Our political engagement: January – March 2026

Promoting the value of primary eye care and pushing forward policy reform

In the past three months we have continued to champion the role of optometry in delivering care closer to home. This has meant advocating for essential policy reforms based on the health and economic benefits of eye care services, and supporting the profession through major regulatory and technological change. Our external affairs activity has focused on improving outcomes for the public and ensuring eye health remains at the centre of the national conversation on the future of the NHS.

We welcomed the Government’s Road Safety Strategy, which proposes to introduce mandatory eyesight testing for drivers over the age of 70. We, along with The College of Optometrists, have long campaigned for reforms to driving laws to keep road users safe, and this legal change has the potential – if designed appropriately – to create a fair, consistent system in which drivers’ eyesight is assessed by qualified eye care professionals.
We maintained impact around our campaigning on vision and driving reforms, securing national and regional coverage across broadcast, online and sector press, including for Radio 4, ITV, BBC online, Express and Daily Mail. Our broadcast visibility was further reinforced through a repeat airing of our cost-of-living work with BBC Morning Live.
We became the first eye care organisation to join Health Equals – a national campaign to improve health equality. This is part of our efforts to ensure that eye health is embedded within wider policy conversations on health access and improving outcomes.
We attended the motion for the Glaucoma Bill, presented by optometrist and AOP member Shockat Adam MP, who highlighted the silent progression of glaucoma and the urgent need for timely follow up care. We continue to spotlight the success of community-delivered glaucoma eye care services and press for a consistently commissioned optometry-led pathway.
We launched our Eye care everywhere campaign, emphasising the role community optometry plays in delivering accessible services on every High Street across the UK. We were pleased to have the opportunity to discuss our policy ask for eye care services to be in place in every area in England and the value of AOP members as advocates who can share real world experience from their communities.
We were pleased to attend the official opening of Barnsley’s new health hub with the Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, and Metro Mayor Oliver Coppard, and local MPs. We used the visit to reiterate the need for reform of optometry-led enhanced eye care services, ensuring community provision forms part of plans to deliver a Neighbourhood Heath Service.
We engaged with members and the wider profession on the GOC’s proposed reforms to its CPD scheme to develop our response and ensure the profession’s views are strongly supported. We also launched a new AI and Technology resource hub to support practitioners as emerging technologies reshape clinical practice and patient pathways. Bringing together policy guidance to help eye care professionals understand the opportunities, safeguards and professional considerations as technology continues to evolve.
We met with Helen Morgan MP, spokesperson for health for the Liberal Democrats, to discuss how to end the postcode lottery in eye care and make better use of existing capacity in community optometry. We highlighted examples of how optometry is easing pressure on GPs, A&E and hospital eye departments, while providing patients more convenient care.
We responded to the Government’s Neighbourhood Health Framework on its commitment to shift care from hospitals to community. We stressed that the framework overlooks the optometry workforce, presenting a missed opportunity for utilising primary care to ease pressures, improve access, and reduce waste in the NHS system.

Looking ahead, we will maintain our commitment to highlighting the value of eye care on every High Street, push for reforms needed to realise the sector’s full potential, and work collaboratively across Government, Parliament and the wider healthcare system to secure better outcomes for patients.