Role of the Optometrist (OD)

Role of the Optometrist

Optometrists are independent primary healthcare providers and represent the front line of vision health. Optometrists practice in a range of settings: most work in private practice, others work in clinics, hospitals, community health centres, corporate optometry, research, teaching and administration. 

The eye health and good vision of the public are the prime responsibilities of Canada’s optometrists, who:

• specialize in the examination, diagnosis, treatment, management and prevention of disease and disorders of the visual system, the eye and associated structures
• diagnose ocular manifestations of systemic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure and complications of the aging process such as cataracts and macular degeneration
• prescribe medication to treat certain eye diseases
• prescribe and fit eyeglasses and contact lenses, as well as safety eyewear and subnormal vision devices
• provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation
• work in conjunction with other health care providers to provide integrated, quality care for patients
• educate patients about vision health and lifestyle choices for protecting and enhancing good vision and health
• conduct research and promote advancement in the visual sciences.

Optimized Scope of Optometry

Canada faces pressing access challenges: months-long specialist wait times, increases in glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration, and persistent gaps in rural and northern communities. 

With an aging population, more chronic eye disease, and increasing strain on specialist capacity, provinces are looking to proven, safe solutions that improve patient access to timely care. 

Regulators are reviewing safe additions to optometrists’ authorized procedures, specifically in-office, non-sedated interventions such as YAG capsulotomy for secondary cataracts, selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) for glaucoma management, and removal of benign eyelid lesions. Optometrists would be allowed to independently diagnose and treat primary open-angle glaucoma with both topical and oral medications - except in medically complex cases - and to provide sample eye drops, dispense topical treatments, and order and interpret lab tests and imaging such as CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays, including chest X-rays when relevant to eye health. 

The proposed scope updates apply only to non-sedated, in-office procedures that optometrists are already trained to perform safely, and are widely delivered by optometrists in the U.S. and U.K.

Enabling optometrists to work to their full scope improves timely access, especially for seniors and rural residents, alleviating strain on hospital and specialty services.

Optometrists are not seeking authority to perform intraocular surgeries such as cataract extraction, retinal operations, or corneal transplants. The proposed updates involve office-based procedures aligned with their training and international standards.

Optimizing Optometric Scope is a safe, evidence-based, and essential step forward to improve access to care. Read CAO's Press Release.