 Optometry Law (RA 8050)

- It is an act regulating the practice of optometry, upgrading optometric education integrating

optometrist and other purposes.

 Jurisprudence - "knowledge of Law"

- The practical science of giving a wise interpretation to the laws and making a just application
and making a just application of them to all cases as they may arise in our practice.
o Latin Juris - "Law"
o Latin Prudentia - "knowledge"

 ETHICS
- The discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right or wrong.

 ADMINISTRATIVE CASES
- An administrative proceeding instituted against an officer or employee for an act or omission
punishable under civil service laws.

 MALPRACTICE
- Known as illegal, improper negligent professional activity or treatment specially by medical
practitioner.

 BRIEF HISTORY OF OPTOMETRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

 Optometry in the Phils started from scratch, and a result of continuous struggle to achieve the
present state and development of the profession.

 18th & 19th Century

- ERA of spectacle peddlers, covered wagons and jewelry stores.
 20th Century
- Optometry involved as pure vision testing.
- Followed by growing interest in binocular vision and intro to visual analysis.
- Development of contact lenses.
- Interest in photorefractive surgery.
 Last Quarter 20th Century
- Optometry as a primary eyecare profession.
- Laws for the use of Diagnostic Pharmaceutical Agents (DPA) and Therapeutic Pharmaceutical
Agents (TPA)
- Optometrist became involved in treatment management plan of diseases.
- Getting involve in PRK
 JOSE RIZAL
- Spanish priest, wealthy few residents and colonizers ordered readymade reading glasses to
Philippine from Europe.
- Credited of owning a trial case. And is kept by Dr. GERMINIANO OCAMPO.
- Finishes his medical studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid, but took his Early
Medical Education at Universidad de Santo Tomas in Manila.
- Trained in Ophthalmology under the famous Dr. Louis de Wecker of Paris in 1885, With
Dr. Otto Becker in Germany, and Drs. Schweiger, Zelzer, and Galezowsky.

 The first Optometric Clinic where refraction was practiced was established in Manila by R.M.
Clark in 1902. Also set up the first lens grinding facilities in the Philippines. After him Came
H.C. Strong followed later by Cipriano Lara, Federico Sarabia, Carloz Ortiz, and
Manuel Sabater.
 Clark and Company, and H.E. Heacock opened their services with Dr. Joaquin del Alcazar as
their optometrist.

 Philippine Association of Optometrist

- 1917
- First Optometric Association in the Philippines
- Dr. G.T. Herrmann, Dr, Justo Gonzalez, Dr. E.V. Bartholomai, and Dr. Carlos Ortiz

 Optometry law of 1917

- Amended in 1919
- First board of Examiners "JUNTA EXAMINADORA" Which was empowered to determine the
requirements for licensing to practice optometry. Composed of G.T Herrmann, H.O. Haynor,
William G. Moore, E.V. Bartholomai and Justo Gonzalez.

 OPTOMETRIC EDUCATION
 Philippine College of Optometry
- The first optometry school organized. Lived up to 1925
- The faculty members were: Dr. William G. Moore (President), Justo Gonzalez, A.B., O.D..
(Dean), E. V. Bartholomai, A.B.. O.B. (secretary-treasurer), Dr. G. T. Herrmann, Dr. H. O.
Haynor, and Dr. Cipriano Lara, Dr. Roy A. Thorson was also mentioned as a faculty
member.
- The first graduates of this school were Bibiana Roxas de Jesus, C. Campomanes and Pio
Catoto.

 CENTRO ESCOLAR UNIVERSITY

- 1928
- Philippine College of Optometry Integrated
 In 1917, more than a hundred of optometrists were registered and many more were added in
1919.

 Dr. Federico Sarabia Sr.

- Earned the distinction of being the first to receive his registration certificate (No.1)
- He was the first Filipino who studied optometry in the United States, graduating at the
Northern Illinois College of Optometry, in Chicago, in 1905.

 However, the records at the Professional Regulation Commission shows that Registration
Certificate No. 1 was issued on March 11, 1918 to Dr. Manuel Sabater.

