Off the Cuff: When is the Shoe on the Other Foot?
This week, let's examine optometry's feelings about optician's being allowed to refract. While a reality in many parts of the world, including parts of Western Canada, here in the USA, optometry is decidedly against refracting by opticians. Ninety-three percent of 514 ODs surveyed for the November Review of Optometry Special Report made that quite clear.
Personally, I have mixed feelings. I am repulsed by the narrow-mindedness and protectionism that optometry continues to encounter as we grow and expand. However, as much as I would like to support practice expansion for opticians, in good conscience I cannot.
One reason is the tremendous variation in state laws for opticians. According to the Department of Labor, only 21 states require a license to practice. This, combined with the huge variation in educational background and training for opticians, is cause for great concern.
To the inexperienced or ignorant, refraction may seem trivial, but for many patients, routine eyecare serves as a primary portal into the healthcare system. For that reason alone, post-graduate training and extensive clinical experience are essential requisites to provide entry-level eye care.
That's not to say there aren't exceptionally knowledgeable and skilled opticians practicing throughout the United States. As leaders in their profession, I encourage them to promote higher and more uniform educational and licensing standards. As we have discovered in optometry, education and uniformity (we're still working on that one) are the keys to expansion of practice scope.
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