Association of Optometrists

Call Directions Website Contact the business

Association of Optometrists The leading UK membership organisation for optometrists; we protect, support and represent members with a range of services and benefits.

The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is the voice of the optical profession, representing over 80% of practising optometrists. We work for our student and qualified members; promoting the profession, protecting current and future qualified professionals, and championing eye health across the UK. The impact optometrists make on eye health every day is profound; caring for the UK’s vision, and detecting health conditions and disease at preventative stage. We provide educational resources for members whatever their career path, and shape the future of eye care for patients with our policy and external affairs work.

Why do some patients struggle to follow your advice?Getting patients to put your recommendations into practice takes mor...
21/10/2026

Why do some patients struggle to follow your advice?

Getting patients to put your recommendations into practice takes more than simply telling them what to do. Discover how understanding behaviour change can enable more effective patient conversations, support shared decision-making and help them build healthier habits that stick.

Join optometrist and wellbeing coach Sheena Tanna-Shah to learn practical approaches you can use in your consultations, alongside small changes to support your own wellbeing.

Webinar: The Habit Effect - building healthier lives and healthier eyes through simple routines

📅 24 November | 7pm
💻 Online
🏅 1 interactive CPD point

In partnership with Optometry Today and Alcon.

Book your place 👇
https://ow.ly/9jPZ50ZZOuE

A brilliant day at our Locum Clinical Skills Conference in London! 👋Bringing locum optometrists together for a day of in...
20/10/2026

A brilliant day at our Locum Clinical Skills Conference in London! 👋

Bringing locum optometrists together for a day of interactive CPD, clinical discussions and networking, covering everything from myopia management and hospital referrals to contact lenses and clinical decision-making.

A big thank you to all our speakers, delegates and partners at Johnson & Johnson | Vision for making the day a success! 👏

Two days of clinical CPD, peer reviews and networking in LondonJoin us at the Hospital and Specialty Optometrists Confer...
19/10/2026

Two days of clinical CPD, peer reviews and networking in London

Join us at the Hospital and Specialty Optometrists Conference on 14 and 15 November, with headline sponsor Bausch + Lomb.

✅ Earn up to 18 CPD points across the weekend
✅ Keynote lectures, discussion workshops, short papers and posters
✅ Over 15 exhibitors at the trade exhibition
✅ Drinks reception and gala dinner on Saturday evening

Workshop spaces are allocated first come, first served, so book soon to get your first choice of sessions.

Book your place: https://www.aop.org.uk/events-and-education/events/2026/11/14/hospital-and-specialty-optometrists-conference

With this Sunday, let's recognise the part we can all play in improving understanding, breaking down stigma and making...
14/10/2026

With this Sunday, let's recognise the part we can all play in improving understanding, breaking down stigma and making better support possible.

Join coach and trainer Susie Edwards to explore how menopause can impact working life, including mindset, confidence and identity.

Susie will also share practical ideas for navigating these challenges – whether you're experiencing menopause yourself or want to learn more about how it affects others.

📅 Tomorrow evening | 7pm–8pm
🆓 Free for AOP members and non-members

There's still time to register using the link below!

https://www.aop.org.uk/events-and-education/events/2026/10/15/wellbeing-webinar-menopause-mindset-and-the-workplace

Locums will know better than most that every optometry environment is different. Make sure your clinical knowledge and s...
13/10/2026

Locums will know better than most that every optometry environment is different.

Make sure your clinical knowledge and skills are ready for whatever your placements bring with an interactive, in-person day of CPD.

Locum Clinical Skills Conference:

📅 Tuesday 20 October
📍 Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1HT
💡 15 interactive CPD points

Explore topics including medical retina, hospital referrals, contact lenses, and clinical, ethical and regulatory scenarios.

Delivered in partnership with the Vision Team at Johnson & Johnson.

Explore the agenda and secure your place via the link below.

https://www.aop.org.uk/events-and-education/events/2026/10/20/locum-clinical-skills-conference-2026--london

We have extended our engagement with ministers, parliamentarians and sector partners, with a focus on making the case fo...
08/10/2026

We have extended our engagement with ministers, parliamentarians and sector partners, with a focus on making the case for optometry as a vital part of primary care that can both drive improvements in the NHS and provide better access for patients.

✅Following the appointment of Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, we supported the Government’s renewed focus on the hospital to community shift.

✅We welcomed the appointment of James Frith MP as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for eye care. Setting out the profession’s clinical capability, we called for consistent commissioning of enhanced services, and the importance of digital connectivity to support patient pathways.

