Glaucoma Certification Helps California ODs expand their scope of care

On December 9, 2010, the Office of Administrative Law approved California Code of Regulation (CCR) Section 1571, Requirements for Glaucoma Certification. In surmmary, by Jan 8, 2011 the Board of Optometry will have new avenues to certify optometrists across the state of California for glaucoma care.  

Ever since AB 949 was approved in 1997 or so, glaucoma care has been constrained by an complex set of requirements and processes that led only 250 of the state’s optometrists to being certified, less than 10% of the state’s number of optometrists.  The new SB 1406 law that is the basis of the new regulations will vastly streamline this process and thus will expand the number of optometrists who can become certified to manage glaucoma.

There is a strong foundation for optometry and ophthalmology collaboration in the California and it is unlikely that this will change dramatically with the new regulations.

Patient Centered Care of glaucoma through inter-professional collaboration

Updated on Friday, July 22, 2011 at 12:15PM by Robert M Schertzer, MD, MEd, FRCSC

On Sunday 11Apr2010 I had the opportunity of speaking with a fairly large gathering of Optometrists from across British Columbia at a conference they were holding at the UBC Eye Care Centre. I was invited to talk about how best to work together in caring for patients with glaucoma as well as an update on my practice. This was an exciting opportunity given my involvement with this blog that Dr Hom and I started that deals with that very subject, as well as my work on the Canadian Glaucoma Society’s subcommittee on Inter-professional care of patients with glaucoma.

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What has advanced technology given optometry?

Updated on Friday, July 22, 2011 at 12:43PM by Robert M Schertzer, MD, MEd, FRCSC

In the last fifteen or twenty years, advanced technology to assess the integrity of the retina and optic nerve head has literally transformed the ability of the optometrist to manage many chronic eye conditions at a level never before. Optometrists who have the inclination, interest and education can now equal the detection of many, if not all, ophthalmologists for many of these conditions.

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Optometrists in Alberta seeking to expand scope of practice

Updated on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 5:54AM by Richard Hom, OD, FAAO

Updated on Friday, July 22, 2011 at 1:06PM by Robert M Schertzer, MD, MEd, FRCSC

The Alberta College of Optometry (ACO) has submitted to Alberta Health & Wellness (AHW) a Proposal to amend the Optometrists Profession Regulation Respecting the Authorization to Perform Restricted Activities to include such things as manage patients with glaucoma without any involvement of Ophthalmologists including prescribing medications and performing laser iridotomies and trabeculoplasties. I would be interested in feedback regarding this issue from both Optometrists and Ophthalmologists who care for glaucoma patients and how this effects inter-professional collaboration for the best care of our patients.

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