Taipei: Hundreds of opticians demonstrated in Taipei on Monday, urging the Ministry of Health and Welfare to adopt "optometrist" to describe their profession in English, because the word, they said, better represents the work they do.
According to Focus Taiwan, the demonstration was organized by the Optometrist Society of Taiwan, which demanded that the ministry stop using "ophthalmic optician" as the official English translation for their profession and change it to "optometrist" within one month. Huang Chun-chen, chairperson of the national group representing the profession, stated that the name change was supported during a health ministry meeting with healthcare professionals on December 27 by most professional groups, including nurses, physical therapists, and medical examiners, though not by doctors.
Legislator Chen Gau-tzu of the Taiwan People's Party argued that further meetings on the issue are unnecessary, as individuals training to be opticians in Taiwan are recognized as optometrists in countries like Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines. However, the different terminology in English has hindered Taiwanese opticians' ability to engage with their international counterparts, explained Legislator Hung Mong-kai of the Kuomintang during the demonstration.
Deputy Health Minister Lin Ching-yi responded to reporters following the protest, noting that the decision to use "optician" was made in consultation with the Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan. Lin emphasized that the proposed change concerns not only the job title but also the practices of various eyecare health professionals, who have yet to reach consensus on their respective fields of work.
According to the ministry, six meetings have been conducted since 2019 to reach a consensus on the English translation for the profession, regulated under the Optometric Personnel Act introduced in 2020. The ministry stated that discussions on the English term have always been tied to expanding the scope of practice for opticians under the law, which remains the main issue.
The Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan, representing eye doctors, expressed that optometrists are healthcare professionals with post-graduate studies, differing significantly from the training received by an optician in Taiwan. Ophthalmologist Wang I-jong, chairperson of the medical group, asserted at a news conference that a more professional training system is necessary for Taiwanese opticians to qualify as optometrists.