In an Association of Optometrists’ (AOP) UK survey, thousands of its members objected to the General Optical Council’s (GOC) proposal to separate eye check elements to allow dispensing opticians (DOs) to carry out refraction. Of the 2,445 members who responded to AOP’s survey, 87% said the two eye test elements could not be safely separated. A further 64% voiced serious concerns around delegating elements of the sight test to other eyecare professionals. Only 5% said that delegation was safe, with a further 29% saying that it was safe only under strict guidelines. AOP members represent 82% of the UK’s practising optometrists.

“We have had an outstanding level of engagement from our members who leave no doubt that the optometrist must remain in control of the clinical care throughout the sight test to protect patients,” said AOP chief executive Adam Sampson. “We understand that the GOC takes the view that (allowing dispensing opticians to carry out refraction) can be done without changes to the Opticians Act. In our opinion, however, the current legislation states that sight testing is defined as refraction with the intention to prescribe and can, therefore, only be carried out by optometrists, medical practitioners or students under supervision.”

The GOC’s proposals also include the requirement to verify a contact lens prescription with the original prescriber and to have a prescription less than two years old for contact lens fitting. Leonie Milliner, GOC chief executive and registrar, said, “The high interest in the call for evidence was very encouraging to see and we will carefully assess all the feedback.”

Assistants refract in Sweden

In Sweden, Specsavers’ clinical optical assistants are already performing some of the tests that form part of an eye check, which frees up optometrists’ time to delve deeper into complex cases, said the company. Specsavers’ Kristianstad optometrist owner Linus Johansson told Optik he’s very excited about the technological advances that make this shift possible, drawing parallels to radiology, where the doctor rarely captures the x-ray but does the image analysis. “Increased pressure on the healthcare system has led to long wait times. Clinical assistants are very capable of performing some of the necessary tests required for the optometrist’s assessment. I think it’s very much the right timing for this shift and it will allow me to see more patients.”