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Since 1 Jan 2008, all optometrists and opticians providing services to the public in Singapore are required to be registered with the Board and have a valid registration certificate (RC) and practising certificate (PC). When you are seeking eye care services, ask your optometrist or optician to show you his/her RC and PC.

The practising certifcate (PC) is a card, which is the size of an ezlink card, and the information reflected on it shows the practitioner's name, photo, registration number and type of registration. Do note that there is also an expiry date written on the practising certificate to show its validity.

Optometrists are primary eye care providers who specialize in performing eye examinations. Through the tests, they can detect eye-infections and common eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, all of which may be treatable if detected early.

In general, optometrists are qualified to:

1. Perform refraction¹ on patients who are adults, children or adolescents.
2. Prescribe optical appliances such as glasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism.
3. Perform visual examination on patients and refer them to other healthcare practitioners such as ophthalmologist for further management if any eye abnormalities/diseases are detected.
4. Perform any other type of practice of eye care which is part of the practice of opticianry (eg. dispensing and fitting of glasses and contact lenses).
   
   

There are 3 different categories of opticians in Singapore. All of them are equipped with the skills to dispense and fit glasses based on prescriptions from optometrists or ophthalmologists².

The opticians are registered in the following categories:

• 1. Opticians (Dispensing Only) – this category of opticians are only qualified to dispense and fit glasses.
• 2. Opticians (Refraction and Dispensing) – this category of opticians are qualified to:
  • a. Perform refraction¹ on patients who are 8 years of age or older.
  • b. Dispense and fit glasses to correct vision problems such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism.
• 3. Opticians (Contact Lens Practice) – this category of opticians are qualified to:
  • a. Perform refraction¹ on patients who are 8 years of age or older.
  • b. Dispense and fit glasses and contact lenses to correct vision problems such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism.
  • c. Provide aftercare to patients, including monitoring to detect, prevent and manage problems or complications arising from the use of contact lenses.

¹Refraction is a type of visual test carried out to determine the degree of one’s short-sightedness or long-sightedness. Any patient who is undergoing refraction will normally be presented with test lenses in graded optical powers or focal lengths before being prescribed corrective lenses.

²Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who specialise in managing eye problems. They are trained to diagnose and treat eye diseases, including prescribing medications and performing eye surgeries.