Speaking to optometrists in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have published an article that alleges workplace pressures and commercial expectations posed by large optometry chains are compromising patient care.
The named and unnamed optometrists told reporters they were being pressured to hit sales targets, prioritise profits over health and rush consults with conversions. The article reported that the number of appointments resulting in same-day sales of glasses were a KPI measure at Specsavers, OPSM and Bailey Nelson. Another reported common metric was customers’ average spend, including add-ons such as sunglasses or premium lenses.
Internal documents and private messages shared with reporter Rachel Rasker allegedly revealed that “senior management at Specsavers and OPSM threatened pay cuts or performance reviews if optometrists failed to sell enough glasses to meet KPIs”.
Luke Arundel, the chief clinical officer at Optometry Australia (OA) who was also interviewed for the article, said anecdotal evidence did not prove KPIs were harming patients. “We’re a very safe profession. One per cent of optometrists were the subject of an Australian Healthcare Practitioners Regulation Agency complaint in 2024–25, compared with 1.7% across all registered health practitioners.”
Commenting on the article, a Specsavers spokesperson said, as Australia’s largest provider of eye health care, its focus is to “help Australians access affordable, high-quality eye care” and “ensure more people can access the care they need, when they need it...
