Education and training requirements (from March 2021)

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New education and training requirements

As part of our Education Strategic Review, we have updated our education and training requirements for GOC-approved qualifications for:

Optometry and dispensing optics
Additional supply, supplementary prescribing, and/or independent prescribing categories
Contact lens opticians (to be published shortly)

They replace the current Education Quality Assurance Handbooks for optometry (2015) and ophthalmic dispensing (2011), Independent Prescribing Handbook (2008), and Contact Lens Handbook (2007). The new requirements ensure that all optical professionals are equipped to deliver eye-care services in a rapidly changing landscape and meet the needs of patients in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

See our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information about the new requirements.

Applying for, or adapting, to the new requirements

If you are seeking to gain approval or to adapt an existing qualification, please contact the Education Team via education@optical.org to discuss the process and for further information.

All the documents and associated forms and templates for optometry and dispensing qualifications are available below. We are currently in the process of developing similar forms for Additional Supply (AS), Supplementary Prescribing (SP) and Independent Prescribing (IP) qualifications and for Contact Lens qualifications, these will be added once they have been finalised.