Treehouse Eyes - Myopia Control

e members may be surprised that I will speak not on Jeffrey Kennett but on a constituent of mine, Mr Maurice Brumer. Maurice is a qualified second generation optometrist who has had continuous sole practice in Frankston for over 25 years. He is actively campaigning on behalf of children who, through no fault of their own, are condemned to a life of reading difficulties and early departure from the education system. Maurice has been punished for raising concerns about current standards of optometrical practice and the need to better incorporate findings of research into current modes of practice. In a paper entitled `Optometry: light of a perverted science', he initiated a discussion on the issue of spectacles being a harmful drug when not prescribed properly. He canvassed a number of matters relating to prolonged and intensive near-seeing, which he believes is not good for our eyes and our health. He firmly stated that the public has a right to know how glasses may adversely affect good health. Maurice made the point that he did not think this would happen while the optometry profession put the public interest in second place to its own self-interests. For his efforts, Maurice Brumer was expelled from the Victorian division of the Australian Optometrical Association, a first in history. He dared challenge the cabal that rules optometry in Victoria when he spoke out at a 19