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An update on office infection control measures

Requirements of entry have changed and masking is no longer necessary. You are welcome to wear a mask.  If you have symptoms of a respiratory or gastrointestinal illness, please do not visit the office and we will be happy to reschedule your appointment.

We continue to take several measures to reduce the spread of covid-19 and other infectious illness in our office in order to keep our more vulnerable patients safe. Please contact our office if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your consideration in helping our office continue to be a safe space for all!

Updated June, 2023

Update – OHIP Service Withdrawal has Paused

 

The Ontario government has now agreed to formal negotiations with Ontario optometrists to address the chronic under funding of OHIP insured eye care services. As a sign of good faith, optometrists, including all the doctors at Teeple Optometry, are now scheduling appointments for OHIP insured patients.

We are grateful for your overwhelming support for fair funding of eye care during the last few months. We appreciate your ongoing support as negotiations continue and hopefully lead to a successful resolution for everyone. We ask for your patience and understanding as we prioritize our scheduling of patients who have been waiting for eye care in the coming weeks.

The severe under funding of OHIP insured services has not yet ended. If you have not done so already, please visit saveeyecare.ca or contact your MPP and add your voice directing the government to properly fund eye care.

An important message to all our OHIP-insured patients

As of September 1, we will stop providing OHIP insured eye care services. This will affect seniors, children and some adults with certain medical or eye conditions.

Why are optometrists doing this?

For over 30 years, successive Ontario governments have ignored optometrists. In 1989 the fee paid for an OHIP insured eye exam was $39.15. Today, over 32 years later, the fee paid is on average $44.65. This has not kept up with inflation and only covers approximately ½ of the cost (occupancy costs, staff, utilities, equipment, taxes, supplies, etc.) of providing the service. Every time we provide an OHIP insured eye exam, we do so at a loss. This is not sustainable. We are doing this because we are looking for a solution that will allow quality eye care to be available to all our patients in the future.

For those provinces which provide a similar publicly funded service, Ontario is by far the lowest for reimbursement.

The Government’s Offer

You may have read the government has offered us an 8.48% increase on our fees. For a senior’s exam that would raise our fee to about $51.00. While this may appear generous, it still leaves us about 30% below Manitoba’s reimbursement, the next lowest province, and would still be far from covering our costs.

How Does This Affect You?

If you are a senior (65+), a child (19 and under) or an adult with an OHIP insured condition such as diabetes, we will be unable to see you. Provincial law prevents you, or your third-party insurance from paying for an OHIP insured examination. For those who already have an appointment scheduled, we will be contacting you week by week to place your names on a priority booking list so that we can see you when this crisis is resolved.

If you are between the ages of 20 – 64 and do not have an OHIP insured condition (or have a non-OHIP insured need) we are still able to provide you with service. If you have an emergency eye situation, please do call our office so that we can help you get the appropriate care.

How can I help?

You can help us work toward finding a solution by visiting saveeyecare.ca to sign our online petition and writing or calling your MPP.

Monte McNaughton, MPP Minister of Labour

Email: monte.mcnaughtonco@pc.ola.org

81 Front Street West
Strathroy, Ontario N7G 1X6
Tel: (519) 245-8696

Best wishes Dr. Mark Teeple!

    Teeple Optometry wishes to congratulate Dr. Mark Teeple on his retirement from practice. Dr. Mark launched the Arkona practice in 1979 following graduation from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He relocated the clinic to its current location in 1985. Dr. Mark brought the values of clinical excellence and continued learning to the practice. He earned his Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry and was a clinical supervisor and lecturer at the School of Optometry. He gave back to the profession by serving on various committees and the executive board of the College of Optometrists of Ontario where he went on to serve a term as president. He also served on the board of the Canadian Examiners in Optometry. From the beginning of his career, Dr. Mark placed a high value on the interests of the local community and his patients.

    Mark’s brother, Dr. Ralph Teeple, joined Dr. Mark’s growing practice in 1988. Dr. Tina Morowat joined the practice in 2016 and recently became a practice owner in 2019.   Just this year, Dr. Liam Teeple has joined as an associate. Teeple Optometry’s vision is to continue to share Dr. Mark’s values of clinical excellence, education, community involvement and care for our patients.

    Dr. Mark will be missed by his fellow doctors, the team and patients of Teeple Optometry. We wish him the very best as he transitions into this next stage of life!

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