October 18, 2016.
According to a decree published on Sunday, October 16 in the Official Journal, the prerogatives of opticians have been extended to unclog ophthalmology practices. What changes can you expect?
New prerogatives for opticians
The decree of application of the law on the modernization of the health system of January 26 has just been published in the Official Journal. So, since October 17, opticians can renew and adapt patients’ contact lens prescriptions who provide them with a prescription of less than three years (one year for those under 16), ” as part of a renewal of issue “.
In addition, they will be able to ” exceptionally deliver without a medical prescription ” a new pair of glasses ” in the event of loss or breakage of corrective lenses “, only when ” the urgency is noted and in the absence of a medical solution “. ” The optician-eyewear gives the patient the result of the refraction examination carried out and sends it by any suitable means to the prescribing doctor or to the doctor designated by the patient. », We can read in the decree.
The validity of prescriptions is extended
But that’s not all. Prescription validity period for corrective glasses is extended at 1 year for patients less than 16 years old, 5 years for patients aged 16 to 42 years and 3 years for patients over 42 years of age. However ” the prescriber may limit the period during which the optician-eyewear can adapt the prescription, by expressly mentioning on the prescription », Specifies the decree.
The objective of these measures is above all to reduce the number of ophthalmologist appointments. According to a survey conducted by the site My doctor on Facebook, for 40% of those questioned, it takes more than three months to get an appointment with the ophthalmologist.
