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AOA House of Delegates endorses OD involvement in concussion management
PHILADELPHIA – The American Optometric Association passed a resolution in its House of Delegates urging an optometric evaluation for all patients with a brain injury.
The group encourages “all health care professionals to consider the possibility that a patient’s ocular or visual signs or symptoms may have been a result of a brain injury,” according to the resolution passed here at Optometry’s Meeting.
The AOA also recommends an optometric evaluation to detect ocular changes or vision disorders in such patients and provision of medical or functional optometric rehabilitation services.
The House of Delegates also passed two resolutions that would affect the optometric practice’s staff members.
The AOA resolved to continue supporting optometric assistants and technicians through the Paraoptometric Resources Center and through liaison with the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC) and to continuously review existing training programs “so as to advance the health and welfare of the public and serve the needs of the profession.”
This resolution also specified that the duties of these staff members should be limited to “mechanical and technical functions not requiring the exercise of professional discretion and/or judgment and shall not in any manner represent an extension of optometric licensure to those not licensed to practice optometry.”
The other resolution concerning staff recommends that AOA members encourage the paraoptometrics in their office to become associate members and obtain certification through the CPC. In addition, the AOA resolves to make paraoptometric education and testing more accessible. – by Nancy Hemphill, ELS