General Optical Council

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Who are you?

Association of British Dispensing Opticians - the representative body for dispensing opticians in the UK.

Age-related macular degeneration

Association of Optometrists - the representative body for optometrists in the UK.

the legal term for a corporation. Distinct from an individual, but with many of the same rights. A body corporate can be either a sole corporation (a single person as director) or an aggregate corporation (two or more persons as directors)

Continuing Education and Training.

The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence

The knowledge and skills an optometrist or dispensing optician must possess, in order to register with us and practise in the UK.

Department of Health

European Economic Area

European Union

Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians

(Fitness to Practise) A registrant's ability to carry out their professional duties as outlined in the Opticians Act. We deal with 'fitness to practise' complaints. These are allegations about optometrists and dispensing opticians, including students, and companies which are registered as bodies corporate. A registrant's fitness to practise may be impaired due to poor health, conduct or performance.

Local Optometric Committee

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

National Health Service

Office of the Health Professions Adjudicator

Primary Care Trust

Professional Qualifying Examination

The collective term used to refer to the organisations who represent the optical professions in the UK.

There are six protected titles: (registered) optometrist; (registered) dispensing optician; (registered) ophthalmic optician; (registered) optician(s); optical; and contact Lens(es).

A mechanism that allows health professionals to demonstrate they remain up-to-date and fit to practise.

Royal National Institute of Blind People - a UK charity supporting blind and partially-sighted people.

Republic of Ireland

An area of skilled practise that requires additional training, assessment and qualification. Registrants with a specialty entered against their name in the opticians register are qualified to perform additional duties to those of a normal optometrists or dispensing optician.

The College of Optometrists. The professional body for optometrists in the UK.

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