This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Australian optometrists can now treat glaucoma
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The Optometry Board of Australia revised the Guidelines for Use of Scheduled Medicines to include antiglaucoma agents, according to a press release from the board.
“The revisions to the guidelines enable optometrists whose registration is endorsed for scheduled medicines to prescribe topical antiglaucoma medicines for patients diagnosed with chronic glaucoma or who are at high risk of developing the disease,” the board stated in the press release.
Colin Waldron, chair of the Optometry Board of Australia and a practitioner in Queensland, said that this move would help increase access to care, especially in situations where geography or social disadvantage poses challenges.
According to the press release, optometrists who are permitted to prescribe scheduled medicines have been trained in ocular therapeutics in order to meet the board’s standards and must adhere to continuing education standards that are higher than other optometrists’.
“The revised guidelines allow optometrists whose registration is endorsed for scheduled medicines to practice to the full scope of their training, which means that more people will be able to access glaucoma treatment and ongoing care.”