✅We launched a new wave of our Eye care everywhere campaign, illustrating the impact of fragmented commissioning for patients and how eye care can make a difference. The campaign achieved a significant media reach of over 110 million, including coverage across BBC, The Telegraph and The Mirror.

✅We responded to the GOC’s consultation on fee reform, arguing for a model that is fair, proportionate and grounded in evidence. We also urged the optical profession to share their views on the GOC’s proposals to revise the sight test, emphasising that changes must protect patient safety and uphold clinical standards.

✅Alongside partners across the eye care and sight loss sector, we called for Government action to address widening inequalities. Together, we highlighted the need for a national approach that ensures consistent eye care commissioning and supports people in need of Low Vison Services.

✅We delivered the pilot programme of our UK-wide roadshow series, running six events that brought the profession together, built a stronger voice for optometry, showcased progress already achieved, and set the stage for raising the profile of the optometry even further.

✅We hosted a practice visit with Stuart Andrew MP in partnership with Browett’s Opticians in Daventry to show how community optometrists are supporting patients and easing pressure on the NHS.

✅We attended the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and Green Party conferences to advocate for optometry in national policy discussions. At the Labour Party Conference, Dame Diana Johnson, Minister for Public Health and Patient Safety joined our panel at our fringe event, Health outside the hospital. At the event, we made clear that community-based healthcare is the solution to revitalising the NHS and delivering timely care, closer to home.

Moving into the autumn, we will continue to build on this momentum, pressing for consistent commissioning that improves access, reduces pressure on hospitals and delivers better outcomes for patients.

When a patient with glaucoma is referred for cataract surgery, what happens next can shape their outcomes for years. Don...
07/10/2026

When a patient with glaucoma is referred for cataract surgery, what happens next can shape their outcomes for years. Done well, that referral is a chance to address both conditions together, rather than treating them as separate problems.

Join us next Tuesday at 7pm for a CPD webinar on how Herefordshire's optometrists and ophthalmologists have built a collaborative model across primary and secondary care.

Consultant ophthalmologist Amun Sachdev and optometrist Darren Smith, chair of Herefordshire LOC, will cover:

✅ Interventional glaucoma management, including treatment opportunities at the time of cataract surgery
✅ The link between treatment adherence and disease progression
✅ Why timely communication and collaborative care matter

Online and worth 1 interactive CPD point. Delivered in partnership with Optometry Today and Glaukos EMEAI.

Book your place: https://www.aop.org.uk/events-and-education/events/2026/10/13/webinar-how-the-hereford-model-changes-cataract-referrals-for-patients-with-glaucoma-comorbidity

As conference season comes to an end, there is one clear take home for health policy: primary and community care are cen...
07/10/2026

As conference season comes to an end, there is one clear take home for health policy: primary and community care are central to the NHS's future.

Across the party conference events, one theme kept surfacing: achieving the shift from hospital to community. But we’ve been clear; that shift only works if the Government makes the best use of the infrastructure that is already there. In primary care optometry it is. The network of 6,000 practices across England is accessible, trusted and embedded in local communities, with the clinical capability to take pressure off overstretched hospital eye departments and A&E.

We have used every opportunity to put that case to ministers, shadow health teams and policymakers to ensure they understand the role community optometry already plays, and the potential it has to do even more to support the shift towards care closer to home.

Now that work moves from conversation into action, working with decision makers and partners across the sector to ensure optometry is central to tackling the postcode lottery in eye care and improving outcomes for patients.

We were pleased to attend the Health and Care reception at the Conservative Party Conference, where Shadow Health Secret...
06/10/2026

We were pleased to attend the Health and Care reception at the Conservative Party Conference, where Shadow Health Secretary Damian Hinds, set out the "three Ps" at the heart of health policy − patients, prevention and performance. His remarks highlighted a clear focus on improving outcomes and ensuring services work better for the people who rely on them.

We then joined the Health Charity Showcase, which provided a valuable opportunity to speak directly with members of the Shadow Health team, Greg Stafford, Dr Caroline Johnson and Neil Shastri‑Hurst, about the impact of primary eye care services. We highlighted how community optometry supports prevention, improves access and helps reduce pressure on other parts of the NHS.

It was a productive evening, and a welcome opportunity emphasise the importance of improving access to primary care services.

Address

2 Woodbridge Street
London
EC1R0DG

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

020 7549 2000

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Association of Optometrists posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Association of Optometrists:

Shortcuts

Share