News
ABDO announces new partnership with University of Plymouth to deliver Level 6 dispensing optician apprenticeship
The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) is delighted to announce a new partnership with the University of Plymouth, which will deliver the ABDO Level 6 dispensing optician apprenticeship from September. The collaboration represents an important expansion of ABDO’s network...
New funding to extend SPOKE programme and inspire the next generation of eye care professionals
The Sector Partnership for Optical Knowledge and Education (SPOKE) has secured funding from the Central Optical Fund to expand its work with a new 18-month project to inspire an early interest in careers in eye care among primary and secondary...
More than 500 optometry students begin Clinical Learning in Practice roles this July
This July, The College of Optometrists will welcome more than 500 optometry students across the UK to their Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP) roles, marking the largest intake yet into the profession’s new integrated work-based learning programme. The new cohort...
Updated Supervision eligibility, opportunities and support for Scheme of Registration from 1 July 2026
From 1 July 2026, supervision arrangements on the Scheme for Registration will align with the model already used in Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP). This marks the final stage of the transition to supervision arrangements designed to meet the GOC’s...
The emotional impact of sight loss: New training from RNIB launched to support eyecare teams
New training to give eyecare professionals all the tools to provide better emotional support to patients receiving a diagnosis of sight loss was rolled out at an event in Westminster this week. The training, developed by RNIB (Royal National Institute...
WATCH EPISODE 17: Beyond 2020 with the Andean Medical Mission
Welcome to the 17th episode of Beyond 2020, the video series from Andean Medical Mission | Bolivian Medical Charity that looks at strategies to eliminate avoidable blindness in countries with developing eyecare services and shares ideas and solutions to common...
The restorative prescription: The case for carbon-negative healthcare
The Hippocratic Oath begins with a simple, profound directive: ‘First, do no harm.’ Yet, for decades, the global healthcare sector has been locked in a quiet paradox. While doctors work tirelessly to treat illnesses, heat exhaustion and vector-borne diseases, the...
‘World first’ virtual reality eye retrieval programme helps make more sight-saving corneal transplants available for patients
A ‘world first’ virtual reality eye retrieval training programme, created by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)’s Tissue and Eye Services and Digital Learning Teams, will help to increase the number of sight-saving corneas available for transplant across the UK by...
Optical sector bodies urge GOC to rethink approach to CPD reform
The UK’s main optical sector bodies have responded to the General Optical Council’s (GOC) consultation on proposed reforms to continuing professional development (CPD), warning that the current proposals could have implications for public protection if not carefully implemented and may...
College launches part two of new CPD course in myopia management
The College of Optometrists has published the CPD course – 'Part 2 – Diving deeper into myopia management' – which follows 'Part 1– Myopia management essentials' in the myopia series. This online learning course will help members enhance their clinical...
Bagpipes and breaking down barriers at Celtic Connections
Sight Loss Councils Scotland have launched a groundbreaking new training initiative at Celtic Connections, where for the first time in Scotland visually impaired members delivered Visual Impairment Inclusion and Sighted Guiding training to Glasgow Life and Celtic Connections staff, helping...
The paradox of green: When environmental solutions lead to unintended harm
The global drive toward environmental sustainability is increasingly hampered not by outright denial, but by well-meaning solutions that conceal perverse incentives and unintended ecological consequences. Many popular ‘green’ measures, adopted by simplifying complex environmental challenges into easy substitutions or offsets,...
