B.C. artist fears losing vision amid specialists' fee dispute

Every four weeks, 45-yearold Christina Watts visits her retinal specialist to re‐ ceive an eye injection, a treatment she says has helped slow her vision loss.

But now she's worried a funding dispute could put the treatment out of reach potentially putting her out of a job.

The Prince George, B.C., artist and art instructor was diagnosed with wet age-re‐ lated macular degeneration (wet AMD) - a chronic eye dis‐ ease that causes blurred vi‐ sion or a blind spot - in Janu‐ ary.

"I have a big round circle [in my left eye]...a grey mass in the centre," she told CBC News. "It feels like you're try‐ ing to clean your glasses and you can't get it off."

Thanks to B.C.'s retinal diseases treatment program, which covers the cost of her monthly injections, her vision has stabilized a little, Watts says.

"Since I've been getting the injections, [it has] cleared the grey mass so that I can see colour," she said.

But an announcement that specialists intend to withdraw from the treatment program has left her worried about her vision - and her oc‐ cupation.

"To not get those treat‐ ments would just be devas‐ tating," she said in an inter‐ view on CBC Daybreak North. "I would end up on disabil‐ ity."

The program Watts is en‐ rolled in provides free treat‐ ment and drugs for more than 20,000 patients diag‐ nosed with wet AMD, a lead‐ ing cause of blindness among seniors, and other retinal diseases.

But last month, Watts and many patients like her re‐ ceived a letter from the Asso‐ ciation of B.C. Retinal Special‐ ists saying it is withdrawing from the program on March 31 following a proposed cut in compensation.

"With inflation, the rising costs of facilities, equipment, supplies and staffing, it is simply not sustainable ... to continue to participate in the program under these circum‐ stances," the letter reads.

If it were to end, patients would have to pay upfront for the treatment, which costs about $1,700 per visit, and then seek reimburse‐ ment from the province.

Watts says she's unlikely to be able to afford those costs, and she's preparing for the loss of vision in one eye if a resolution isn't found.

She said there's also the possibility of vision loss spreading to her other eye, making her unable to contin‐ ue work as an artist.

"I would rather just give up my eye and pay for my kids' post-secondary educa‐ tion," she said.

B.C. Health Minister Adri‐ an Dix says the program will continue without any disrup‐ tion.

"[The] program is going to be maintained. It's an impor‐ tant program and peo‐ ple...are going to continue to get the care they need," he said during an interview with

CBC's Daybreak North.

In a statement to CBC News, the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), which administers the pro‐ gram, also said "coverage for the drugs currently made available under the program will not end."

But Watts says she is still looking for clarity on who will pay for the program.

"I really kind of need to know what to expect [when] I go to the doctor's office," she said.

Specialists file court pe‐ tition

Dix says the changes to com‐ pensation came at the re‐ quest of the B.C. Society of

Eye Physicians and Surgeons, which represents a large number of ophthalmologists in the province.

In response, the Associa‐ tion of B.C. Retinal Special‐ ists, a subspecialty of oph‐ thalmology, has filed a peti‐ tion in B.C. Supreme Court al‐ leging the society's proposed fee changes are "unfair, prej‐ udicial and oppressive."

The retinal specialists, ac‐ cording to the petition, say the society is trying to punish a small group of profession‐ als for earning too much from the treatment program.

In a statement to CBC News, the society denied those allegations and said they will be responding through the court process.

The petition claims the fee changes were proposed to redistribute and equalize funds among ophthalmolo‐ gists.

Retinal specialists are among the most highly paid doctors in B.C. According to the Medical Service Commis‐ sion's financial statement for 2022-23, a majority of the specialists registered in the program billed more than $1 million - and some up to $4.4 million - that fiscal year, com‐ pared to billings of under $500,000 for the vast ma‐ jority of doctors in B.C.

Retinal specialists say they will no longer participate in the program unless the pro‐ posed cuts are withdrawn.

Dix said the province will be working with both groups to find a solution.

The PHSA said there will be some changes to how the program is managed follow‐ ing the retinal specialists' withdrawal.

In the meantime, Watts says she is uncertain what care will look like come April.

"If the retina specialists aren't in the treatment pro‐ gram, then who is?" she asked.

"We're in for vital care and this squabbling is not helping anything."