Call for prices of opticians to be compared

Rules that forbid opticians from comparative price advertising should be removed, the Competition Authority has said.

Rules that forbid opticians from comparative price advertising should be removed, the Competition Authority has said.

In a report on the industry published yesterday, the authority found that restrictions on opticians comparing their prices with those of competitors in advertisements were unnecessary.

They obstruct new opticians from entering the market and hinder consumers trying to compare prices, it finds.

In a broadly positive report, the authority found no restrictions on competition that have contributed to increasing prices for eye tests, spectacles or contact lenses.

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"The optometry profession in Ireland is an example of a profession where competition is generally working well," according to Carol Boate, manager of the authority's advocacy division. "Many of the unnecessary restrictions the Competition Authority has found in other professions are not present in this profession."

However, the report makes a number of recommendations for enhancing competition.

As well as advertising restrictions being removed, it states, the Health Service Executive should allow opticians to provide State-funded eye tests for qualifying children identified at national school screening tests.

At present, the State provides free eye tests to these qualifying children, but does not reimburse opticians if they provide these services. This means that, to avail of the free test, parents must take children to State-employed opticians.

The report also calls on the Minister for Health to bring forward legislation to amend the composition of the Opticians Board - the industry's regulatory body - to provide for a board with a majority of lay people.

In the view of the authors, there is a potential conflict of interest under the current arrangement, whereby the board is composed almost entirely of opticians or other medical professionals.

The Higher Education Authority should also review optometry training places to assess whether the number is sufficient to meet future demand, the report suggests.