Develop your skills with College-accredited higher qualifications in glaucoma, medical retina, low vision, contact lens practice and paediatric eye care.
In response to requests from our Members, the College has designed a sample contact lens specification form which Members may like to use for their patients.
Podcast: College Clinical Adviser Denise Voon MCOptom talks to Dr Debarun Dutta MCOptom, winner of the 2025 Frank Petticrew Award, about his research into antimicrobial contact lenses and more comfortable RGPs. We also meet Eve Barrett as she begins her PhD at Ulster University.
Novelty contact lenses can be a popular addition to Halloween costumes, but buying them from retailers without a valid prescription can put your eyes at risk of serious infection, eye damage and potential sight loss.
Clinical files: "A patient has presented with bilateral bacterial conjunctivitis; as an IP optometrist, should I prescribe a topical antibiotic treatment in the first instance, and would the approach to treatment differ in contact lens wearers?"
Becky McCall asks: in an era of highly adaptable soft lenses and automated technologies, is routine keratometry still necessary or is it becoming a legacy skill?
If passed, the measures mooted in the government’s consultation to extend medicines for optometrists and contact lens opticians could be the biggest change to scope of practice in decades. What could practice look like if the proposals are enacted?
Becky McCall asks: how close are smart contact lenses to moving out of the research arena into everyday clinical practice?
Clinical files: What advice would you give a patient who has purchased their contact lenses online and would like help to learn how to insert and remove them.
This year’s Optometry Tomorrow programme is designed to help you grow the skills that make the biggest difference in practice.
Adrian O’Dowd examines the pros and cons of optometrists using LWE as a diagnostic tool for dry eye disease.
In this updated online CPD course for optometrists you will be given the background to four patients and will complete a series of activities related to each case.