Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No.__9500

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

‘There are fake eye doctors who engage in the practice of optometry.

This may very well be a situation occurring in various parts of the country when
pseudo-optometrists go into the practice of optometry without having acquired the
appropriate professional licenses from the Professional Regulation Commission.

This scheme may have been too prevalent when a significant number of optical
shops as those we find in malls do operate as if they were legitimate business
establishments even though only very few of these shops have licensed optometrists.
This observation has been validated by the PRC Board of Optometry.

‘And yet, the use of contact lenses and eyeglasses, since they are medical
devices do need to be prescribed by eye specialists and the term, ‘eye specialists’ refer
to PRC-licensed optometrists.

‘The improper use of eyeglasses and contact lenses are found to eventually lead
to cataract or glaucoma or other related eye problems if not biindness on the part of the
unsuspecting buyer or user of these medical products.

To give Professional Regulation Commission a shot in the arm, therefore,
requires that the practice of optometry be more closely monitored by PRC which alone
can issue professional licenses and for it to issue age % before optical shops
or similar business establishments shall be issue Business License
by the concerned Local Government Unit.

The shortage of optometrists in the cojintry when the government opted to add
two more years to the previous four-year dpto the one hand and
proliferation of optical shops without licer lead to an entirely
unhealthy situation of such reach and scope,


Republic of the Philippines ‘
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 5500

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

AN ACT
REQUIRING LICENSE AND CLEARANCE FROM PROFESSIONAL REGULATION
COMMISSION FOR THE PRACTICE OF OPTOMETRY AND OPERATION OF
OPTICAL SHOPS, RESPECTIVELY AND THE SAME TO BE STRICTLY ENFORCED
BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT CONCERNED AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted in Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. The Professional Regulation Commission shall hereby require
license for the practice of optometry and issue appropriate clearance for the operation of
optical shops and the same to be strictly enforced by the Local Government Unit
concerned.

SEC. 2. The use of contact lenses and/or eyeglasses, since they are medical
devices, should only be as prescribed by an eye specialist in the person of a licensed
optometrist only.

SEC. 3. Business establishments involved in the sale of contact lenses or
eyeglasses such as but not limited to optical shops shall likewise be
clearance from the Professional Regulation Commission before their Mayor’
Business License, as the case may be, shall be issued by the concerned Local
Government Unit.

SEC. 4. All issuances, laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or parts
thereof not consistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 5 This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days following its publication in the
Official Gazette and in at least four (4) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,