Eye Care Centre (VGH)

What Eye Care Centre (VGH) does

The Eye Care Centre (VGH), formally the UBC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, is an academic ophthalmology enterprise embedded within the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and operating across multiple Vancouver-area hospital sites including Vancouver General Hospital (2550 Willow Street), St. Paul's Hospital, Mount St. Joseph's Hospital, BC Children's Hospital, and Surrey Memorial Hospital, with an outreach clinic in Fort St. John. The department delivers medical and surgical eye care across ten subspecialty divisions (Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Cornea, Glaucoma, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Oculoplastics and Orbit, Oncology, Ophthalmic Pathology, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Retina and Vitreous, and Vision Rehabilitation), supported by specialized research facilities including the Centre for Macular Research, the Advanced Retinal Imaging and Analysis Laboratory (ARIAL), the BC Centre for Epidemiology and International Ophthalmology, and a Surgical Skills Simulation Lab. Clinical faculty care for more than 100,000 patients annually and train more than 40 medical trainees each year through MD rotations, a five-year residency program, and fellowship programs in six subspecialties.

The department operates within the Canadian universal healthcare system. Clinical services are reimbursed through British Columbia's Medical Services Plan (MSP) and teaching activities are compensated via a quarterly unit-pricing schedule (C$90 per half-day session with one UBC student, C$110 with two or more), while education and research are funded through government, university, and donor channels. The department pursues a tripartite mission of clinical care, medical education, and research, with strategic international partnerships spanning India (L V Prasad Eye Institute), Mongolia, and global non-profits including Orbis International, Seva Canada, and the Himalayan Cataract Project. Notable recent milestones include Canada's first 'tooth-in-eye' osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis surgery performed by Dr. Gregory Moloney, AI-driven diabetic retinopathy research, the 2023 Royal College Competence By Design curriculum transition, and recognition through Mongolia's Order of Polar Star (2023) and the WHO Global SPECS Network inaugural membership (2024).

Name

Eye Care Centre (VGH)

Legal name

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia

Website

https://ophthalmology.med.ubc.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UBC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (Eye Care Centre, VGH) is an academic ophthalmology department providing comprehensive subspecialty clinical care, residency and fellowship training, and vision research across Vancouver-area hospital sites, serving over 100,000 patients annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (6211)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vision & Ophthalmic Diagnostic Centers (Optometry/OCT/Retinal Imaging) (HLAFAKAI), Ophthalmology Surgery Centers (HLAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic clinical services
• Medical residency training
• Ophthalmology fellowship programs
• Vision research
• Surgical eye care

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Clinical Care Revenue: Patient care services covered under provincial health insurance (MSP - Medical Services Plan of British Columbia) through the universal Canadian healthcare system
2. Medical Education Funding: Government and university funding for medical training programs including residency and fellowship positions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eye Care Centre (VGH) is the clinical and academic eye-care hub of UBC's Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, providing subspecialty ophthalmic diagnosis and surgery for referred patients across British Columbia. It also delivers accredited residency, fellowship, and undergraduate medical education in ophthalmology, and supports a vision-science research program spanning basic, translational, and clinical studies.

Product overview

Eye Care Centre (VGH) is a comprehensive academic ophthalmology center affiliated with the University of British Columbia Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The institution operates as a clinical care, education, and research enterprise rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings include clinical ophthalmic services across ten subspecialty divisions (Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Cornea, Glaucoma, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Oculoplastics & Orbit, Oncology, Ophthalmic Pathology, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Retina & Vitreous, and Vision Rehabilitation), medical education through MD rotations, a 5-year residency training program, and multiple fellowship programs in specialized ophthalmic areas. The center also conducts basic and clinical research through affiliated laboratories including the Centre for Macular Research, Advanced Retinal Imaging and Analysis Laboratory (ARIAL), and Visual Cognition research groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Subspecialty ophthalmology clinical services
• Residency training program in ophthalmology
• Fellowship training program in ophthalmology subspecialties
• Undergraduate medical education in ophthalmology
• Vision science and clinical research program

