11:15am ET | Dr. Rose Braga-Mele, Opthalmologists

12:15pm ET | Dr. Rose Braga-Mele, Opthalmologists

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GUEST – Dr. Rosa Braga-Mele, Ophthalmologists

TOPIC – Cataracts: definition, diagnosis and treatment options.

INFO – Cataracts Seeing Beyond the Blur

Is your vision blurry or foggy? Do colors appear dull or muted? Are your glasses no longer working? Does sunlight or other light seem overly bright or glaring? Do you have decreased night vision or see halos around lights?

If you experience one or more of these symptoms, you may have cataracts, a clouding of your eye’s natural lens that affects many of us as we age. Cataracts are the leading cause of visual loss in adults 55 and over. Fortunately, we live in a time when correcting cataracts is relatively simple and the results can be extraordinary. With today’s advances, some patients enjoy the best vision of their lives. -Source: Pamplet Jacobs Eye Center Avon, Ohio

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GUEST – Natalie Mehra of the Ontario Health Coalition

TOPIC – Ontario hospitals are shrinking at a rapid rate and while some say cuts to beds, staff and services are hurting patients, the province’s health minister argues they are “deliberate” and necessary.

INFO – Ontario hospitals are shrinking at a rapid rate and while some say cuts to beds, staff and services are hurting patients, the province’s health minister argues they are “deliberate” and necessary.

Health Minister Deb Matthews said Thursday’s budget will see the province stay the course on downsizing hospitals, but at the same time funding for home and community health services will increase to pick up the slack.

Base funding for the province’s 149 hospital corporations is expected to remain frozen, meaning they will not get significantly more than the $17 billion they got last year.

Meantime, funding for community and home care will jump by $260 million to $4.56 billion.

Health-care inflation and demographic changes are forcing hospitals to cut their own budgets to avoid deficits.