{"id":28540,"date":"2023-10-29T12:27:33","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T12:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/?p=28540"},"modified":"2023-11-12T23:07:43","modified_gmt":"2023-11-12T23:07:43","slug":"optician-optometrist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/optician-optometrist\/","title":{"rendered":"Optician &#038; Optometrist"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/optician-optometrist\/#Opticians\" title=\"Opticians\">Opticians<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/optician-optometrist\/#Regulation\" title=\"Regulation\">Regulation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/optician-optometrist\/#Modernisation\" title=\"Modernisation\">Modernisation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/optician-optometrist\/#The_2014_Act\" title=\"The 2014 Act\">The 2014 Act<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/optician-optometrist\/#Optician_Optometrist\" title=\"Optician &amp; Optometrist\">Optician &amp; Optometrist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/optician-optometrist\/#Various_Amendments\" title=\"Various Amendments\">Various Amendments<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Opticians\"><\/span>Opticians<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The legislation in respect of opticians is older and contains less detail in terms of modern constitutional standards.\u00a0 The Opticians Board consists of persons elected by opticians, persons interested in certain related professions and other persons who may be appointed by the minister. Provision is made for representatives of ophthalmic opticians and dispensing opticians.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation does not specify in detail, the circumstances in which persons may be removed from the register.\u00a0 However constitutional justice would require a procedure similar to that provided under more modern legislation. There is provision for appeal to the High Court.<\/p>\n<p>The board maintains the register of ophthalmic opticians. There is a register of dispensing opticians.\u00a0 There are parallel provisions in relation to the register of dispensing opticians and the register of ophthalmic opticians.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Regulation\"><\/span>Regulation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The board may provide for<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>training and education,<\/li>\n<li>the holding of examinations and<\/li>\n<li>approval of training institutions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are restrictions on prescribing spectacles and dispensing prescriptions for spectacles.\u00a0 Persons must be registered medical practitioners or ophthalmic opticians.\u00a0 It is an offence to improperly take or use the name of an ophthalmic optician or other similar words or imply membership of dispensing optician register.<\/p>\n<p>The board has the powers to make rules as provided under the legislation. It may make rules regarding the regulation and control of prescription of spectacles by ophthalmic opticians, registered medical practitioners.\u00a0 The board may make rules in respect of advertising and canvassing.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Modernisation\"><\/span>Modernisation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ophthalmic opticians are re-titled, optometrists. The register of ophthalmic opticians became the register of optometrists under amending legislation in 2003. Penalties were updated.<\/p>\n<p>The board maintains the register of optometrists.\u00a0 It deals with recognition of persons with EU qualifications.<\/p>\n<p>The 2003 legislation deregulated the sale of ready readers. Spectacles do not include ready-made reading spectacles, sunglasses, goggles.\u00a0 Contact lenses are included in the definition of spectacles.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_2014_Act\"><\/span>The 2014 Act<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014has three main purposes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>to subsume Bord na Radharcmhast\u00f3ir\u00ed (the Opticians Board) into the Health and Social Care Professionals Council by providing for the repeal of the Opticians Act 1956, under which the professions of optometrist and dispensing optician were formerly regulated, the dissolution of the Opticians Board and the application of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 to the professions of optometrist and dispensing optician;<\/li>\n<li>to amend the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 to divide the designated profession of radiographer into the two designated professions of radiographer and radiation therapist, to permit a registration board to regulate two or more designated professions, and to introduce uniformity between that Act and certain provisions of other Acts which regulate medical practitioners, nurses and midwives; and<\/li>\n<li>to ensure that statutory contributions are payable by recipients of residential support services who are maintained, though not directly accommodated, by or on behalf of the Health Service Executive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The decision to subsume the Opticians Board into the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and to bring the regulation of the professions of optometrist and dispensing optician within the ambit of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 was taken in accordance with the Government\u2019s programme of Agency rationalisation.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Optician_Optometrist\"><\/span>Optician &amp; Optometrist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014 provides for the registration of<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>optometrists and dispensing opticians who had previously been registered under the Opticians Act 1956,<br \/>\nexisting or former health or social care practitioners holding certain historical qualifications awarded in the State,<br \/>\noptometrists who satisfied the training and examinations requirements of the Opticians Act 1956 immediately prior to its repeal, and<br \/>\npersons holding qualifications awarded in the State that renders them eligible to be employed by the Health Service Executive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A \u00a0registration board, in the interests of public safety, may \u00a0attach conditions to the registration of a person who has a relevant medical disability. The Council, if it is in the public interest, to immediately cancel the registration of a registrant in the case of a complaint on the grounds of conviction of an indictable offence.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Various_Amendments\"><\/span>Various Amendments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Council may appoint persons to assist the preliminary proceedings committee. The Council may make an ex parte application to the High Court for an order directing a registration board to suspend the registration of a registrant and that the application shall be heard otherwise than in public unless the Court considers it appropriate to hear it in public.\u00a0Provision is made for the publication of a transcript of all or part of the proceedings of a committee of inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>There are provision for restrictions on prescribing, dispensing prescriptions and selling spectacles, for the making of bye-laws for the regulation and control of these activities and for the control of advertising.<\/p>\n<p>Regulations may be used \u00a0for the provision of additional professional titles that may be used by the members of categories of registrants where registers have been divided into divisions. The \u00a0Council has general powers to investigate possible contraventions of the Act by persons other than registrants.<\/p>\n<p>One half of the members of a registration board first constituted will hold office for a term of 3 years instead of 2 years.<\/p>\n<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-28540\" data-postid=\"28540\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-28540 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opticians The legislation in respect of opticians is older and contains less detail in terms of modern constitutional standards.\u00a0 The Opticians Board consists of persons elected by opticians, persons interested in certain related professions and other persons who may be appointed by the minister. Provision is made for representatives of ophthalmic opticians and dispensing opticians. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[368],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28540"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29211,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28540\/revisions\/29211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}