Donations in Action
Each year, donations to Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) enable us to fund projects globally that provide immediate eyecare to those in need today, and expand optometry so vision care is available for years to come.
Grantee Spotlight: Etuaptmumk Eye Care – Wabano Eye Clinic, Ottawa, Canada
For many Indigenous people living in Canadian cities, the barriers to eye care often have little to do with distance. Poverty, the cost of eyewear, transportation, and other systemic issues keep people from accessing services that can be, technically, right down the street.
The Wabano Eye Clinic is designed to change that.
Operating within the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa, the clinic delivers comprehensive, no cost primary eye care to urban Indigenous patients in a setting they already know and trust.
Led by Dr. Joshua Smith of Etuaptmumk Eye Care, the clinic uses advanced diagnostic technology to provide full-scope care that meets or exceeds community standards, and is actively training the next generation of eye care professionals. In 2025, optometry interns delivered 33% of all clinic care hours, surpassing the program’s own 25% benchmark.
The need is real. Research has found refractive error prevalence as high as 78% among Indigenous children in Ontario, with 77% of those cases going uncorrected. Indigenous communities also experience disproportionately high rates of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts.
By embedding care within a trusted community institution and working within publicly funded insurance programs, the Wabano Eye Clinic has built something rare: a model that is both culturally responsive and financially sustainable—and replicable in Indigenous communities across Canada.
OGS is proud to support their work.