For over 45 years the Institute has been engaged in teaching and promoting the entire spectrum of optic and optometric disciplines qualifying to the optical profession. In this context, with the intention of preserving a high quality profile, we have created, as part of our educational organization an
Interdisciplinary Scientific Committee.
The Committee will be responsible for optimizing the scientific-professional content of the educational and training courses that the Institute holds throughout Italy and abroad in order to counteract the ongoing attempt to standardize and downgrade the skills and the quality of the optical profession.
On the occasion of the recent publication of the INVALSI data, the desire of many schools and many large commercial operators to downgrade school education, has re-emerged especially with respect to the technical and health training, in order to simplify the acquisition of professional qualifications and to contain the level of costs of qualified personnel. Luca Ricolfi, has recently addressed this issue, of great importance and relevance for the future of the country, in his book "La rivoluzione del merito"- Rizzoli.
In the specific case of optical distribution, what happens affects the survival of the network of local and, above all, independent opticians' shops that proved, during the Covid pandemic, to be able to compensate for the shortcomings of public healthcare and whose strength lies in the range and professional quality of the services offered.
Furthermore, what is happening in the training courses for the optical profession is in open contrast with the will of the legislator who in 2018 introduced the Inter-ministerial Decree of the 24th of May 2018, no. 42. In addition to other regulatory aspects and to the role given to the optician of the preserver of the eye and vision health, the decree recognized most optometric practices as an integral part of the profile of the qualified Optician in accordance to the art. 140 of the Royal Decree 1265 of 1934. This has opened up to the Opticians new and stimulating opportunities to segment the offer of control, correction and compensation of the eye, sight and vision.
In this scenario, the Zaccagnini Institute has decided to raise the level of the contents of clinical practices and professional activities by establishing an Interdisciplinary Scientific Committee, with the function of updating, guiding and controlling all the activities in the scientific/professional area.
Professor Anto Rossetti was appointed head of the Committee and of the IBZ Vision Sciences Department. In 1981 he became a qualified optician; in 1984 he obtained the specialization in optometry in Italy and, before the birth of the degree courses in Italy, he continued his studies with a vanguard of colleagues until he earned the US degree in Optometry (O.D. in the health field) in 1987. Anto Rossetti has been collaborating with the Zaccagnini Institute since 1990.
Furthermore, Professor Rossetti has been Coordinator of State Optics Courses since 1989, Professor at the University of Padua, Executive Dean of the BSc Optometry Degree Course in Optometry and Clinical Practice carried out by the Zaccagnini Institute in collaboration with the Aston University of Birmingham.
The association between improved knowledge of optometric practices and clinics and the availability of digital and imaging control equipment is the driving force behind the step forward offered to opticians as a tool for professional success and to ametropic citizens as correction tools that meet their expectations in terms of sight and vision quality.
