Chapter II: Orthoptists.

The practice of orthoptics involves health promotion, prevention, orthoptic assessment and treatment of motor, sensory and functional visual impairments, as well as vision exploration. Orthoptists practise their art on medical prescription or, in particular in an ophthalmologist’s surgery, under the responsibility of a doctor. By way of derogation from the second paragraph, an orthoptist may, without a medical prescription and without being placed under the responsibility of a doctor :…

Persons who have obtained the evidence of formal qualifications or authorisation required to practise as an orthoptist must register with the department or body designated for this purpose by the Minister responsible for health before entering the profession. Such persons shall be registered after verification of the supporting documents attesting to their identity and their evidence of formal qualifications or authorisation. They must inform the same department or body of…

Orthoptists may use their evidence of formal qualifications in the language of the State which issued them. He shall indicate the place and establishment where it was obtained. Where the evidence of formal qualifications of the Member State or Party of origin is liable to be confused with evidence of formal qualifications requiring additional training in France, the competent authority may decide that the orthoptist shall use the evidence of…

The organisations issuing the training certificates send these certificates to the service or organisation mentioned in article L. 4342-2 in the form of certified information.

Where it is available, the certified information referred to in Article L. 4342-2-2 shall serve as supporting documents for the fulfilment of the obligations laid down in Article L. 4342-2.

The certificate referred to in article L. 4342-2 is the certificat de capacité d’orthoptiste instituted by the Minister for Higher Education.

The competent authority may, after obtaining the opinion of a committee composed in particular of professionals, individually authorise to practise the profession of orthoptist nationals of a Member State of the European Union or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area who, without possessing the certificate provided for in Article L. 4342-3, hold : 1° Evidence of formal qualifications issued by one or more Member…

Orthoptists who are nationals of a Member State of the European Union or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and who are established and legally practising orthoptic activities in a Member State or a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area may perform professional acts in France on a temporary and occasional basis without having to register as referred to in…

When an orthoptist is issued with a licence to practise or a declaration of provision of services, he or she must possess the language skills required to practise the profession and those relating to the systems of weights and measures used in France. The language proficiency test must be proportionate to the activity to be carried out and must be carried out once the professional qualification has been recognised.

The following shall be determined by decree of the Conseil d’Etat: 1° The professional rules ; 2° The composition and operation of the commission referred to in article L. 4342-4 and the conditions under which the person concerned is subject to a compensation measure; 3° The procedures for verifying the professional qualifications referred to in Article L. 4342-5; 4° The procedures for applying the obligation to transmit the information referred…