 Philippine School of Optometry and Institute of Technical Optics

- One of the early schools
 After 1925, There were short-lived optometry schools.
 Centro Escolar University (CEU)
- The first university-affiliated optometry college was established.
- Dr. Roy Thorson as its first dean.
 Philippine College of Optometry
- Established on 1946
- Now integrated with the De Ocampo Memorial College
 Manila College of Optometry
- 1961
 Lyceum of the Philippines
- There was also a short-lived program

 There are twelve existing optometry schools in the Philippines:

1. Centro Escolar University
2. Manila Central University
3. De Ocampo Memorial Colleges
4. Central Colleges of the Philippines (all in Metro Manila)
5. Southwestern University
6. Cebu Doctors' College (all in Cebu City)
7. Mindanao Medical Foundation College
8. Davao Doctors' College (all in Davao City)
9. Asian Foundation College in Butuan City
10. University of Baguio
11. Pines City Educational Center (all in Baguio City)
12. Lyceum Northwestern University in Dagupan
 Sometime in mid-1970's Dr. Edgardo T Caparas, an ophthalmologist and dean of the
College of Optometry at the Central Colleges of the Philippines invited to a meeting the deans
of the schools of optometry for the purpose of organizing together the deans of schools in the
Philippines. In 1980, the deans of the eight colleges met in Cebu to organize the Council
of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Optometry and Dr. Claro M. Cinco was elected the
chairman of the group. his council was committed to upgrade the optometric education in the
country, and its first project was to work for the increase of the optometry
curriculum from the existing four years program to six years by adding a two-years
preparatory optometry course.

 In 1957, the Republic Act 1998 was passed which amended the Optometry Law of
1917. A new set of rules and regulations governing the practice of optometry, named the
Code of Ethics for Optometrists, was promulgated by the Board of Examiners in
Optometry. In 1995 Republic Act. No 8050 was enacted to replace R.A. 1998.

 Previously, all the professional regulatory boards were under the control and supervision of the
Civil Service Commission. During the martial law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos,
Presidential Decree No. 223 (as amended by PD. 657) created the Professional Regulation
Commission - was vested the power and authority to exercise general administrative,
executive and policy-making functions over all the existing professional regulatory boards,
excluding the profession of law which is directly under the Supreme Court. The name "Board
of Examiners in Optometry" was changed to "Board of Optometry".

 Under the CHED is the Technical Panel on Optometric Education given the responsibility to
oversee optometric education in the country. The first Technical Panel was chaired by Dr.
Cynthia del Mundo and this panel submitted standards for optometric education.

 THE BIRTH OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS IN OPTOMETRY

 The Philippine Association of Optometrists which was organized in 1917 was inactive
after a few years. In 1932, the Philippine Optometric Association came into existence
and the pioneers of his association were Drs. Vicente Bernardo, Cipriano Lara, Manuel
Sabater and Justo Gonzalez. The officers elected were: Vicente Bernardo (President);
Joaquin del Alcazar (Vice-president); Jose Casaje, (Secretary), Luis Casaje, (Treasurer);
Antonio Sabater and Pedro Jose, (Directors). This association lived only for four
years.
 DA In 1936, a new organization was formed known as the Optometric Association of the
Philippines (OAP). Dr. Justo Gonzalez was elected president. He was succeeded in
1937 by Dr. Gregorio G. Estrada, with Dr. Pablo Feliciano (Secretary). After the second
world war, the OAP was reorganized. At the first convention held in Manila in 1946, Dr.
Antonio Sabater was elected president. In 1948, the OAP became a non-stock
corporation with the following as incorporators: Drs. Antonio Sabater, Gregorio G.
Estrada, Emanuel Mangunay, Filipinas Clemente, Roy A. Thorson, Joaquin del
 Alcazar, Manuel Sabater, Cipriano Lara, and Agapito Casaje. Dr. Estrada was elected
(President).

 Two other associations existed in the 1960's. These were the Philippine
Optometrists-Dispensers Association (PODA), headed by its president, Dr. Estanislao
"Vigan" de los Reyes, and the Philippine Registered Optometrists Association
(PROA), headed by its president, Dr. Julian N. Mercado. PODA was first organized as
POSA (Philippine Optical Suppliers Association) and was composed mostly of optical
suppliers. At that time, because of import control restrictions imposed by President
Carlos P. Garcia, distributors and suppliers of optical goods were having some difficulties in
securing dollar and import allocations and POSA was organized as a trade organization
to meet this common problem. A few years later, after some developments, POSA
changed its name to PODA to stand for Philippine Optical Dispensers Association.
Not long afterwards, it further changed its name to Philippine Optometrists-
Dispensers Association.

 In 1979, in line with the wishes of the Professional Regulation Commission to have only one
professional association for optometrists in the Philippines as a requisite for PRC accreditation,
the OAP, PODA and PROA merged into one national association known as Samahan
Ng Optometrist Sa Pilipinas (Philippine Association of Optometrists). Some 37
component chapter societies of the OAP spread throughout the archipelago were assimilated
to the newly integrated Samahan Ng Optometrist Sa Pilipinas (SOP) making the OAP the
major player in the merger. The PODA and PROA were single units and had no
chapter societies to contribute at that time.

