Laser referral fees outlawed

The statement emphasises that no payments are to be allowed by refractive clinics for the referral of patients from optical practitioners. The new GOC stance updates the previous statement on PRK from 1995.

Peter Coe, registrar said: 'The new statement says you [an optical practitioner] should not receive a fee from referral, but that is not to say optometrists can't pick up some extra workload.'

He said that the proposed statement underscored referral as a strictly clinical matter, not a business one.

'Patients should always have total trust in their optometrist,' said Mr Coe, 'and that he or she is referring because it's in the patient's best interest rather than the professional has been offered a few pounds to refer.'