I usually stay with from political issues, since I generally try to remain as objective and impartial in this forum as possible, but in the spirit of friendly debate...
Before describing my personal experiences in this matter, I will first pose this question to you: Is Optometry responsible for the success, or failure, of Opticianry? Is Ophthalmology responsible for the success or failure of Optometry?
Optometry has made a great deal of progress over the past few decades with arguably even greater resistance from Ophthalmology. Of course, Opticianry has access to the same legislative opportunities that Optometry and Ophthalmology have.
And it isn't just about money... It's about convincing policy makers that licensure is in the best interest of consumers. While money certainly helps, plenty of policies get pushed through by the "little guys." Just as Optometry has done on several occasions when expanding their own scope of practice, without concessions from Ophthalmology or Opticianry.
I would argue that Opticianry's best hope of success is working
with Optometry, not slinging rocks at them, to play on your David versus Goliath analogy. I would also assert that convincing Optometry of the benefits for both patients
and optometrists could have gone a long way in driving licensing initiatives for Opticianry.
As for my own personal experience... I was actually on the board of directors of the Opticians Association of Missouri when we were finally on the brink of pushing a licensure bill through state legislation. The state optometry association was actually willing to
support our bill under only one condition: They did not want us to include contact lens fitting.
Mind you, opticians in Missouri were not allowed to fit contact lenses in the first place, so this would not have been some great sacrifice if it meant at least legitimizing opticianry and spectacle dispensing. Nevertheless, several of the key decision makers in our organization refused to agree to this compromise with the optometrists, instead pursuing an "all or nothing" campaign strategy.
It should come as no great surprise that our bill was eventually shot down. And the Opticians Association of Missouri eventually disbanded. Opticians in Missouri will not enjoy the benefits of licensed professionals anytime soon. But when I look at how close we came to convincing our state legislators to pull the trigger on licensing for opticians, I don't blame Optometry.
I don't necessarily disagree with any of these points. I think they echo my own feelings, which I alluded to with my original comment. I will end with a link to an article available on OptiBoard that I think all opticians should read:
Opticianry at a Crossroads, which was actually written by an optometrist.
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