The provincial government has amended regulations to expand the scope of practice for optometrists to include the treatment and management of patients with glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60. Abnormally high pressure in the eye can cause damage to the optic nerve.

Under the province’s amended diagnostic and therapeutic drug regulations in the Optometry Act, an optometrist’s scope of practice will now include the diagnosis, management, and treatment of glaucoma, for those with formal education and training.

The aim is to provide better services to patients in a timely manner.