Various departments of the federal government have consulted the Society in this past year about a number of issues. Documentation from some of these consultations are available from the office in Ottawa or can be obtained on the Internet at <www.eyesite.ca>. These are:
- Over-the-counter sale of nonprescription contact lenses by the large chain drugstores (press release on the web).
- Adverse drug reactions and intraocular lenses (ongoing).
- The development of new currency for Canadians with low vision (completed).
- Review of the criteria to ensure that Canada Customs and Revenue Agency programs recognize and include individuals with severe visual impairment (ongoing).
- Presentation of vision standards for driving to the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, a government body representing the provincial and territorial departments of transport (completed, on the Web).
The COS National Office handled numerous public and media inquiries regarding cataract and refractive surgery, occupational and driving vision standards, and eye injuries, especially sports injuries following the Bryan Berard incident in the NHL. In addition, many more calls were received about the use of new drugs for age-related macular degeneration and recent government incursion into the use of medical marijuana (statement on the use of marijuana available from the COS office or on the web site).
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