Editing Optometry (section)

====Italy====
The practice of optometry in Italy starts at the beginning of the 20th century; the historical practice of opticians date back to the 13th century. Optometry is traditionally taught as advanced study for opticians, currently as tertiary education (for example, in some private institutions, as Irsoo Vinci Institute near Firenze o IBZ Institute in Bologna and Milan). After 2001, nine  universities (Milan, [http://otticaoptometria.dfa.unipd.it/ Padua], Turin, [[University of Salento|Salento]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scienzemfn.unisalento.it/cdl_ottica_optometria|title=Facolta di Scienze MM.FF.NN. :: Corso di Laurea in Ottica ed Optometria - Università del Salento}}</ref> Florence, Naples, Rome, Perugia and Palermo) began similar three-year graduate courses (EQF level 6, equivalent to a BSc degree) of ''scienze e tecnologie fisiche'' (that is, "physical sciences and technologies") within physics departments. The degrees awarded in "optics and optometry" are classified in the family of physics degree, and do not allow recipients to practise optometry, per se; an external licence exam to become an ophthalmic optician is necessary to practise. Nevertheless, given that the practice of optometry is unregulated (notwithstanding that a specific code to start an optometry practice exists through the state), about one third of ophthalmic opticians are licensed to practise. As of 2025, in the current real-world practice, every optometrist is also licensed as an ophthalmic optician, and a minority of opticians have optometry education and practise optometry to a wide extent. It must be stressed that, in Italy, every optician can refract a patient autonomously (limited to myopia and presbyopia, but without age limits); opticians are part of the National Health System; and a [[dispensing optician]] (not a profession in the health field) has never been regulated. Over the past thirty years, several verdicts from the High Court prove that optometry is a free practice and has specific education path;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sopti.it/optometria-in-sintesi/ | title=OPTOMETRIA IN SINTESI |website=SOPTI - Società Optometrica Italiana}}</ref> its role is clearly different from those of ophthalmologist and orthoptist, and also from optician itself. Italian [[Italian National Institute of Statistics|Istat]] classification currently encompassses two professional roles: 3.2.1.6.1 – ''Ottici e ottici optometristi''.