GOC to consult on proposed updated statement on the testing of sight

The General Optical Council (GOC) agreed to launch a consultation on a proposed draft updated statement on the testing of sight at its latest council meeting on Wednesday (24 June, held remotely).

Steve Brooker, director of regulatory strategy at the GOC, shared that the existing statement on the testing of sight has not been updated since 2013.

“A lot has changed since it was published, and, in respect of delegation of sight test activities, the statement simply doesn’t reflect developments in technology, which have reshaped the way that sight tests are delivered up and down the country,” Brooker said.

The 2013 statement highlighted that refraction for the purpose of issuing a prescription is an essential part of the sight test, and can only be conducted by a registered optometrist, a registered medical practitioner or a student optometrist under supervision.

“No part of the sight test can be delegated to a dispensing optician or contact lens optician, even under supervision,” the 2013 statement notes.

The proposed updated statement, which the GOC will launch a 14-week consultation on next month, provides clarity on a range of key topics relating to the process of the sight test.

These include the legal definition of sight testing in the UK, delegation of activities for the sight test, and separation of the sight test by time, person or place. The GOC is proposing that the much briefer 2013 statement on the testing of sight is withdrawn.

Brooker noted that without an updated statement setting out safeguards for patients, developments within the market risk going unchecked.

“The consultation will test views on whether we’ve identified the correct risks and the correct mitigations,” Brooker said.

Alongside the updated statement on the testing of sight, the GOC is also consulting on proposed revisions to supervision and delegation standards.

Brooker noted that the GOC is anticipating “significant interest” in the issues covered within the draft updated statement.

“Although it’s a technical paper in many ways, it does go to the heart of clinical practice, and so we understand that registrants may be concerned about what the proposals will mean for them,” he reflected.

He clarified that the GOC is not asking optometrists and dispensing opticians to do anything differently to their current practice.

“Instead, it’s the GOC that’s changing. We’re bringing our statement up to date to recognise what happens in practice, day-in, day-out, in relation to separation of the sight test,” Brooker explained.

He acknowledged concern among the profession that changes could result in sight tests no longer including eye health and vision checks.

“The draft statement is explicit that the sight test should continue to include both vision and health checks, and that the spectacle prescription cannot be issued until all parts of the sight test have been completed,” Brooker emphasised.

GOC member, Kalwant Grewal, highlighted developments within teleoptometry, artificial intelligence-enabled technologies and remote assessments since the last statement on the testing of sight was published in 2013.

“I think the paper presents a credible case that maintaining the status quo itself may create public protection risks through things like reduced access and slower adoption of beneficial innovation,” he reflected.

“I think consultation is precisely the right mechanism at this point for testing stakeholder appetite, and to help identify unintended consequences before those final decisions are made,” Grewal noted.

GOC member, William Stockdale, expressed his support for the consultation, noting that the past 13 years have seen an “incredible” level of change within the profession.

“The technology has changed. We know that going forward there will be a lot of demand on the profession with the ageing population and funding difficulties,” he said.

“We need to avoid stifling innovation that could deliver benefits for the public,” he said.