 Since donning her first pair of glasses as a 10-month-old baby, Erika spent nearly 35 years looking for the ideal solution to her vision and eye health problems. After learning that she was not a good candidate for either LASIK surgery or an Implantable Contact Lens procedure, she was finally referred to Dr. Milad Modabber in 2022. Thanks to Dr. Modabber's outside-the-box thinking, Erika was able to undergo the Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) procedure that resulted in her first taste of freedom from glasses or contacts. Visit our website at the link in bio to read Erika's story and learn more about her life changing RLE procedure. ____ Faites connaissance avec Erika, une professionnelle du marketing numérique qui habite à Toronto avec Pip, son chien de sauvetage. 🐶 Depuis qu’elle a reçu sa première paire de lunettes alors qu’elle était un bébé de 10 mois, Erika a passé près de 35 ans à chercher la solution idéale à ses problèmes de vision et de santé oculaire. Après avoir appris qu’elle n’était pas une bonne candidate pour la chirurgie LASIK ou une intervention consistant à implanter une lentille de contact, elle a finalement été aiguillée vers le Dr Milad Modabber en 2022. Grâce à la façon de penser ingénieuse du Dr Modabber, Erika a pu subir l’intervention appelée échange de lentille réfractive (ÉLR) qui lui a permis de vivre pour la première fois sans lunettes ou lentilles de contact. Visitez notre site Web en suivant le lien dans la bio pour lire l’histoire d’Erika et en apprendre davantage sur l’intervention appelée ÉLR qui a transformé sa vie. #SeeThePossibilities #Ophthalmology #EyeDoctor #EyeMD #VisionHealth #Eyesight #EyeHealth #HealthyEyes #Vision #HealthyVisionMonth #VisionHealthMonth$

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