Optometrists join ranks of independent prescribers

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The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7467 p222
1 September 2007

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Optometrists join ranks of independent prescribers

Optometrists are to be given powers to prescribe independently, health minister Dawn Primarolo announced earlier this week. Suitably qualified optometrists will be able to prescribe any licensed medicine — other than Controlled Drugs — for ocular conditions, affecting the eye and the tissues surrounding the eye, within their recognised area of expertise and competence.

The Department of Health explained that the changes will apply throughout the UK across the NHS and the independent and voluntary sectors. It said that optometrists’ prescribing practice will be informed by guidelines from the College of Optometrists and that qualified practitioners will need to apply for specialty registration with the General Optical Council.

Optometrists were granted supplementary prescribing rights in June 2005 (PJ, 9 July 2005, p37).

Which? target Optometrists are the latest health profession to be targeted by Which?. The consumer association sent five optometry students into 39 eye-testing practices in England and Scotland between May and June 2007.

The students asked for routine eye tests and recorded details of the consultation. A panel of optometrists then rated the consultations and report that 17 out of 39 examinations were poor or very poor (Which? September 2007).