Optometry Australia (OA) has lodged a complaint with health care bodies after a member noticed a local pharmacy advertising dry eye disease diagnosis and intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment.
OA said the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye fell outside the scope of pharmacy practice and it “strongly opposes” the offer of these services by pharmacy “technicians”.
It said the indiscriminate use of device-based dry eye (DED) therapies posed a “significant risk to patient safety and exacerbation of underlying conditions if inappropriately or improperly administered”.
“We believe eyecare practitioners are best placed to deliver the assessment and longitudinal care required for successful DED therapy, by tailoring therapy to the disease subtype before following evidence-based guidelines for therapy.”
This latest action follows concerns raised in mid-2024, when OA members reported a similar service operating in a Victorian pharmacy.
After complaints were lodged this service is no longer operating.
OA encouraged its members to keep an eye out for other services being offered in inappropriate settings, and to pass on their concerns if they did come across them.