The change will mean faster treatment and could save someone’s eyesight, AHPRA says. Optometry Australia wants to go even further.
New Zealand, the UK and the US already let optometrists prescribe oral medication, but in Australia patients have to see a GP or ophthalmologist, which delays treatment, especially in rural areas, says the national regulator, AHPRA.
Almost 80% of registered optometrists are endorsed to diagnose eye conditions and prescribe from a list of topical treatments.
Changes proposed by AHPRA would mean they could also prescribe from an approved list of oral medicines to treat bacterial eye infections, eye allergies, short-term eye pain and other serious eye conditions.
AHPRA is consulting with the Optometry Board of Australia, which oversees professional registration, standards and accreditation, on the changes.
“Giving people with eye conditions timely access to the right treatment, under the care of qualified professionals, could make a real difference to people’s eye health,” said Optometry Board of Australia chair Stuart Aamodt.
“It could very well be the difference between a patient making a full recovery and being left with lasting damage or permanent loss of vision.
“The evidence demonstrates that optometrists in Australia are educated, trained, and qualified to safely prescribe both topical and oral medicines, but to date have not been able to offer their patients all treatment options.
“For more than a decade, Australian-trained optometrists who work in New Zealand have been able to safely prescribe oral medicines yet are not able to offer the same level of care here.
“It is time to update the requirements.”
The changes would be in line with the aims of the National Medicines Policy and the National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines, said AHPRA.
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But the peak body for optometrists, Optometry Australia, said the proposed changes did not go far enough.
“While the Optometry Board’s consultation proposes expanding prescribing rights, it also keeps a restricted list of approved medicines, adding red tape, slowing access to treatments and risking patient care,” the organisation said via social media.
“We’re saying no to unnecessary limits.
“Optometrists are trusted, highly trained clinicians and this reform is a crucial step toward modern recognition of optometrists’ roles.”
Skye Cappuccio, Optometry Australia CEO, said that a prohibition on schedule 8 and restricted schedule 4 medicines was appropriate, but otherwise the organisation supported an “evidence-based, no list model”.
Earlier this year, OA published an economic analysis of common ocular conditions like severe dry eye, herpes zoster ophthalmicus, and preseptal cellulitis, which found that oral medication prescribing rights could save the health budget around $50 million per year and patients around $27 million per year.
Public consultation on the proposed changes closes on 24 December 2025.
