People working in the nation’s vision care and prescription eyeglass sector held a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday, calling for the use of the term “optometrist” instead of “optician.”
Huang Chun-cheng (黃群宸), chairman of the union representing the group, said that ministries around the world have adopted the term “optometrist,” but Ministry of Health and Welfare-issued certificates continue to use the English term “optician,” which means “a non-medical professional” working in prescription eyeglass sector.
“The government is using the wrong translation term, which harms our dignity, tarnishes our professional training and prevents us from engaging and interacting at the international level,” Huang said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) yesterday said the government had adopted the term “optician” when legislators amended the Optometric Personnel Act (驗光人員法) in 2020, after consultations with the Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan and other medical doctor groups.
Professional groups opposed adopting the term “optometrist” because countries have different divisions of medical science fields, have different terminologies or use the same term, but for performing different jobs, she said.
“The ministry respects all medical field occupations and their job in these vital fields,” she said.
“If the request is to adopt a different term and have no change in work functions, then it would be simple.
However, if after the change, their work function might overlap or expand into other fields, we must consult with other medical professional groups and their unions,” she added.
“There are diverse opinions on this issue, so we are open to discussion and input to reach an agreement,” she said.
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