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May 4, 2020
As talk of re-opening is gaining momentum, we are all seeing suggested guidelines as to how we will practice. While a number of the suggested guidelines are similar, at the end of the day, Ontario opticians will be required to follow whatever guidelines are adopted by the College of Opticians of Ontario (COO). Ontario opticians will need to operate not only according to guidelines issued by the COO, but also by the Government of Ontario regarding more general retail situations.
The Opticians Association of Canada recently distributed a list of suggested protocols for opticians. The document was compiled using references from the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists and the Quebec Order of Optometrists. The suggested protocols demonstrate ways for opticians to provide services in a safe manner. The Alberta College and Association of Opticians have developed guidelines for re-opening.
The COO Clinical Practice committee previously distributed guidelines for remote and face to face dispensing. It can be found here. The Clinical Practice committee will be developing additional guidelines for when we return to face to face practice. The OOA Disinfection and Pandemic committee will be meeting and reviewing recommendations from various sources and plan on offering input to the COO Clinical Practice committee.
It is great to see that many of our vendors have been reaching out to opticians asking how they can help once we start going back to “normal” business. What support are we looking for? Extended payment terms? Addition of more value priced products? If you have not been contacted, and would like to offer input, please send your suggestions to lkashin@ontario-opticians.com and they will be forwarded on to the vendors that have been reaching out.
Let’s hope that we are close to getting to our “New normal”. Stay tuned for more information.
Stay healthy. Stay safe.