FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Click on the categories below for answers to some frequently asked questions.
Council meetings
Payments, invoices and suppliers
Working for the Council
Media enquiries and publications
Careers and training
Making complaints
Sight tests and prescriptions
Registration
Registration for overseas applicants
Bodies corporate and protected titles
Professional guidance and standards
Still looking for answers?
If your question isn't listed in any of the topics below, email cmillington@optical.org. Your suggestions will be used to improve the FAQs list.
Council meetings
Where can I get a list of dates and times for meetings?
All the dates, times and venues for our Council meetings are available from our Council meetings pages.
Where can I get copies of agendas and minutes of meetings?
All our Council papers are available from our Council meetings pages.
How can I attend a Council meeting?
Council meetings are held three times a year. All our Council meetings are open to the public. Agendas, papers and minutes are available on our Council events pages. For more information, or to register your interest in attending, email echambers@optical.org
Payments, invoices and suppliers
How do I get an invoice paid?
For outstanding invoice queries please contact the finance department. Our payment terms are 30 days from date of invoice.
Who should I make a cheque payable to?
One can make payments by credit/debit cards or by cheque. Please make all cheques payable to ‘General Optical Council’.
How can I find out about supplying goods and services to the GOC?
Contact the Services Officer.
Working for the Council
How can I find out about working for the General Optical Council?
Vacancies are normally listed on the GOC website, advertised in professional journals or national newspapers such as The Guardian, and/or via recruitment agencies. For a list of current vacancies, visit our vacancies page.
What are the benefits of working for the GOC?
GOC employee benefits include:
1. Annual holiday entitlement of 25 days pa plus bank holidays
2. Non-contributary private medical insurance
3. Life assurance scheme
4. Long term incapacity scheme
5. Group personal pension plan
6. Interest free season ticket loan.
Media enquiries and publications
Who deals with media enquiries at the GOC?
All media enquiries should be directed to Kate Fielding, Head of Communications, on 020 7307 3472 or email kfielding@optical.org. Alternatively contact Clare Millington, Communications Officer, on 020 7307 3473 or email cmillington@optical.org.
How can I get permission to use the GOC logo?
To use the GOC logo please contact Kate Fielding, Head of Communications, on 020 7307 3472 or email kfielding@optical.org.
How can I get access to the Council’s photo library?
The Council’s photo library includes images of our Harley Street premises, Council members and staff and optical subjects. To access this resource please contact the Communications team.
How can I get hold of GOC publications?
Most of our publications are available as pdf or word documents on our news pages. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive future issues of Bulletin, or for the 2006-7 annual report, email cmillington@optical.org.
What other accessible formats of publications do you supply?
Most of our publications, including Bulletin and annual reports, are available as pdfs or word documents from our news pages. If you need other formats of any of these, or for an audio version of the Opticians Act, please contact the Communications team.
Careers and training
Were can I get more information about training to become a dispensing optician or optometrist?
We have produced a fact sheet about training as an optometrist or dispensing optician. To receive a copy, email cmillington@optical.org.
You can also contact the College of Optometrists, or the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) for more advice.
Where can I train to become a dispensing optician or optometrist?
There are eight UK universities that offer GOC-approved degrees in Optometry, and five education institutions that offer GOC-approved training courses in dispensing optics. For more information visit our education pages.
How can I find a pre-reg supervisor?
The College of Optometrists and the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) manage the two main schemes for registration for optometrists and dispensing opticians respectively. The College and ABDO monitor all pre-registration supervisors and practices, but it is the trainee’s responsibility to find a suitable supervisor. However, if you have any difficulties you can contact the College or ABDO directly for guidance or visit their website for more information.
Making complaints
How can I make a complaint about an optician?
If you are dissatisfied with your spectacles or contact lenses, or are unhappy with the service you received in a practice, contact the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS). When complaining about an optical appliance, you must contact the OCCS within one year of purchase.
If you are concerned about the conduct of an optician, contact our fitness to practise team. They will advise you whether or not your complaint can be investigated and can explain our complaints procedure in more detail. Before a complaint can be investigated, you will need to complete and return an Investigation Form. For more information on the investigations process and to download a form, visit our fitness to practise pages.
Sights tests and prescriptions
Am I entitled to my spectacle prescription?
