President’s Message By Lorne Kashin, RO

In our first newsletter of the new decade I’d like to wish everybody health and happiness. With any luck we’ve made it through the worst part of the recession.

But there are still many challenges we face as Opticians. Two hot button topics in the past decade have been related to dispensing by unregulated personnel. We continue to be frustrated by the Great Glasses legal battle and by the increasing appeal to consumers of purchasing glasses and contact lenses on the Internet.

Great Glasses – The OOA has always believed it is best to have a cooperative working relationship with the College of Opticians of Ontario. So we have tried to understand the legal problems the COO faced while the Great Glasses case was plodding its way through the Hamilton court system. The College of Optometrists of Ontario charged the owner of Great Glasses, Bruce Bergez with practicing optometry because he was providing refracting services to his clients. The COO entered the case with Intervenor Status which allowed them to provide expert testimony to the court. As well, the COO took disciplinary action against Mr. Bergez.. Mr. Bergez’s legal appeals have been exhausted and as per our previous reports, the collection of fines and any other punitive measures are the responsibility of the Attorney General.

However, there still remains the matter of the Great Glasses dispensaries that remain open. We have never understood why the COO could not and did not take action against those unregulated individuals who were and are in fact dispensing illegally.

Furthermore, we are extremely disappointed in the COO’s lack of response to our request for a status update on resolving this issue. Twice in the past 6 months we have written to the College and to date we have had no official answer to any of our questions. We are reluctant to accuse the College of neglecting its job but the situation has already been allowed to get to the point where it has made a total mockery of the Opticians Act, our Regulations and By‐laws. Why does the COO appear to be at a standstill regarding this matter?

The OOA has sent at least one representative to every COO Board meeting for many years. It is our observation that although there are many well‐intentioned people sitting on the Board, the work of the Board is being hijacked by individuals who would rather spend their time and your money in pursuing their own counterproductive agendas and personal vendettas.

The OOA is calling on the COO Board members to step up to the plate and get Board priorities in order. We believe common sense is in the majority on the Board but to date it has not prevailed. We urge those of you on the Board who are reluctant to speak out against issues that side‐track the work of the Board to participate more proactively in eliminating these distractions.

The OOA is also calling on Ontario Opticians to take a deeper interest in Board politics. Board meetings are open to everybody. Make a point of attending at least one Board meeting this year as your New Year’s resolution.The OOA will be happy to have you join us. Call the office for a schedule of Board meetings or visit the COO website.

Internet Dispensing – As we all know Internet dispensing has emerged as yet another challenge to regulated dispensing. The OOA acknowledges that there is little the COO can do about preventing the sale of ophthalmic products on the Internet. The ability to lay a charge of unlicensed dispensing is jurisdictional. The COO’s jurisdiction is the province of Ontario but…where exactly does the dispensing take place? Unless the Internet Company is registered in the province of Ontario there is nobody to charge.

Many of you have probably had consumers asking you for their PD’s and their contact lens specifications. The OOA has always taken the position that those measurements and specifications are proprietary information and that you do not need to release them. Recently, our colleagues in Manitoba sought a legal opinion on this matter. It is certainly not an opinion we want to hear but we have to face the fact that it is most likely accurate. Manitoba Opticians were told that according to the Personal Health Information Act and the Freedom of Information and Personal Privacy Act those measurements and specifications constitute a part of the person’s personal health record and must be released. I repeat that this is an opinion received in Manitoba. As yet there has been no indication from the COO about whether this opinion is equally as applicable in Ontario. Nevertheless we would be foolish to hide our heads in the sand. Whether or not we must release this information it is clear there are battles taking place over the dispensing table and over the telephone between Ontario Opticians and their clients.

On the positive side, Opticians have resources to meet this challenge. The OOA believes as a group there are many strategies that will help us re‐structure business models to challenge this market. For that reason we are going to hold a workshop at Inside Optics on the theme of Meeting the DIY (Do it Yourself) Dispensing Challenge. Inside Optics – The good news is that our last Inside Optics conference was a resounding success. And now we’ve moved to a larger venue. IO 2010 will take place on Sunday April 11th. We’re doing our best to provide you with innovative programming. Meeting the DIY Dispensing Challenge is just one of those themes.

As you know the COO has introduced a new profile for continuing education. We are now starting on a cycle that will require each Optician to have a Portfolio. What is a Portfolio and how can we each put one together? At Inside Optics we are going to have a workshop on Building Your Portfolio. The Portfolio system is certainly not as easy as the system we’re used to but if we approach this with enthusiasm the OOA believes you are going to get more out of continuing education and what you do learn will make a significant difference to your practice and to your career prospects.

I encourage you to register now for IO 2010. This new decade holds great promise for our profession but only if we seize opportunities as a community and work together and Inside Optics is where the community meets.

Lorne Kashin R.O. – President