The Battle for the Use of Drugs for Therapeutic Purposes in Optometry: Lessons for Clinical Psychology.

Abstract

Optometrists legally use drugs to diagnose and treat eye disease in every state. This was not always the case, and this significant, often contentious, change in scope of practice occurred over 3 decades. The authors examine the history of prescribing drugs in optometry and extract 4 lessons for clinical psychology: Education must precede legislation; the impetus for change in scope of practice legislation usually comes from state associations rather than national organizations; improved access is the strongest argument in support of prescriptive authority; and support from professional groups with no pecuniary interests significantly bolsters the public interest argument for prescriptive authority. The authors discuss similarities and differences between optometry and clinical psychology and identify ways psychology can profit from optometry's experience.