Recirculation: Proposed Changes to the Optometry Act, Designated Drugs Regulation, and Controlled Acts
Council approved circulation of further proposed amendments to the Optometry Act, Designated Drugs Regulation, and Controlled Acts, together with OPR 7.14 Removal of Foreign Bodies from the Cornea.
Changes to the legislation had been circulated this past winter; after reviewing comments from stakeholders, the Clinical Practice Panel recommended two changes to the Designated Drugs Regulation proposal: one prohibiting the sale of drug samples dispensed to patients and the other relating to the use or prescribing of oral steroids. The Optometry Act and Controlled Acts are unchanged. OPR 7.14 is new.
These proposed amendments have been circulated for further comment from members and stakeholders. We encourage and value your feedback. Click here to read the proposals and send us your comments.
Random Assessment Process for Members with Focused Areas of Practice
Council approved a new process that would allow the Quality Assurance Committee to randomly assess faculty members of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science, who until recently had been exempt. This new process, which was a result of ongoing discussions between the College and the School, will include updated rules for short record assessment and complete record assessment. This will allow more appropriate evaluations of members with focused areas of practice. The new process should be in place for 2017; for the time being, it will apply only to full-time employees of ACOE-accredited schools. It is the goal of the Committee to eventually apply the same (or similar) process to any focused-area practitioner, regardless of location of practice.
The next Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at the College office, 65 St. Clair Ave. E., Suite 900, Toronto. Council meetings are open to the public, and members are welcome to attend.