VISION MATTERS 
College of Opticians of British Columbia Newsletter
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October 2009
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New College of Optometrists The profession of optometry has now transitioned under the Health Professions Act; the College of Optometrists is now the regulatory body for all optometrists in the province, replacing the Board of Examiners in Optometry. As a self-regulating profession, the new College of Optometrists of B.C. will work in the public interest to ensure the optometry profession maintains a standard of care and accountability.
The College’s newly appointed board is made up of six professional members and three public members. To ease the transition process, most of the new appointees are former Board of Examiners in Optometry members.
Inter-professional Collaborative PracticeRecent changes to the Health Professions Act make for an interesting read. The regulations require, as one of the many objectives of a college, that they promote and enhance inter-professional collaborative practice between its registrants and persons practising another health profession.
The expectation of the government of BC is that Colleges and Health Professionals will work together to provide a high standard of care to the public. In the case of opticians this means that the COBC is expected to actively collaborate with other professions. As opticians, physicians and optometrists share overlapping scope of practice it stands to reason that these professions should be working more closely with each other.
Based on the new legislation, it does not take much thought to realize that governments are tired of inter-professional banter. Colleges and registrants are charged with ensuring the highest standard of care for the consumer. Inter professional “turf wars” must stop and professions must ensure that the needs of the patients are placed above all others.
Optometrist Regulations Require Prescription ReleaseAll opticians should read the new regulations for optometrists. The new regulation includes the requirement that a copy of a prescription for eyeglasses must be given to a patient at the time of the examination. It must be free-of charge-and the prescription not state or imply that only an optometrist can dispense eyeglasses or contact lenses.
| The new optometry regulation requires a copy of a prescription foreyeglasses must be given to the patient at the time of examinationfree-of-charge and must not imply that only an optometrist or a personacting for an optometrist is authorized/qualified to dispenseeyeglasses and contact lens. |
If contact lenses are fitted using the prescription information, a copy of the contact lens specifications must also be given to the patient free of charge.
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