Immediately after a sight test, your optometrist must give you a written statement confirming that the required examinations have been carried out, and whether a referral to a doctor is being made.
The optometrist must also provide either a prescription for an optical appliance (eg spectacles, contact lenses), or a written statement that no optical appliance is necessary.
The exceptions are:
1. If you are being referred to your doctor for further investigation.
2. If the test was carried out as part of a general medical examination for insurance purposes.
3. If you were resident in a hospital or clinic for the purposes of treatment.
Am I entitled to my contact lens prescription?
The set of details which enables a lens to be replicated is referred to as a contact lens specification.
Once a contact lens fitting has been completed, the optometrist or specialist dispensing optician must provide you with a written statement, including an expiry date and sufficient detail to enable the lens to be replicated. This should also state your name and full details of the registered optician and the practice.
Fitting should include insertion and removal, checking the fit on the eye and the health of the eye following contact lens wear. Your optometrist or contact lens optician should be satisfied that the lens suits your lifestyle and ocular requirements.
Some optometrists or specialist dispensing opticians may ask you to come back after a short period to check the lens fitting, eg after three months.
If you have not been provided with a specification, you should return to the optometrist or specialist dispending optician and find out if the fitting has been completed. If not, find out what issues are still under consideration, what specific steps are being taken to assess these and why that assessment is not yet completed.
If the optometrist or specialist dispensing optician still refuses to provide the specification you may want to make a complaint to the GOC.
Can I take my prescription to another optician after a sight test?
Yes. An optometrist or dispensing optician will normally dispense glasses or contact lenses if you have a valid prescription. However, they are not obliged to do so.
Registration
Can I have a copy of my registration certificate?
When you first register with us, we will send you a registration certificate free of charge. To order a duplicate please send a cheque for £5 together with a note of your name, address and registration number to: Registration team, General Optical Council, 41 Harley Street, London W1G 8DJ. Or alternatively, email a member of our registration team.
How do I tell you about a change of address?
To change your contact details online, you will need your GOC username (usually your GOC number) and password (usually your date of birth).
Alternatively you can notify us of your new address in writing by post, fax or email, to our registration team. Please note: we cannot accept notification by phone, as a hard copy needs to be placed on file for reference.
How can I tell you about a change of name?
If you have changed your name after a marriage or civil partnership, send a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate to our registration team. We will then update your record.
If you have changed your name by Deed Poll, send a copy of the Deed Poll to our registration team, by either post or fax.
If you would like a registration certificate in your new name, return your old certificate with your original documents and we will send you an updated certificate free of charge.
What is my GOC number?
You can check your GOC registration number by searching the online registers. If you have recently applied for registration or restoration, your new GOC number will be added to the opticians register after 17.00 on the day we process your application. We aim to process all forms within 24 hours of receipt.
For more information contact our registration team on 020 7580 3898 (option 1.)
How can I get a copy of the opticians register?
All our registers are available to search online. The registers are not available in printed format.
What insurance is required for registration?
To register as an optometrist or dispensing optician, you must be adequately covered by an appropriate, UK-valid professional indemnity insurance policy.
There are professional bodies offering insurance: The Association of Optometrists (AOP) offers insurance as a benefit to members; members of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) can take out ABDO insurance at a special rate. If you hold insurance as part of a professional body membership, you must notify us immediately if this membership lapses.
If you are an employee of a company, you may be covered by their insurance policy.
If you are covered by a corporate policy you must not carry out any professional work outside this employment without ensuring alternative cover arrangements are in place.
Professional indemnity insurance can also be obtained from an independent insurance broker.
Registration for overseas applicants
Do students and supervisors in the Republic of Ireland have to be registered with the GOC?
The Irish Opticians Board (Bord na Radharcmhastóirí) regulates registration and practice of optometrists and dispensing opticians in the Republic of Ireland (ROI).
If you are a resident of the ROI and want to enroll on a GOC-approved distance learning course, you need to register with the GOC as a student registrant. Your supervisor also needs to be registered with the GOC.
I am a qualified dispensing optician/optometrist and did my training in a country outside the UK but in the EU. How can I register to practise in the UK?
If you gained your qualifications in a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) you can apply for mutual recognition of qualifications. To do this, you must complete an EU application form and return it to: Education team, General Optical Council, 41 Harley Street, London W1G 8DJ.
