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Profession-specific course

Ethics and Professionalism for Optometrists in Australia

Applying the Optometry Board's Code to Clinical, Commercial and Prescribing Decisions

  • 3 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 20-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

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About this course

Optometrists make clinical decisions in an environment that few other health professions share. You detect disease patients cannot see, prescribe scheduled medicines under an endorsement, issue prescriptions that patients may take elsewhere, and often work in businesses that earn more when patients buy premium lenses. Each of those roles carries its own ethical pressure.

The regulatory picture has moved. Ahpra published interim guidance on financial or commercial conflicts of interest in September 2026, the Optometry Board has issued guidance on off-label, unapproved and compounded medicines, and the Board has consulted on extending prescribing to oral medicines. Clinical care remains the most common concern raised about optometrists, followed by communication and medication.

This course turns the Code of conduct and the Board's standards into decisions you can defend: when a symptom needs same-day action, how to prescribe and review safely, how to release prescriptions and respect patient choice, how to recommend products honestly, how to handle targets and disclose interests to each patient, how to bill Medicare correctly and how to advertise without testimonials or overstated claims. Every section ends with key points, and the quick-reference checklist gives you a one-page summary to keep at the consulting room desk or share with your team at a practice meeting.

Who this course is for

  • Registered optometrists in independent, corporate, franchise and hospital settings
  • Optometrists holding, or preparing for, the endorsement for scheduled medicines
  • Optometrists providing myopia management, orthokeratology or specialty contact lenses
  • Practice owners and clinical leads responsible for targets, billing and advertising
  • Optometrists working in outreach, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services or aged care
  • New graduates and optometrists returning to practice

What you’ll learn

  • Make safer clinical decisions

    Tailor assessment to risk, act on red flags and refer with clear urgency and direct communication.

  • Prescribe within your authority

    Check your endorsement, the Board's medicines list and local law, and build review into every therapeutic decision.

  • Keep commerce ethical

    Recommend according to need, disclose interests to each patient, offer lower-cost options and bill accurately.

  • Meet your registration obligations

    Plan CPD, notify specified events within seven days and know when a mandatory notification is required.

Learning objectives

  • Describe how the National Law, the Optometry Board's registration standards and the shared Code of conduct apply to optometric practice.
  • Match the depth of assessment to the patient's presentation and risk profile, and refer with appropriate urgency.
  • Prescribe scheduled medicines within the endorsement, the Board-approved list and state or territory law, with safe review.
  • Manage glaucoma shared care, steroid use and off-label prescribing responsibly.
  • Issue optical appliance prescriptions accurately and respect patients' access to their prescription and choice of supplier.
  • Make needs-based product recommendations and manage financial interests in line with Ahpra's 2026 interim guidance.
  • Bill Medicare and other funders accurately and advertise optometry services lawfully.
  • Communicate findings, consent and costs clearly, including for children, and provide culturally safe care.
  • Meet CPD, recency, insurance, self-reporting and mandatory notification obligations.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • Flashes during a glasses appointment

    Why a request for reading glasses does not narrow your duty, and what an adequate response to a red-flag symptom looks like when the clinic is running late.

  • Steroid drops without review

    Safe prescribing within the endorsement, and why follow-up rather than the initial choice is where most prescribing concerns arise.

  • No prescription without a purchase

    Handling a head-office policy that conflicts with the Code and with privacy access rights.

  • The weekly sales leaderboard

    Applying Ahpra's 2026 interim guidance on commercial conflicts when targets and rankings create pressure.

  • Myopia control and worried parents

    Explaining evidence, uncertainty and multi-year costs honestly, and involving the child.

  • Below the driving standard

    Advising a patient of her duty to notify, documenting the conversation and knowing the reporting rules in your state.

