Optometry Scotland launches manifesto ahead of 2026 Scottish election

Optometry Scotland has published its 2026 manifesto ahead the 2026 Scottish election.

Community optometry: a sustainable solution for eye care calls on the parties fighting next year’s election to commit to three priorities: safeguarding universal access to eye care, strengthening community-based NHS services, and investing in the workforce and infrastructure needed to deliver high-quality care closer to home.

These priorities set out a “clear vision” for the future of eye health in Scotland, the manifesto said.

The manifesto emphasises that there is a high level of trust in optometry in Scotland, with 53% of people saying that they would visit an optometrist if they had an eye problem compared to 36% across the UK as a whole.

It also notes that Scotland is the only UK nation with universal access to funded eye care.

With “sustained commitment, Scotland can continue to lead the UK in disease prevention, fairness and local access, reducing hospital pressures and protecting sight for generations to come,” the manifesto said.

Shifting the balance of care and investing in the optometry workforce

The first commitment, to deliver universal access to eye care, asks political parties to reaffirm their commitment to the General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) model, protecting “the right to accessible, preventative care through a modern and sustainable GOS framework.”

Without sustained support, the system “risks falling behind clinical and demographic needs, putting further pressure on hospitals and widening health inequalities,” the manifesto said.

Optometry Scotland called GOS “a proven NHS success story,” which prevents avoidable blindness through early detection, reduces pressure on hospital eye departments, and ensures accessible eye care across both urban and rural communities.

The manifesto’s second priority asks political parties to “shift the balance of care” by investing in local, enhanced services.

Scotland must “scale up enhanced community services delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” the manifesto said.

Community optometry in Scotland is already demonstrating this through the Community Glaucoma Service (CGS) and the GOS Specialist Supplementary Service, Optometry Scotland highlighted.

Launched in 2023, the CGS has the potential to monitor 20,000 patients in the community rather than the hospital setting, the manifesto said.

The “full optical workforce” should be utilised to deliver this and similar schemes, it stated.

Optometry Scotland called enhanced community eye care “a ready-made solution to ease NHS pressures,” that “shortens waiting times, reduces deterioration in vision by treating earlier, and uses existing technology and workforce more effectively.”

The manifesto emphasised that shared access to health records would allow Scotland to “go even further in delivering joined-up, preventative care.”

The third commitment included in the manifesto asks political parties to “support a sustainable, skilled and well-equipped community-based optical profession by building a future-proof workforce and infrastructure that will protect sight for generations to come.”

Although all new optometrists in Scotland will graduate in independent prescribing (IP) from 2028, an upskilling workforce is something that cannot be taken for granted and investment is required now to retain and support the profession, the manifesto emphasised.

It added that community optometry in Scotland delivers over two million funded exams each year, detecting eye disease and conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure.

This can be achieved by ensure timely access to safe, local eye care in every community, empowering IP optometrists to manage more complex conditions by expanding community capacity or in order to reduce reliance on hospitals, expanding access to technology such as optical coherence tomography to support earlier detection, better monitoring and improved patient outcomes, and future-proofing services to meet rising demand, Optometry Scotland believes.

“Sustaining this workforce is not a future challenge, it is a present necessity,” the manifesto said.

Trusted care, close to home

In her introduction to the manifesto, Eilidh Thomson, chair of Optometry Scotland, noted that “Every day, community optometrists and dispensing opticians provide trusted care in towns, cities and rural communities across Scotland.”

Optometry Scotland is “privileged to play a vital role in protecting the nation’s sight and supporting the NHS,” Thomson said.

The election is expected in May 2026 and will elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament.

By including Optometry Scotland’s commitments in their 2026 manifestos, political parties can “secure Scotland’s place as a leader in prevention, equity, fairness and innovation in community health,” the manifesto said.

Thomson added: “This manifesto reflects the collective voice of our members. It sets out how, with continued partnership and investment, optometry can contribute even more to Scotland’s health and wellbeing.

“We look forward to working with all political parties to ensure that patients continue to benefit from world-leading community eye care for years to come.”

The full manifesto can be read online.