Optometry Australia (OA) says optometrists are “not seeking to become doctors” through proposed changes to rules governing the medicines they can prescribe for patients.
OA president Dr Theo Charalambous made the statement in a response to the “serious concerns” raised by the Australian Society of Ophthalmologists (ASO) in regard to the proposals.
The Optometry Board of Australia (OBA) is seeking to expand optometrists’ prescribing rights to include oral and topical medicines. Its proposal is out for public consultation.
The ASO said the plans exceeded what was safely achievable within an optometrist’s scope of practice and could place Australians at risk.
But Dr Charalambous disagreed, saying in a statement that people were “waiting too long, travelling too far and paying too much for time-sensitive treatment”.
“Enabling oral prescribing for therapeutically endorsed optometrists means more patients can begin appropriate treatment in a single consultation, rather than being sent elsewhere purely because of an administrative restriction on “topical” routes,” he said.
“This reduces preventable delays, avoids unnecessary out-of-pocket costs and supports continuity of care.
“It also helps the broader system. When optometrists can manage straightforward ocular presentations end-to-end, GPs and ophthalmologists are freed to focus on more complex and surgical care – where community need is greatest.”
He said OA agreed with the ASO that patient safety was paramount.
“Where we differ is in the implication that enabling appropriately endorsed optometrists to prescribe oral medicines for eye conditions is a ‘shortcut’, or that it weakens safeguards.
“Let’s be clear: optometrists are not seeking to ‘become doctors’. We are proud to be optometrists – highly trained, autonomous primary eyecare clinicians.
“This sensible change is about removing an artificial barrier that forces patients into duplicate appointments simply to obtain a prescription for an eye condition which their optometrist has already expertly diagnosed and is managing.”
On the risks raised by the ASO, Dr Charalambous said those were why therapeutic endorsement existed.
“Endorsed optometrists prescribe under the same national prescribing competency expectations as other prescribers, and practise within clear professional and regulatory boundaries.”
He said Australia was not being asked to invent something new.
“Comparable countries, including New Zealand, the UK and the US, have enabled optometrist oral prescribing for years.
“New Zealand’s model (established since 2014) shows no evidence of mis-prescribing, over-prescribing, or optometrists prescribing outside scope.
“Ophthalmologists and optometrists are strongest when we work together.
“Collaboration, however, can’t mean one profession must remain artificially constrained while community need grows.
“This reform is sensible, patient-centred, and supported by strong international experience.”
