The amendments to the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 released in December 2001 set out a number of areas that concern the privacy of personal information. The School of Optometry and Vision Science Optometry Clinic are now bound by these regulations.

The Optometry Clinic collects personal information, which may include:

In order to deliver our services the Optometry clinic still requires this information, if you choose not to provide these personal details we may not be able to provide you with the services you require.

The Optometry Clinic collects information relating to clients from a number of sources:

Information relating to our patients is considered sensitive and is only used in the process of delivering services. Any information given to a third party, such as a prescription, will not be passed on without prior written consent from the patient.

The accuracy of the information the Optometry Clinic holds is largely dependent on the information you provide us. If you are moving or have moved house could you please advise us by contacting (02) 9385 4624 so that we can amend our records.

All information is held on a secure database and securely stored in hard copy format and may only be accessed by authorised staff. Except where required by law no information is provided to a third party without the written consent of the patient.

The Optometry Clinic may in the future use a mailing house to process its mail-outs provided an agreement to respect the confidentiality, privacy and integrity of the information is accepted.

You have a right to access your personal information and should you make a written request the Optometry Clinic will allow you access to inspect your record and take notes, or may make a hard copy available, the Optometry Clinic reserves the right to charge a fee for this service.

A patient can change contact information at any time by telephoning or writing to the Optometry Clinic. If the patient disagrees with any information recorded the patient has the right to attach a written statement, disagreeing with the held information, to the file.

To ensure security of personal information is maintained, patients requesting to inspect their personal files will be required to validate their identity prior to being given access to their files.

If the patient believes there has been a breach of privacy, he/she should contact the Clinic Director on (02) 9385 4359 and provide proof of identity. A written confirmation of the complaint may be requested. Every endeavour will be made to deal with complaints quickly. The Optometry Clinic will remedy any errors in fact providing such corrections are provided in writing.