I am encouraged to write this new post by a few of my friends as they have been reading about the Focus Point incident lately in the papers. (latest update can be read here)
The main question that was thrown to me was :
When I buy contact lenses in an optical outlet, how do I know the person selling me the contact lenses are legally allowed to do so (as in only registered pharmacist can dispense prescribed medication)?
Answer : I will explain the answer in 2 parts.
Firstly, in Malaysia, only 2 group of people are allowed to prescribe and dispense contact lenses to the public
1) Optometrist - This group of people holds a degree in Optometry and are fully equipped with expertise to examine your eye for any eye defects as well as dispense contact lens to you
2) Qualified Optician with "Pink Form" - This group of people holds a "Fellow of British Dispensing Optician" after finishing a year and a half course at Axismatic College after their SPM. On top of that they will also need to take a contact lens qualification exam certified by the Ministry of Health. Once qualified, they are given a pink form stating that they are qualified to dispense contact lenses. This "pink form" must be displayed prominently at the optical outlet.
So, how do we identify this 2 group of people when we enter an optical outlet?
The answer lies on the certification that is given out by the Malaysian Optic Council (MOC) that is the regulatory body of the optical industry.
Optometrist is certified with a green coloured form stating his name and qualification
Optician / Juru Optik is certified with a blue coloured form stating his name and qualification and IF he is qualified to dispence contact lenses, he will have another pink coloured certification stating that he is qualified to dispense contact lenses.
The regulatory body in Malaysia (MOC) has also in the past few years issued photo certification to be prominently displayed in optical outlet. This yellow coloured certification contains the photo of the Optometrist / Optician (Juru Optik) that is working in the outlet as well as his name and also what services that can be provided. Optometrist and Optician (Juru Optik) with pink form will have 2 sections, the first stating that he is allowed to prescribed and dispense opthalmic lenses (prescription spectacle) and 2nd section stating that he/she are allowed to prescribe and dispense contact lenses. If an Optician (Juru Optik) do not have a pink form, his photo certificate will only have one column stating he can prescribe and dispense ophthalmic lenses and frames ONLY.
To summarize, ALL Optometrist can dispense contact lenses BUT only Optician with a pink form are allowed to dispense contact lenses.
And how do we confirm that the person is either of the above?
Ask or look for the photo certification or at the least see if the outlet contain a green or a pink cert with the name of the person that is serving you.
Hope this clears the air.
If you want to know more about Optometrist and Optician, you can read my previous blog here
8 comments:
so only these 2 group of people can sell contacts. but can they sell online?
Hi Chee Hoe, me again. forget about my previous question. Are there steps and procedures that optical shops need to run thro every time they are selling contact lenses to customer?
Generally dispensing contact lenses involves
1)Eye Refraction to obtain the prescription
2)Slitlamp examination to make sure that the eyes is in good health and the person is suitable to wear contact lens
3)Teaching - the patient needs to go through a session to learn how to wear and remove the contact lens safely and also learn how to handle day to day usage of contact lens as well as general management of contact lens wear.
4)Reminding the wearer that it would be to his/her benefit to have their eye health examined at the premise every year to make sure there is no complication with contact lens wear.
Thats generally how i handle my contact lens case.
I believe these steps are important only for 1st time customer, but not every time. I only did these steps once during the 1st purchase from my regular optical shop. After that i just pick up and go. Sometime I got someone to pick up for me or pay a bit extra for them to send to my office.
Yup that's the general guideline for first time wearer. However many people are not aware of the probable long term problem with contact lens wear. Thus we have the myth that one cannot wear contact lens continuously for over 10 years and then get stuck with glasses.
Contact lens after care is essential for any contact lens wearer. In fact it is a legal requirement in UK and the US. The bi-annual or yearly corneal examination is important to make sure your cornea is in good health with contact lens wear. As I always say to my patients. When an accident occurs, it's not the fault of the car but the negligence of the driver. Same case as contact lenses. The sad thing in Malaysia is the lack of awaness among contact Lens wearer and also the ineffective spread of this awaness by practitioners.
Other problem is At a business point of view, why should I spend so much table time selling a box of contact lens if I can sell a few more spectacle with the same time? So I tell my customer that it's alright not to have your eyes checked but just buy contact lens based on your glasses. It's a wicked cycle.
All my contact lens patient are adviced to do corneal test at least once a year and I follow the principle by the book. An increased in power can be identified by the user but initial corneal damage can only be examined through proper clinical examination.
Prevention is after all better then cure.
I know there are policies for selling contact lenses.
Do you think it is possible to put some guidelines in place in order to put contact lens into an ecommerce platform? I am quite keen in this area.
I am not very familiar with online sales. From what I know, contact lenses is considered as a medical device and hence i do not think it is legal to be sold online.
That being said, it is best to seek legal advice. Even within the industry this is considered a grey area.
Hi, if I am going to study at the axismatics professional institute,how do I get the pink form? My sister's friend (an optician) told her that recently students from axismatics professional institute (optician) are not allowed to sell out/ dispensing the contact lenses. Is it true?
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