Notice to the Members of the College of Opticians of Ontario,
On September 25, 2007 the Council of the College of Opticians of Ontario voted in favour of a motion to adopt Standards of Practice for Refraction for Opticians in Ontario. This followed circulation of a draft Standard of Practice for stakeholder comment. The Standard of Practice reflects a strongly collaborative model of practice in that Opticians must work with practitioners who are authorized to prescribe eye ware in order to refract.
The Standards approved by Council set out specific criteria, including but not limited to, education and continuing education that must be adhered to. A letter was mailed out to all Ontario opticians in May 2008, informing them that the refraction package is now available on our website. It is important to note that the publication of the Standard of Practice approved by Council and this notice in itself do not permit refracting by Opticians in Ontario. Opticians who wish to refract in accordance with the Standards of Practice must apply to the College and satisfy all the requirements prior to engaging in refraction.
In response to the letter from the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care dated July 16, 2009, the College, through the Executive Committee exercising its powers under section 12 of the Health Professions Procedural Code, has taken steps to comply with the directions from the Minister listed on page two of the letter.
More specifically:
We shall keep you informed of all developments.
Jeff Fernandes RO
President
on behalf of the Executive Committee
Refraction Update – Letter From The Ministry – July 16, 2009 [PDF]