Optometry – Thousands of optometrists respond to AOP survey

Optometry - Thousands of optometrists respond to AOP survey on the Opticians Act

More than 2400 AOP members have had their say on the General Optical Council’s call for evidence. Regarding legislation that underpins optometry.

Close to nine in 10 optometrists who responded to an AOP survey on the Opticians Act. They highlighted that it was not possible to safely separate the refractive and eye health elements of the sight test.

When asked about separation, 87% of the 2445 respondents said this measure was unsafe. 64% indicated serious concerns around delegating elements of the sight test to other eye care professionals.

One in 20 respondents said that delegation was safe, while around one in three (29%) shared that delegation could be safe only under strict guidelines.

The survey was conducted in order to provide statistical data on key components of the Opticians Act following the General Optical Council’s call for evidence.

The research will inform the AOP’s response to the call for evidence. Ahead of the final submission deadline on 18 July.

As well as separation of the sight test and delegation, the AOP survey covered the requirement to verify a contact lens prescription. From the original prescriber and the requirement to have a prescription less than two years old for contact lens fitting.