A sub-committee of the GOC ’s Education Committee will then decide whether your education and training is equivalent to that of a UK trained dispensing optician or optometrist. For a copy of the form and for more information, email hrobinson@optical.org
Please note: EEA members include all EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Swiss nationals also have EEA rights.
I am a qualified dispensing optician/optometrist and did my training in a country outside the UK and not in the EU. How can I register to practise in the UK?
If you gained your optometry qualification outside the EEA you must complete the non-EU/EEA application form and return it together with a £100 administration fee to: Education team, General Optical Council, 41 Harley Street, London W1G 8DJ. For a copy of the form and for more information, email hrobinson@optical.org.
Once we have processed your form, you will need to successfully complete an exam for non-EEA trained optometrists, run by the College of Optometrists.
If you are a qualified dispensing optician and gained your qualification outside the EEA, contact the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) for guidance on whether you are eligible to practise in the UK.
Bodies corporate and protected titles
Who can register as a body corporate?
You can apply for registration as a body corporate if:
1. The majority of company directors are registered optometrists and/or dispensing opticians;
2. Your business was included on a local health service ophthalmic list at 20 November 1957;
3. The majority (over 50%) of your company’s profits are earned from business other than testing sight and/ or dispensing AND those activities are managed by a registered person;
4. Your business is a co-operative society.
How can I use a ‘protected’ title in a business or trading name when forming a limited company?
The following titles are protected under the Opticians Act 1989:
Ophthalmic optician; optician; registered optician; dispensing optician; optometrist; registered optometrist; contact lens(es); optical.
If you are intending to use any of these protected titles, you must:
1. Gain permission from the Council to use that protected title.
To do this, contact our Hearings Manager.
2. Register your company as a body corporate.
You must first complete an application for registration form (bodies corporate), leaving the ‘date of incorporation’ section blank. Your application must also fit into one of the ‘entitlement of register categories’, as outlined on the form (see Who can register as a body corporate?). Return the form to us, along with the £169 fee. If your application has been completed correctly, we will send you a letter of authorisation. Send this to Companies House. They will then ‘incorporate’ your company using that protected title, and send us a copy of the incorporation certificate. We will then enrol your business onto the register of body corporates.
How can I register my company as a body corporate, when I am not using a protected title in my business or trading name?
Complete an application for registration form (bodies corporate). Your application must fit into one of the ‘entitlement of register categories’, as outlined on the form (see Who can register as a body corporate?). Complete the form and return it to us with the £169 fee. If your application has been completed correctly, we will enrol your company onto the register of body corporates.
Can I own an optical business if I am not a registered optician?
You don't have to be registered to own an optical business. However, all sight tests must be carried out under the management of a registered optometrist. The fitting and supply of optical appliances to children under the age of 16 years, and those registered blind or partially sighted, must be carried out under the management of a registered optometrist or dispensing optician.
Professional guidance and standards
I want to open up my own business selling spectacles and/ or contact lenses. What guidance is there?
Any business selling spectacles, contact lenses, or zero powered contact lenses must operate within the law governing the sale and supply of optical appliances. The Opticians Act 1989 establishes certain restrictions on who is legally able to sell spectacles, contact lenses, or zero powered contact lenses. Our statement on the sale and supply of optical appliances sets out GOC’s interpretation of the law. In addition, the professional bodies, the College of Optometrists and the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), have produced guidance for optometrists and dispensing opticians on the sale and supply of spectacles, contact lenses and zero powered contact lenses.
What is the GOC doing to stop Internet traders selling spectacles/ contact lenses?
The GOC’s statement on the sale and supply of optical appliances sets out how we will interpret the law in relation to the sale and supply of optical appliances. We will consider any allegations that persons or practices are operating outside the law in accordance with our protocol. The GOC cannot discuss individual cases or practices which might be the subject of prosecutions. Guidance on the sale and supply of optical appliances has also been developed by the professional bodies, the College of Optometrists and the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and is now available from their websites.
I have a question about GOS vouchers, who should I contact?
You need to contact your local Primary Care Trust (PCT), which can be found on the NHS website.
How can I find out if a laser eye surgery clinic is reputable?
Laser refractive surgery is carried out by ophthalmologists (eye surgeons) who are regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC). You can check if an ophthalmologist is registered on the GMC website.
More information about laser refractive surgery is available on the Royal College of Ophthalmologists website.
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