eyeball icon1 in 5

Canadians are at risk of losing their sight due to eye disease. Many don't even know it.

book icon60%

of kids with reading difficulties have undetected or uncorrected vision problems that will affect their learning as they grow.

laser surgery icon$56B

projected annual cost of vision loss in Canada by 2050.

hospital map pin icon65%

of specialty eye procedures are currently performed outside our Region because we don't have a retina specialist.

SEEING BEYOND 2020 - Waterloo Eye Institute (WEI)

At the University of Waterloo's School of Optometry and Vision Science, our mission is to help people see.

Seeing Beyond 2020 is a $35 million campaign that will support the creation of the Waterloo Eye Institute, Canada’s leading eye and vision care center of excellence.  As well as providing exceptional care to patients, it will leverage the expertise of the School’s faculty, its infrastructure, and the power of Canada’s most innovative university to address the global vision crisis. 

With a new, modernized clinic, students will gain rich experiences by working together with other health professionals committed to integrated patient care. This inter-professional learning environment will give graduating students the skills that they need to lead their own collaborative and integrated practices as active professionals. 

The Waterloo Eye Institute will foster an environment where research that extends from cell to society will inform treatments and technologies can be immediately applied to advance health and vision care for patients – globally and right here in Canada. Using the eye as a window to the brain, the School will leverage its expertise in biomedical sciences, artificial intelligence and imaging to study and create treatments for vision, diabetes, macular degeneration, glaucoma, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Seeing Beyond 2020 Campaign progress to date

icon of money$25

million raised 

Icon of people500+

campaign donors

Icon of graduation cap$3.5K+

alumni average donation

The Waterloo Eye Institute will include

Together, we’ll provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

To learn more about how you can get involved, please contact Kelsey Gagnon, Associate Director, Advancement, School of Optometry & Vision Science | 519-502-3131 | kelsey.gagnon@uwaterloo.ca