Course contents

7 sections, 30 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: The Regulatory Framework for Optometry4 lessons
    • 1.1 Optometry Under the National Law
    • 1.2 Registration Standards and Board Guidance
    • 1.3 The Code of Conduct in Optometric Practice
    • 1.4 What Notifications About Optometrists Tell Us
  2. Section 2: Clinical Judgement and Duty of Care5 lessons
    • 2.1 Thorough Assessment and Recognising Disease
    • 2.2 Referral, Urgency and Communication
    • 2.3 Working Within Competence and Using New Technology
    • 2.4 Children and Myopia Management
    • 2.5 Fitness to Drive
  3. Section 3: Prescribing Scheduled Medicines5 lessons
    • 3.1 The Endorsement and the Limits of Prescribing Authority
    • 3.2 Safe Prescribing Practice
    • 3.3 Glaucoma and Shared Care
    • 3.4 Off-Label, Unapproved and Compounded Medicines
    • 3.5 Prescribing Integrity and Commercial Influence
  4. Section 4: Optical Appliances, Dispensing and Patient Choice4 lessons
    • 4.1 Prescribing Optical Appliances
    • 4.2 The Patient's Prescription and Freedom of Choice
    • 4.3 Honest Recommendations for Lenses and Products
    • 4.4 Contact Lens Safety and Aftercare
  5. Section 5: Commercial Practice, Conflicts and Honest Billing4 lessons
    • 5.1 Business Models, Targets and the Code
    • 5.2 Disclosure and Presenting Options
    • 5.3 Medicare and Honest Billing
    • 5.4 Advertising Optometry Services
  6. Section 6: Communication, Respect and Safe Systems4 lessons
    • 6.1 Communication and Consent in the Consulting Room
    • 6.2 Culturally Safe, Equitable and Accessible Care
    • 6.3 Records, Imaging and Privacy
    • 6.4 Infection Prevention and Complaints
  7. Section 7: Professional Obligations and Accountability4 lessons
    • 7.1 CPD and Keeping Up to Date
    • 7.2 Recency, Insurance and Self-Reporting
    • 7.3 Mandatory Notifications and Practitioner Health
    • 7.4 Supervision, Delegation and Remote Services
  8. Final assessment and written reflection20 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    20 scenario-based questions. You need 16 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 3 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 3 CPD hours of learning
  • Your written reflective account on commercial pressure, referral and prescribing practice
  • An optometry quick-reference checklist covering red flags, prescribing, prescriptions, billing and advertising
  • Practical scripts for disclosing interests and explaining optional tests and costs

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Is this course recognised by Ahpra or the Optometry Board?

No. This course is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, the Optometry Board of Australia or any professional association. It is independent education aligned with the Code of conduct and the Board's guidance. Record the actual time you spend against your CPD plan and decide whether it fits your learning goals. If you have a condition or undertaking on your registration, check with Ahpra or the Board, and your lawyer or insurer, before relying on any course.

How many CPD hours do optometrists need each year?

Under the standard in effect from 1 December 2020, at least 20 hours each registration year, or 30 hours including 10 related to the endorsement if you hold the endorsement for scheduled medicines, with non-clinical activities capped at five hours. Always check the current standard.

Can optometrists prescribe oral medicines in Australia?

The Board consulted in late 2025 on extending the endorsement to oral medicines on a Board list. Until a change has been finalised by health ministers, has taken effect and is permitted by your state or territory's medicines law, prescribing is limited to the current topical medicines list published by the Board.

Do I have to give a patient their prescription if they buy glasses elsewhere?

Patients have a right to access their health information under privacy law, and the Code requires you not to exploit their trust for financial gain. The course explains how to release prescriptions properly and where clinical judgement still applies, such as incomplete contact lens fittings.

What does Ahpra's 2026 conflict of interest guidance mean for optometrists?

It expects conflicts to be identified and managed, disclosure to each patient rather than on a website, discussion of options you do not supply, and employers not to set incentives that push sales ahead of patient wellbeing.

Am I responsible for Medicare items selected by practice software?

Yes. The optometrist whose provider number is used is responsible for ensuring each claim meets the item's requirements and is supported by the record.

Does the course cover myopia management?

Yes, from an ethical and professional perspective: honest explanation of evidence and costs, consent with parents and the child, off-label and compounded medicine issues and compliant advertising.

How long does the course take?

About 3 hours, including reading, optometry case illustrations, reflection, a written reflective account and a 20-question scenario-based assessment with an 80% pass mark.