§ Lord Rugby asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they will now enforce the terms "refraction", "defects of refraction" and "refractionist" in the place of "sight", "defects of sight" (neither of which is defined in the Opticians Act 1989) and "optometrist", "ophthalmic optician" or "optician" respectively.
§ Baroness HooperRegulations specify that when undertaking a sight test an optician should carry out an eye examination to look for signs of injury, disease or abnormality and apply other tests appropriate to the patient. This is in addition to determining the optical prescription through refraction. The terms "sight", and "defects of sight", although not specifically defined in the Act, are well understood by those using them and convey the full meaning of sight testing and the obligations of opticians. The terms "refraction", "defects of refraction" and "refractionist" only convey part of their obligation and are therefore considered inappropriate.