MANILA — Significant progress is being made to improve access to eye care for millions of Filipinos, with the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists (IPAO) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) working to finalize new coverage guidelines by the end of November this year.
The development follows a House resolution urging PhilHealth to include up to 4,000 Philippine pesos’ worth of optometric services in its benefits packages. IPAO Chairman Charlie Ho said this “paved the way and advocated for Filipinos’ right to comprehensive optometric services and free prescription eyeglasses.”
Experts warn that 90% of vision loss can be prevented or treated if detected early. However, the Philippine Eye Research Institute reports that 16% of high school students have refractive errors, with 90% of those cases being myopia or nearsightedness. Additionally, IPAO estimates that 28 million Filipinos suffer from presbyopia, or age-related farsightedness.
“Several Filipinos visit their eye care professionals only when vision loss begins to manifest or when it’s too late for any intervention,” Ho lamented. But the upcoming expansion of PhilHealth coverage for preventive eye care and prescription glasses is expected to benefit millions.
To ensure the new guidelines are implemented smoothly, Ho said the technical working group members are committed to collaborating closely with the Department of Health and PhilHealth.
This long-awaited development marks an important step in improving vision health and productivity for Filipinos nationwide.
