Optometrists Moot New Subsidy Plan For Glasses

A group of optometrists want society to see them in a new light. So they have proposed that the government provides elderly people with a separate fund to buy glasses and limits the use of medical vouchers for eye tests.

The Hong Kong Society of Professional Optometrists made the counter proposal after the government said last week that it is looking to cap the amount the elderly can spend on optometry services using medical vouchers.

This came after official data showed that a large number of claims were put in by optometrists. Last year, HK$760 million was paid to 700 optometrists in the city under the medical voucher scheme.

The society’s president, Vincent Ng, said he hopes their counter proposal will restore public confidence in optometrists.

He said not all of their members are selling expensive glasses and frames but most are providing good eyecare to the elderly.

Ng told RTHK's Wendy Wong that the image of optometrists as mere glasses sellers can be changed if their plan is adopted by the government.