Prescribing changes could save patients’ sight

27 Oct 2025

Australians will have more options to get the most appropriate eye care when and where they need it under a proposal to allow optometrists to prescribe oral medicines.

Endorsed optometrists already diagnose eye conditions and prescribe topical medicines. Under the changes, they would also be able to prescribe oral medicines - where clinically appropriate - to treat potentially sight-threatening eye conditions, bacterial eye infections, eye allergies and short-term eye pain.

The move would provide greater access for patients, particularly in rural and remote areas where people may have difficulty accessing a GP or ophthalmologist for a prescription.
In urgent cases, being able to access oral medicines without delay could prevent vision loss.

‘Giving people with eye conditions timely access to the right treatment, under the care of qualified professionals, could make a real difference to people’s eye health,’ Optometry Board of Australia Chair Stuart Aamodt said.

‘It could very well be the difference between a patient making a full recovery and being left with lasting damage or permanent loss of vision.

‘The evidence demonstrates that optometrists in Australia are educated, trained, and qualified to safely prescribe both topical and oral medicines, but to date have not been able to offer their patients all treatment options.

‘For more than a decade, Australian-trained optometrists who work in New Zealand have been able to safely prescribe oral medicines yet are not able to offer the same level of care here. It is time to update the requirements.’

Under the changes, optometrists would be able to prescribe from an approved list of medicines. The list itself would be published on the Board website and subject to ongoing review to reflect contemporary eye health practices.

The Board’s approach would maintain quality and safety controls, increase consumer choice, and provide ongoing transparency for all stakeholders.

‘The changes will give people with eye conditions more options and reduce the need for the patients of optometrists to see multiple practitioners for treatment,’ Mr Aamodt said.

‘It promises to remove barriers to effective treatment, such as access, time and cost. That is good for patients and good for the system.’

There are more than 7000 registered optometrists in Australia. Almost 80 per cent of general registrants have an endorsement to prescribe scheduled medicines. Under the changes, that endorsement would extend to oral medicines.

The changes support the National Medicines Policy and the National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines to make the best possible use of medicines to improve health outcomes for all Australians. Ahpra recently updated the National Prescribing Competencies Framework for the federal government.

Public consultation on the review of the Board’s Registration standard: Endorsement for scheduled medicines and Guidelines for use of scheduled medicines opens today. Submissions close on 24 December 2025.