Our purpose and values

Our purpose

The AOP has a clear, simple core purpose:

As the membership association for the optical profession, we serve, protect and promote the interests of our members and, through them, the UK’s eye health.

Our values

The AOP continues to be a mission-led, values-driven organisation. The golden thread that connects all these together is our members, who will continue to be the focus of everything we do. We achieve our purpose by being:

Influential

The organisation is effective in exerting influence on behalf of our members, be it on the Government and policymakers, regulators and courts, or those within the profession.

Dedicated

We understand our purpose as a membership organisation and are dedicated to our mission and values. Through our work we will continue to defend our members’ interests and the future of the profession. It is our duty to organise ourselves to do that as effectively as possible.

Expert

Not only do we understand the needs of our members, but we are an expert source of information and advice about every aspect of the profession. We are also a hotbed of ideas, putting forward our vision for the future of optometry and healthcare generally.

Principled

We are a values-led organisation, seeking to embody the best of optometry and the core principles of healthcare more generally. While we are here to work for the profession, we also are proud that optometrists are here to serve the wider public too and that provides a key guiding principle for us.

Our three pillars

• Membership services
• Policy and promotion
• Sustainability

Read about our five-year strategy.