Dear Editors,

This letter is in response to the EyeWorld article in the April 2009 issue regarding the state of eye care in Canada (Universal healthcare; the Canadian Experience). We are two prominent Toronto surgeons working at one of the “big cataract centers” set up in Ontario and take exception with some of the comments made by Dr. Steve Arshinoff in the article. The Kensington Eye Institute in Toronto is affiliated with the University of Toronto and is an integral part of the surgical training program for the ophthalmic residents at the University of Toronto. We are truly unaware of any areas of “innovation” in which our facility is “falling behind”. We have 38 surgeons operating here, which provide the full range of cataract surgical care. We utilize all forms of new technology including accommodating, multifocal, toric and sewn-in IOL’s. An extensive clinical research program is underway with multi-center, world-renowned affiliations. In fact, we are quite proud to be included in a group of elite academic surgeons, that Dr. Arshinoff unfortunately would only consider to be “ok”.

Sincerely,
Rosa Braga-Mele M.D., M.Ed., F.R.C.S.C.
Associate Professor, University of Toronto
Shaun Singer M.D., F.R.C.S.C.
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto