EaseVision.com – News and gossips of vision care and optical industry

UK’s online optical store Metruki’s request for optometrists’ providing PD to patients was dismissed by the General Optical Council. This sounds that UK’s regulatory rules on online optical has a long way to go.

Optometry Scotland and the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) have hit out at online frame retailer Metsuki’s campaign to require pupillary distance (PD) measurements to be included on prescriptions. Metsuki wrote to the Office of Fair Trading about the issue and its campaign has received the support of MP Charles Kennedy (News 19.03.10).

However, ADBO president Barry Duncan said it would not be wise for the General Optical Council (GOC) to sanction PD measurements to be provided with prescriptions as it would jeopardise patient care.

‘It’s important that people understand that the dispensing of spectacles is a highly skilled and complex competency,’ he told Optician. Duncan added that PD measurement is only one of a number of equally important measurements that go towards accurate dispensing ‘and the PD alone can’t allow for comprehensive dispensing’.

Emphasising that practitioners were not refusing to give patients their PD measurements, Duncan commented: ‘It’s a professional service and you can’t offer a professional service without a charge.’ Duncan also revealed that Optometry Scotland and ABDO were attempting to meet with Kennedy to discuss the issue. ‘We hope to try and let him know why the comments he made are difficult to digest for a lot of people. I don’t think Mr Kennedy really understands the implications. The Liberal Democrats are making every effort to improve optical services rather than hinder them, so it’s disappointing,’ he added.

Duncan also revealed that both ABDO and Optometry Scotland would be speaking with the GOC.

‘We will do everything we can to prevent the quality of dispensing out there being reduced. We want to enhance the quality of dispensing,’ said Duncan.

We are sure that UK will finally take a bigger step on the matter of PD. Canada’s province of BC has deregulated in the same area. We hope the whole world will take the same step as BC did. Buying eyeglasses online will have no hurdles any more.

ASOS, Chicos