VISION MATTERS

College of Opticians of British Columbia Newsletter

October 2009

Board Election 2009

Nominees

It’s time for the COBC Board elections and this year you will be electing one registrant from the Okanagan/Kootenays (district 3) and/or one contact lens fitter (district 5).

The following opticians have been nominated for election:

• John Kerns (Okanagan/Kootenays) *re-election
• Dialma Waite (Okanagan/Kootenays)
• Lutz Sprecher (Contact Lens Fitter) *re-election
• Aly Jamal (Contact Lens Fitter)
  

District 3 (Okanagan/Kootenays) Profiles:

KERNS, John
Dear fellow Opticians.  I have been your representative on the board of the College of Opticians of BC for about 5 years now.  Although I have been an Optician for over 20 years and have achieved the designation of Master Optician, I still had much to learn to become an effective board member.  While attending numerous meetings throughout the years, I feel that I have grown to become a key member to the success of Opticianry by helping to make sound decisions that affect us all. 

As Opticians become more cohesive nationally, our status increases.  We have been able to accomplish more with less cost to our registrants by utilizing other province’s strengths.  We, British Columbian Opticians, are a strong force at the national level and our voice is heard and respected.  I will continue to be a proponent of us Opticians to come together as there is strength in numbers and unity.

While spending over 6 years on the Registration Committee, 4 years as Chairman, I have worked diligently to eliminate unnecessary barriers with regards to registration while maintaining the integrity of our license.  Our committee has worked tirelessly to develop policies that address the dynamics and various issues of registration.

My goals on my last term of office will be to continue to push toward cohesiveness within the various provinces.  I will continue to support the enforcement of regulating the online sales of contact lenses and eyeglasses.  I will not give up on holding them accountable to the same standards required of us.  I will continue to be in favor of developing standards of practice that will address government policies that deal with issues such as sight testing.  I will push for efficiency within the College to keep our license fees the least expensive of all provinces.  I will pledge to make myself accessible and push to maintain transparency within the College.

Please feel free to contact me with any concerns, questions, or suggestions that you may have: johnzane@hotmail.com.

WAITE, Dialma
Dear Members of Opticians of British Columbia, With over twenty-five years of experience as an optician, I believe I bring my passion to opticianry. I have experience as both an employee for an optical dispensary and an employee in two medical clinics. Opticianry like other health professions has gone through changes in technology and practice. The College’s role in protecting the public does not change, but responds to new challenges to the profession. The Board sets direction and experience to the board. I am most interested in setting the College in the right direction to meet the upcoming vision needs for the public. Opticians hold an important position in vision care, and I am proud to uphold the public's trust that we are well regulated, highly trained and maintain high standards to best help people with their vision needs.

District 5 (Contact Lens Fitter) Profiles:

JAMAL, Aly
I graduated from the Douglas College Optician Program in 1999, during which I had the privilege to participate in an eyeglass mission to Mexico. Since then I have worked in various practices from large companies to an independent clinic. I have also helped set up and manage an optical outlet. I have been a practicum supervisor for Douglas College's Dispensing Optician students at my previous workplace. I have attended leadership team training at the Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Institute in Jacksonville, Florida & Optometric business practice training at the Williams Group in Lincoln, Nebraska. I get invited and have attended many Contact Lens related seminars intended for Optometrists. Presently I fit a variety of unique lens products from Hybrid, Ortho-Keratology, specialty RGP designs as well as all other lenses. I serve as an examiner for NACOR and was recently selected as a members of the Quality Assurance Committee with the COBC. In June this year, I delivered a presentation for Bausch & Lomb to Contact Lens Fitters on lens products and fitting techniques. I am at the forefront of continuing education attending courses locally as well as in the USA.

I am proud of my profession and the credentials we all have worked hard to earn and maintain. I would like the opportunity to work with my fellow Contact Lens Fitters to educate the public in why they should consult us as their Eye Care Professional when considering contact lenses rather then go on-line. With my experience, I would like to help build a strong partnership among all eye care professionals. I WOULD LIKE TO BE YOUR VOICE AT THE BOARD LEVEL.

