College spells out Section 60 advice

The College of Optometrists has spelled out in more detail the changes to its guidance to support the Section 60 Order changes to the Opticians Act.

Although the spotlight has fallen on issues relating to contact lenses (Chapters 27 to 30) and CET (Chapter 1), there are a range of changes in the Order.

Along with the requirement for the supplier of the contact lens to provide aftercare and for the specification to include certain elements, the guidance makes recommendations on the verification of a patient's lens specification. The College advised any specification verification to be in writing and records of the exchange to be kept. Excessive requests should also be noted and the supplier alerted.

The guidance stressed that contact lenses can only be supplied for the duration of the prescription and that plano contact lenses are now covered by the rules surrounding corrective lenses (Chapter 27).

Chapter 2 included the GOC's enhanced powers to request information from an optometrist. Chapter 23 reinforces the fact that all findings and advice should be recorded in patient records. Additional information on the reasons for referrals is now required (Chapter 36) and several references are made to the Data Protection Act in relation to visual acuity (Chapter 37). This chapter also advises that a PD is not required as part of a prescription.

Read the full guidance here.