Prescribers pass the test

All 30 optometrists who sat the College of Optometrists’ final assessment in Independent Prescribing (IP) in London and Glasgow have passed.

They are now entitled to use the College affix DipTp (IP) and are eligible to apply to have the IP speciality entered against their name on the register.

In a multiple-choice format, the exam was designed to test decision making in scenarios based on the conditions covered by the College of Optometrists’ Clinical Management Guidelines. These included the application of clinical knowledge in terms of differential diagnosis, interpreting clinical signs, pharmacological and non-pharmacological management, monitoring, and prescribing safely and professionally.

Josephine Mullin, director of education at the College, said: ‘The 30 candidates who passed this assessment have made history by becoming the first group of optometrists qualified to prescribe any licensed medicine for ocular conditions affecting the eye and adnexa, within their recognised area of expertise and competence.’