NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 25 — 9 MARCH 2017

below.

Notice

1. Title and commencement—(1) This notice is the Notice of Scopes of Practice and Related Qualifications Prescribed by the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Board.

(2) This notice comes into force on 1 April 2017.

2. Revocation—This notice revokes and replaces all previous scopes of practice and qualifications prescribed by the Board.

Scopes of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians as at 1 April 2017

1. Optometrist Scope of Practice

An optometrist registered in the optometrist scope of practice provides evidence-based comprehensive eye health and vision care in a professional and ethical manner, in accordance with the HPCA Act.

The “practice of optometry” includes:

• prescribing any ophthalmic appliance, optical appliance, or ophthalmic medical device intended for remedial or cosmetic purposes or for the correction of a defect of sight;
• assessing, diagnosing, treating and managing conditions affecting the eye and its appendages;
• prescribing medicines whose sale and supply is restricted by law to prescription by authorised prescribers;
• reporting or giving advice in an ophthalmic capacity, using the knowledge, skills, attitudes and competence initially attained for the primary optometry qualification and built upon in postgraduate and continuing clinical education, wherever there could be an issue of patient health or wellbeing;
• signing any certificate required for statutory purposes, such as driver licensing eyesight certificates; and
• holding out to the public or representing in any manner that one is authorised to practise optometry in New Zealand.

The practice of optometry goes wider than clinical optometry, and includes teaching, research, optometric or eye health management, in hospitals, clinics, general optometric practices and community and institutional contexts, whether paid or voluntary.

Additionally, clinical practice is defined as any work undertaken by an optometrist that relates to the care of an individual patient. Non-clinical practice is defined as any work undertaken by an optometrist that does not relate to the care of an individual patient.

Prescribed qualifications for registration in the Optometrist Scope of Practice

The optometrist must satisfy all the requirements from one of the following options:

• Hold a primary optometry degree from a New Zealand or Australian university accredited by the Board for the purposes of registration in New Zealand, and published on the Board’s website (Pathway 1 – ‘Optometrist’); or
• hold a primary optometry degree from an overseas university accredited by the Board for the purposes of registration in New Zealand and published on the Board’s website, and have an offer of employment to work as an educator in optometry in a New Zealand education institution (Pathway 2 – ‘Optometrist Educator’); or
• hold a primary optometry degree from an overseas university accredited by the Board for the purposes of registration in New Zealand and published on the Board’s website, and have completed a Board-accredited therapeutics qualification, and have an offer of employment to work as an educator in optometry in a New Zealand education institution (Pathway 3 – ‘Optometrist Educator - Prescriber’); or
• hold General Registration in Australia.

2. Provisional Optometrist Scope of Practice (time-limited)

An optometrist registered in the provisional optometrist scope of practice provides evidence-based comprehensive eye health and vision care in a professional and ethical manner (excluding the prescribing of therapeutic medicines), in accordance with the HPCA Act, works under supervision, and is in the process of completing Board-accredited training to prescribe therapeutic medicines.

The Provisional Optometrist Scope of Practice is time-limited and registration in this scope of practice will end after three years, or other period as specified by the Board from time to time, or on the successful completion of a

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