General Optical Council

Standards in conduct

Our registrants have a duty to behave professionally and respectfully in all aspects of their work. We set codes of conduct that explain the personal and ethical standards expected of optometrists, dispensing opticians, students and optical businesses.

There are separate codes of conduct for individual registrants and business registrants (ie optical businesses). Each describes the key principles of good practice and professional conduct to which registrants must adhere. If a registrant fails to comply with the duties and responsibilities set out in the Code, they are putting their registration at risk.

You can download each code of conduct below:

Code of conduct for individual registrants Code of conduct for individual registrants

Code of conduct for business registrants Code of conduct for business registrants