By Sola Ogundipe
Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians in the country have until 31st of March 2010 to register their licenses and premises with the Optometrists and Dispensing Registration Board of Nigeria.

Members who fail to abide by the Code of Ethics of the profession will henceforth face the full wrath of the law governing the practice of the profession in the country.

The development is part of the resolve of the  Board to maintain sanity in the profession and check unethical practice.

In a statement signed by  Assistant Registrar, Dr. Sam Ntem, Chairman of the Board, Dr. Efe Odjimogho frowned at the current practice of indiscriminate vision screening exercises and haphazard  eye examinations, and insisted that the Board will, henceforth, be more than ever be involved in the quality of eye ware the Nigerian public is exposed to from manufacturing companies.

Odjimogho, who spoke at the end of a meeting of the Board in Lagos warned that there would be no hesitation  to wield the big stick against unethical practices in the new year.

Registrar of the Board, Dr. Ronald Eyime who retires from the civil service at the end of the year (2009), assured that appropriate structures had been put in place to ensure the Nigerian public benefited from the positive changes in eye care practice taking place in the country.