 The SOP assumed the sponsorship of the national optometric congress which was
previously initiated and held annually by the OAP since 1947. In 1997 the 50th
National Optometric Congress (also known as the 19th SOP Convention) was
celebrated. In Baguio City.

 An active non-political and purely scientific society of optometrists in the

Philippines is the Philippine College of Optometrists (PCO) headed by Dr. Melissa B.
Anglo. This society has been the major provider of resource speakers and lecturers at
scientific sessions since most of its fellows are faculty members and researchers from
optometry schools. A few years earlier, a similar organization named the Philippine
Academy of Optometry was founded by Dr. Teresita Yambut. This organization, with
commendable objectives, appeared to be inactive for years now.

 PHILIPPINE INVOLVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL OPTOMETRY

 The first reference abroad on optometry in the Philippines was made some fifty-five years
ago by Professor Henry W. Hofstetter in his book "Optometry--Professional,
Economic and Legal Aspects" where he devoted a paragraph about Centro Escolar
University as offering an optometry course with Dr. Gregorio G. Estrada as dean.
Otherwise, optometry in the Philippines was unknown abroad.
 In the early 1960’s, a Filipino optometrist, Dr. Gamaliel M. Gonzalez, who was dean at
that time of the Manila Central University, College of Optometry in Manila, was
invited to speak at a scientific meeting of the German optometric association. To the best of
our knowledge, he is the first Filipino optometrist to lecture in a foreign country.
Towards the middle of the 1960's, a few foreign optometrists came to deliver lectures and
conduct seminars, specially on contact lenses.

 At the joint congress of the American Optometric Association and the Canadian
Association of Optometrists held at Toronto, Canada in July 1977, Dr. Claro M.
Cinco and Dr. Antonio F. Joson, Jr. (Philippines) with Dr. Damien P. Smith
(Australia) discovered that independently their national associations had come to the view
that regional cooperation was imperative. In an informal breakfast conference they agreed to
coordinate in the planned First Asian-Pacific Optometric Congress sponsored by the
Optometric Association of the Philippines in July, 1978 at Manila and the Second
Asian-Pacific Optometric Congress held jointly with the Third Australian
International Optometric Congress at Bali, Indonesia and Singapore in May, 1979.

 At the 1 APOC in Manila, chaired by Dr. Eduardo N. Genabe, the International

Federation of Asian and Pacific Associations of Optometrists (IFAPAO) was
founded, and at the 2nd APOC in Bali the first set of office bearers were elected.
They were: Dr. Claro M. Cinco (Philippines), president; Dr. Fumio Morie (Japan),
vice-president; Dr. Ali S. Asgar (Fiji), director. Dr. Damien P. Smith was chosen to
assume the permanent position as Secretary-General of the federation.

 In line with the worldwide reorganization of IOOL to WCO (World Council of

Optometry) IFAPAO changed its name to APCO (Asian-Pacific Council of
Optometry) and Dr. Antonio F. Joson, Jr., (Philippines) was elected president. In
2004, Dr. Joson was elected to the permanent position as APCO Secretary-General,
vice Dr. Willard Bleything.

 Beforehand, Dr. Damien P. Smith, after several years of exemplary service, stepped down
as IFAPAO Secretary General and Dr. Willard B. Bleything assumed the position. Dr.
Smith was later elected President of World Council of Optometry for the year term
2002-2004.

 In 1980, the Optometric Association of the Philippines (OAP) was represented by Dr. Claro M.
Cinco at the General Delegates Meeting of the International Optometric and Optical League
(IOOL) at Nagoya, Japan. The OAP applied as a member of the IOOL, and in 1983 the
Philippines was admitted as an Associate Member of the world organization. At this writing, the
OAP is the recognized member of the Asian-Pacific Council of Optometry (APCO) and at the
World Council of Optometry (WCO) as official representative organization from the Philippines.
 In 1980, the Optometric Association of the Philippines (OAP) was represented by
Dr. Claro M. Cinco at the General Delegates Meeting of the International
Optometric and Optical League (IOOL) at Nagoya, Japan. The OAP applied as a
member of the IOOL, and in 1983 the Philippines was admitted as an Associate
Member of the world organization. At this writing, the OAP is the recognized member
of the Asian-Pacific Council of Optometry (APCO) and at the World Council of
Optometry (WCO) as official representative organization from the Philippines.