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EDMONTON — Groups representing eye surgeons in Canada and Alberta are calling on the province to reverse a decision to let optometrists do some minor surgeries.
The Canadian Ophthalmological Society, the Eye Physicians and Surgeons Association of Alberta and the Alberta Medical Association’s ophthalmology section said in a recent joint statement that it’s a matter of patient safety.
“While optometrists play an important role in primary eye care, their professional education and clinical training differ fundamentally from the medical and surgical training undertaken by ophthalmologists,” the groups said.
“Even relatively brief office-based laser procedures require careful patient selection, accurate diagnosis, and the ability to recognize and manage potentially serious and, at times, sight-threatening complications.”
Justin Wright, Alberta’s primary health minister, announced last month that starting Nov. 1 optometrists who undergo further training will be allowed to perform minor surgical and laser procedures to treat things like glaucoma, benign skin lesions and styes.
Wright told reporters Wednesday at an unrelated news conference that the government heard the concerns from eye surgeons “loud and clear.”
But the province is moving ahead, he said.
The list of approved procedures was a compromise from what optometrists had been pushing for, Wright added.
“We said no to a great number of the expansions that the optometrists wanted to bring forward,” he said.
“We took a very calculated approach to really make sure that the scope of practice expansion fell within public safety concerns and making sure that Albertans’ safety was first and foremost in this.”
Wright said the goal is to improve Albertans’ access to medical care closer to home and that those who live in rural areas currently need to travel to access ophthalmological care.
The surgeon groups said they support the goal but question whether the government’s decision would achieve it. They also questioned whether there are significant wait times for the procedures covered under the change.
Wright said “some” of the wait-list would be eliminated but didn’t provide data.
While Alberta becomes the first province to allow optometrists to perform minor procedures, Wright said other countries, including New Zealand, already permit it.
Wright also said the government has heard that at least half of Alberta optometrists are interested in doing the procedures,
His office repeated that optometrists would only start performing the procedures after they undergo further training. Optometrists would also have to follow new procedural standards and oversight requirements set out by the provincial regulatory college.
The surgeon groups argue that training less than a full medical degree and years of residency and supervised clinical experience is insufficient.
They pointed to a course offered at the University of Waterloo for optometrists in how to perform minor laser and surgical procedures. They said the course is 40 hours long, with 12 hours of in-person laboratory instruction.
Dr. Colin Mann, advocacy chair of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, said in the groups’ statement that learning how to perform procedures doesn’t automatically lead to the judgment needed to decide when surgery is necessary.
“That judgment requires a comprehensive understanding of eye disease, an appreciation of the alternatives and risks, and the experience to manage complications when they occur,” he said.
The groups also said they’re concerned that Alberta’s decision could lead to other provinces following suit.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2026.
Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
