What is an Optometrist?
An optometrist is a doctor of optometry who is trained to perform eye examinations for all ages. Optometrists are primary health care professional who examine, diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eyes and related structures.
An optometrist is required to do a minimum of 3 years in a bachelor of science program at university, followed by 4 years of professional school at a School of Optometry. Optometrists are licenced by the College of Optometrists in British Columbia, the profession's provincial regulatory body.

What is an Ophthalmologist?
Ophthalmologists are physicians who, after graduating from medical school, undertake several years of post-graduate training in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye. Eye surgery is preformed by ophthalmologists. Patients require a referral from their optometrist or family physician to visit an ophthalmologist.

What is an Optician?
Opticians supply, prepare and dispense optical appliances based on prescriptions prepared by optometrists and ophthalmologists. Opticians in BC complete a 6 month to one year training program after which they take a national examination that enables them to dispense eyeglasses. Additional training is required to dispense contact lenses.

What is a sight test?
A sight test, more accurately called a refraction, determines a spectacle lens prescription by relying on a combination of computerized tests using automated equipment.

The comprehensiveness and accuracy of these automated sight tests is limited. Eye muscle co-ordination is completely ignored, and the test results can be influenced by eye fixation and alignment, pupil size, corneal or lens irregularities, and something called instrument myopia. This last problem is caused by the eye's tendency to have its focus altered by the device being looked through. This can lead to an inaccurate measurement of refraction.

Sight tests will completely overlook many serious problems and diseases that do not blur a person's vision at all or until the disease is more advanced. Some of these include; glaucoma, Type 2 diabetes, brain tumours, cancer of the eye, high blood pressure and retinal detachments. Early detection of these conditions is important to be able to protect not only the health of the eyes and the clarity of vision, but also the patient's overall health and maybe even their life. Having a refraction (a sight test) done without an eye health examination presents serious risk.

The regulatory bodies of medicine and optometry will not allow their members to provide refractions without also doing a complete eye health examination. In other words, ophthalmologists and optometrists are not allowed to sight test as it is considered to be dangerous for the public.

Ocular health can only be certified by a complete ocular examination, by an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist.

On May 1 2010 the BC government allowed opticians to perform sight testing without the supervision of an optometrist or an ophthalmologist.

The College of Optometrists of BC, the BC Association of Optometrists, the College of Physician and Surgeon and the BC Medical Association have all criticized the sight testing regulation as being a serious health risk. So far the government has been unwilling to listen to the advice of the medical community.