PHARM - Principles of Ocular Prescribing - Week 5

Question 1

Define the following schedules of pharmacological agents:
S2
S3
S4
S8

Answer 1

S2 - shelf preparations (supermarkets, parhmacies)
S3 - OTC preparations at a chemist
S4 - therapeutic drugs that must be prescribed
S8 - drugs of addiction (special procedures)

Question 2

Can optometrists prescribe diamox? What is it used for?

Answer 2

No they cant, it is used for angle closure management.

Question 3

Describe, in 5 steps, the procedure to manage an angle closure event, assuming it is non-urgent.

Answer 3

One drop of a 0.5% B-blocker
One drop of a 0.5% a-agonist
One drop of a 1% carbonic anhydrase inhibitor
If the eye is red/inflammed, one drop of high penetrance topical steroid, a further 3 to be instilled at regular intervals in the first hour, then hourly thereafter
One drop of 2% pilocarpine, with another drop instilled after 15 minutes

Question 4

How long are prescriptions valid for?

Answer 4

12 months

Question 5

Describe the 9 components of a prescription form.

Answer 5

-Prescriber details - name, address, phone number
-Practitioner’s therapeutic endorsement number
-Name and address of the patient
-Date of writing the prescription
-Hanwritten signature of the prescriber
-The particulars of the drug - name, formulation, drop/ointment, concentration, brand must be specified if you need that one
-Instructions for use
-Number of repeats
-Get authority for restricted or authority only meds (PBS)

Question 6

Can optometrists sell or dispense S4 drugs?

Answer 6

No

Question 7

Can an optometrist self-prescribe or prescribe for family members?

Answer 7

No