ST. PAUL, Minn.—The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO)—a non-profit organization that provides “certification and training for eyecare excellence”—announced this week that the ophthalmic allied health profession has received official notification of approval for a separate occupational classification, “ophthalmic medical technician,” from the U.S. Bureau of Labor’s 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) committee. JCAHPO characterized the new occupational classification as “a landmark decision.”

Said JCAHPO president William Astle, MD, “Ophthalmic medical technicians are important in the eyecare team as ophthalmology becomes more technologically oriented, and confronts the challenges of an aging patient population. This is a significant measure of how much this profession has evolved into its own, and an empowering validation of this occupation’s professional merit.”

The 2010 SOC system is used by federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories to collect, calculate and disseminate data. Under the 2000 SOC listing, ophthalmic assisting was classified under “other healthcare support occupations (medical assistants).”

Although the new occupational listing is identified as ophthalmic medical technician, the SOC listing encompasses all three levels of JCAHPO certification: certified ophthalmic assistant, certified ophthalmic technician and certified ophthalmic medical technologist.

JCAHPO leadership said the SOC decision will facilitate heightened public awareness and aid in recruiting more people into the profession. “The new classification will identify this profession as a definitive career pathway separate from other health personnel disciplines, and ultimately have a profound impact on the ongoing development of the ophthalmic medical technician profession,” Astle noted.