Syllabic eye charts: Doctors’ groundbreaking approach for Indigenous patients

Inuit in northern Quebec are now able to take vision tests using the Inuktitut writing system, after two Montreal doctors developed eye exam charts in syllabics. The charts typically used, known as visual acuity charts, use Latin letters, and the doctors quickly recognized that because of this, some patients, especially those that mainly spoke Inuktitut or seniors, struggled. “Inuit speak good English in Nunavik, but many may not have been taught the individual letters,” El-Hadad said in a phone interview. “We developed the charts and adapted the sizing of the letters to match the sizing parameters of the existing visual acuity chart in Latin,” Bhambra told Eye on the Arctic in an email exchange. “Indigenous patients face several barriers in the healthcare system, and being able to provide more inclusive or patient-centred care for them has been incredibly meaningful.