Quantifiable outcome

• Cares for over 100,000 patients annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Orbis InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-aligned, non-profit global development organization with mission to preserve and restore sight by strengthening capacity of local partners to prevent and treat blindness. The department works with Orbis on international eye care training and development.
• Seva CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloping innovative models of sustainable eye care for more than twenty years to address needs of millions of people worldwide who are blind from preventable or curable causes. Supports the BC Centre for Epidemiology & International Ophthalmology.
• Branch for International Surgical Care (BISC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreated to advance surgical care in international health, building on existing international activity among surgical faculty members. Provides fully online course format for graduate students, postgraduate trainees, and surgical faculty across the globe.
• Vancouver Native Health SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment works with Vancouver Native Health Society to provide eye care to individuals in Vancouver's Downtown East Side, addressing barriers to eye care for Indigenous populations.
• L V Prasad Eye InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership to train eye-care physicians from India and Canada, enabling knowledge exchange and capacity building in eye care between the two countries.
• The Himalayan Cataract ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization paired with Orbis International and UBC donors to provide the International Cure Corneal Blindness Fellowship, training specialists from resource-limited countries in corneal disease management and transplantation techniques.
• Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMR is affiliated with both UBC and VCHRI, whose mission is to ensure research leads and excels in generation of health knowledge through discovery, education, application and evaluation.
• UBC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Department of Ophthalmology faculty with Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department and Brain Research Centre at UBC to create interdisciplinary research environment.
• Brain Research Centre at UBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Department of Ophthalmology faculty and Brain Research Centre to maximize scientific discovery and train next generation of researchers and clinicians.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kellogg Eye Center: University of Michigan's academic ophthalmology center with comprehensive subspecialty divisions, large residency program, and active research portfolio. Comparable Midwest public-university eye center with similar GTM via referrals and academic reputation.
• Wills Eye Hospital: Thomas Jefferson University-affiliated eye specialty hospital with a long-standing residency program (one of the oldest in the US) and broad subspecialty fellowship offerings. Comparable in combining high-volume clinical care with ophthalmology medical education.
• Moorfields Eye Hospital: UCL-affiliated UK NHS eye hospital and global referral center for complex ophthalmology. Comparable public-system academic eye hospital with strong research output (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology) and international fellowship pipeline.
• Bascom Palmer Eye Institute: University of Miami's academic ophthalmology institute, routinely ranked the #1 US eye hospital. Operates the same clinical-research-education triad across multiple subspecialties, training residents and fellows while delivering tertiary/quaternary care.
• Stein Eye Institute (UCLA): UCLA's academic ophthalmology department covering comprehensive eye care, subspecialty divisions, residency and fellowship training, and research. Closely parallels UBC's structure as a US public-university ophthalmology enterprise.
• Wilmer Eye Institute: Johns Hopkins' academic ophthalmology institute with comprehensive subspecialty divisions, residency and fellowship programs, and integrated research labs. Directly comparable university-based model with similar mission and structure.
• Massachusetts Eye and Ear: Harvard-affiliated specialty hospital focused on ophthalmology and otolaryngology. Operates as a quaternary clinical, teaching, and research enterprise with deep subspecialty fellowship programs — closely mirroring UBC's clinical-research-education model.
• Byers Eye Institute: Stanford's ophthalmology institute with subspecialty clinical care, fellowship training, and translational research focus. Comparable in combining innovation-driven research with tertiary clinical services at a top US university.

Regional players

• Singapore National Eye Centre: Singapore's flagship public specialty eye hospital affiliated with Duke-NUS and SingHealth. Comparable quaternary eye care and training model, but serves primarily the Singapore/ASEAN market rather than North America.
• Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital: Australia's leading public specialty eye and ear hospital, affiliated with the University of Melbourne. Comparable public-sector academic eye hospital model focused on tertiary care, training, and research — but primarily serves the Australian state of Victoria.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eye-care-centre-vgh-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eye Care Centre (VGH)