Homelessness and Eyewear Accessibility

The issue of accessibility has always been central to Le Bonhomme à lunettes. In fact, it's written in black and white in our mission statement: " make eyewear purchases accessible to all ". So when a study on homelessness and eyewear accessibility is published in Optik, we're bound to be interested. Even more so when the author happens to be a colleague.

Julie Chiasson has been an optician in Bonhomme since 2024. After a long and successful career in the restaurant business, her reorientation began with a return to school to obtain her diploma in Optics and Eyewear. As part of her studies, she won first place in the Prix étudiants de l’Association pour la recherche au collégial in 2022. Her scientific literature review, which focused on the accessibility of visual orthotics for people experiencing homelessness, was subsequently transformed into a research project with the support of the Cégep Édouard-Montpetit research office.

In collaboration with l’Abri de la Rive-Sud, Julie was able to meet homeless people who wore glasses or were dissatisfied with the quality of their vision.

Visual Disorders: Homeless People Over-represented

As pointed out by Benoit Tousignant de l’Université de Montréal, visual disorders are more common among the homeless. In fact, right here in Montreal, nearly 25% of homeless people have poor visual acuity (6/12), compared to just 6% of the general population. With visual impairments like these, it's hard to carry out everyday tasks that many of us take for granted.

Access to Eyewear: a Key to Rehabilitation

It's no coincidence, then, that 85% of the people interviewed said their vision problems were a hindrance to their daily lives. What's more, only one in two of those surveyed owned a pair of glasses. Good vision is basic. Yet far too many people experiencing homelessness make the decision to “live with” their vision problems. This is a major problem. It's hard to talk about reintegration when someone has difficulty seeing properly. Not surprisingly, 55% of respondents felt that the quality of their vision would prevent them from returning to work.

Some Existing Solutions

When asked, a majority of respondents (60%) felt it was difficult for them to buy prescription glasses. Barriers related to the price of glasses (42%) and the cost of eye examinations (33%) topped the list. It is also important to note that 41.7% of respondents on social assistance were unaware of the existence of a financial support program for the purchase of glasses.

With this in mind, we offer a brief guide to existing solutions:

Eye Exam

The eye exam is normally free of charge with health insurance card for people aged 18 and under and 65 and over
For people on social assistance, it's also free with the medical booklet (although usually after one year's service).
For others, there's Regard Collectif de l’Université de Montréal. It's the place to go for a low-cost eye exam. The clinic also travels to a number of organizations to perform examinations for vulnerable clients.

Purchasing Eyewear

Social assistance recipients can purchase a pair of glasses every two years. At Le Bonhomme à lunettes, this means one basic pair for only $20 because our prices are based on the social assistance reimbursement chart. However, you must order a form by phone
There are also other programs to obtain low-cost eyeglasses for kids, immigrants, Indigenous People as well as curatelle publique
At Bonhomme, our base prices are almost the same since 2007, precisely because accessibility is a priority. What's more, we don't let anyone go without glasses if it's just a question of money. We'd much rather solve problems and not make a profit than let someone “live with” their visual problems.