Our mission and advocacy
ACCESS is committed to improving the delivery of surgical vision services for all Canadians, and to establishing evidence-based national surgery facility standards in ophthalmic care.
National standards and accreditation in eye surgery
ACCESS supports the development of a nationally consistent accreditation model for ophthalmic surgery, rooted in evidence-based practices and patient safety.
By promoting standardized regulatory oversight across all provinces, we aim to ensure that both insured and uninsured procedures are delivered in high-quality, accredited facilities—regardless of location.
Expanding access through community-based surgical facilities
We champion the shift of eligible eye surgeries from hospital settings to purpose-built day surgery centres that specialize exclusively in ophthalmology. These facilities offer:
- Greater efficiency
- Reduced wait times
- Enhanced patient satisfaction
- Lower burden on public hospital infrastructure
This model has already demonstrated success in multiple provinces and supports better alignment between surgical demand and capacity.
Ensuring equitable opportunities for new Canadian eye surgeons
ACCESS advocates for fair access to surgical opportunities within Canada’s public healthcare system for newly licensed ophthalmologists. These highly trained professionals – graduates of Canadian residency programs and fully licensed by provincial colleges – must be supported in establishing their practices and serving patients, without unnecessary barriers.
Understanding conflict of interest in hospital‑based surgical privileging
A conflict of interest occurs when individuals in positions of authority have a personal or professional interest that may compromise – or appear to compromise – their objectivity in decision‑making.
In some hospital settings, the process of granting surgical privileges to new graduates is influenced by existing ophthalmologists who may also be competing for the same operating room time.
While peer review is an important element of professional oversight, allowing those with a vested interest to control public OR access can unintentionally lead to:
- Barriers to entry for new surgeons
- Delays in care delivery to the public
- A lack of transparency in access to publicly funded resources
This structural issue can discourage early-career ophthalmologists from practicing in Canada and may result in underutilized surgical capacity in a system already strained by long wait times.
In some cases, these dynamics have led to legal challenges and growing public concern about fairness in hospital privileging and equitable access to publicly funded surgical infrastructure.