C11.2.5 ABDO Advice Concerning Refractive Surgery

C11.2.5 In an increasingly litigious society dispensing opticians are advised to only provide objective information in accordance with their knowledge of the subject. As stated in ABDO’s general Advice and Guidelines a registered dispensing optician should be satisfied that he or she possesses the necessary knowledge, either by existing training and examination or by additional knowledge and skill. Documentation is, as always, the only suitable defence in the unlikely event a patient decides to seek redress for their outcome, following the issuing of advice. You must therefore be clear in the advice you give to patients and keep clear, detailed records of that advice on the patient’s record card. This applies equally to those in general practice as it does for those working for a refractive surgery clinic.