SPRECHER, Lutz
Having been certified in Dispensing and Contact Lenses since 1983 I have continually upgraded my skills to improve my abilities as an Optician. During the past 12 years I have been an active director in the DOABC through which I have gained an intimate understanding of the politics and policies that shape the regulations of our profession. Over the past 3 years while working as a COBC Board member I have learned how the organization is structured and how issues are brought forward to the Board's attention. As a volunteer on the Policy Governance Committee I have attended seminars on board governance and am now involved in documenting how the organization functions. Being an active board member my participation in debates and board discussions has allowed me to forward the concerns of Contact Lens Fitters. One concern is the online sales of contact lenses which was advanced by the inquiry committee to which I was appointed. Although this matter is now before the courts, the reason it was brought forward was to define the law under which we are working as the resulting decision could affect the future of regulations regarding contact lens dispensing in B.C.

I am proud to display my opticians' licenses and strongly believe improvements to the College are never-ending. My goals in continuing as a director of the COBC would be to continue the work that I have started on board governance, keep the licensing regulations to a minimum, allow increased access to continuing education, improve the communication between the registrants and the College, and to work towards an efficient administration that would maintain our fees to be the lowest in Canada.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me by e-mail: lutzwebmail@gmail.com.

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Live Election

The College is excited to announce for the first time ever it will be holding a live Board election for each district due for election. Please bring a picture I.D. to confirm you are a registrant.

• Contact Lens Fitter (District 5): The live election event to elect a contact lens fitter to the College Board will be held November 1, 2009 at 1:30PM during the AGM at the Delta Burnaby Hotel (4331 Dominion Street).
  

• Okanagan/Kootenays (District 3): The live election to elect a nominee from the Okanagan/Kootenays will be held on October 20, 2009 at 8:00PM at the Sandman Hotel (2130 Harvey Avenue, Kelowna, BC) and October 21, 2009 at 8:00PM at the Ramada Inn (555 Columbia St. West, Kamloops, BC). Arrive at 6:30PM for both nights for OBC's continuing education event (whole night worth approximately 5 credits).
  

We hope that everyone can make it to their district’s live election event and hear each nominee’s exciting new vision for regulating opticianry in BC and looking after the interests of the public. If you cannot make it to a live election event, an election ballot will be mailed to you and election polls will be open from November 30, 2009 to December 31, 2009.

Vote in-person for the first time! . Don't forget to bring a picture I.D. to confirm your identification. Contact Lens Fitter: Nov 1 at the AGM, 1:30 PM, Delta Burnaby Hotel (4331 Dominion St, Burnaby, BC) Okanagan/Kootenays: Oct 20, 8:00 PM, Sandman Hotel (2130 Harvey Ave, Kelowna, BC). Arrive at 6:30PM for OBC's continuing education event. Okanagan/Kootenays: Oct 21, 8:00PM, Ramada Inn (555 Columbia Street West, Kamloops, BC. Arrive at 6:30PM for OBC's continuing education event.

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From the Boardroom

New Board members will have the opportunity to make a difference by applying their views, knowledge and expertise to help the Board make important decisions on important projects and regulatory issues. The following are some of the projects and issues the College is currently working on:

• Technology upgrades - the COBC received a grant from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development to develop and launch a project to improve the online assessment of international and out-of-province applicants.

• Public education & outreach - a national public awareness and professional identity strategy is being prepared to improve the public’s understanding of opticians. The goal is to help the public understand the changes to the profession and understand emerging issues relevant to their eye care.

• Online dispensing - currently involved in legal proceedings with Coastal Contacts Inc. and Clearly Contacts Ltd. The COBC is appealing the decision of Madam Justice Griffin on an injunction to prohibit Coastal Contact Lens from selling contact lenses on the internet.

• Labour mobility - developing processes to identify qualified opticians and increase access to the profession

• Automated refraction - the provincial government has yet to amend the Opticians Regulation to enable Opticians to conduct automated refractions without the oversight of a prescriber. The College has ensured BC opticians continue to meet high standards by ensuring all opticians performing automated refraction complete an advanced training course and a certification examination.

Also in this issue:

• What Is An Optician?
• New College of Optometrists
• Legally Speaking
• What It's Like To Be a COBC Board Member?
• What's the Difference Between the College and an Association?
• Coffee Anyone?
• Updated Continuing Education Program
• Public Announcement Regarding Cosmetic Contact Lenses