The Core values edition

Editor′s picks

In focus

Inside the fitness to practise process: “The hardest thing was the period of waiting”

An optometrist shares their experience of the toll a fitness to practise process can take and the AOP legal team discusses advice for members

AOP 01 April 10 min read

The cover story

Lifting the weight

Health and wellbeing

10 April 14 min read

At the dispensing desk

The stable prescription conversation

Practice team

02 April 5 min read 6 mins

How I got here

Pivoting to industry as a community optometrist

Career development

30 March 6 min read 6 mins

A day in the life of a business owner

Daily life in an award-winning Aberdeen independent practice

Business and practice management

10 April 5 min read 5 mins

Supplier insight

How can practices introduce smart eyewear?

Products

02 April 6 min read

Life in practice

A healthcare professional leans in to examine an elderly man’s eye using a handheld ophthalmoscope as the man sits in an armchair at home, with soft daylight and living room furnishings in the background

Decoding domiciliary

“It’s more of an informal conversation with patients when you see them at home”

Domiciliary

30 March

How I got here

Pivoting to industry as a community optometrist

Career development

30 March 6 min read 6 mins

Roma is stood outside wearing a black suit jacket, in front of a lake

Life as a locum

Keeping up with technology and prioritising peer support as a locum optometrist

Locuming

10 April 7 min read 7 mins

A head-and-shoulders portrait of a middle-aged man with short hair and light stubble, wearing a navy blazer over a pale checkered shirt, standing indoors in front of large windows with trees visible outside

You had me at hospital

“Working in hospital gives you a lot of confidence in diagnosing and pathologies”

Hospital optometry

30 March 6 min read

Lindsey Jones smiling whilst stood in front of a large colourful mural inside her optometry practice

A day in the life of a business owner

Daily life in an award-winning Aberdeen independent practice

Business and practice management

10 April 5 min read 5 mins

Young female optometrist smiling as she looks through a slit lamp microscope to examine a male patient’s eyes in a softly lit clinic room, with a blurred owl picture on the wall in the background

Pre-reg focus

Adapting to technology as an optometry pre-reg

Students and pre-regs

31 March 4 mins

A man in a hard hat works on top of a garage roof

IP and me

Managing an internal hordeolum in a penicillin-allergic patient

Patients

10 April

Blue and red cartoons heads showing communication concept

A conversation about...

Mutual learning through IP mentorship

Career development

31 March 8 min read

CPD

Our latest CPD article exams available online in the CPD

Modality matters: unlocking compliance in contact lens wearers

This CPD exam considers factors that impact contact lens compliance with an emphasis on modality

Author: Dr Debarun Dutta MCOptom PhD FAAO FHEA FIACLE FBCLA

Closed: 03 July 2026

Links

Sponsored by:

Uveitis: know what to ask and why

This CPD exam highlights the importance of taking a detailed history from patients with uveitis to help guide appropriate management steps

Author: Matthew Chan BSc FCOptom OptPE DipTp(IP) Higher Cert Med Ret Higher Cert Glauc

Closed: 03 July 2026

Links

Sponsored by:

Beyond drops and laser: how MIGS and MIBS are changing the glaucoma game

This CPD exam considers minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) and minimally invasive bleb surgery (MIBS) innovations as effective treatment options for intraocular pressure (IOP) management

Author: Sana Hamid BSc (Hons) MBBS PGDip FEBO FRCOphth

Closed: 03 July 2026

Links

Sponsored by:

OCCS insights: resolving complaints in a changing consumer landscape

This CPD exam outlines the objectives of the Optical Consumer Complaints Service (OCCS) with an overview of statistics relating to case types and outcomes

Author: Paul Chapman-Hatchett BSc (Hons) MCOptom MBA

Closed: 03 July 2026

Links

Sponsored by:

What’s happening...

Rizwana poses in a colourful practice with pastel balloons on the wall. She wears a light blue blazer and navy cat’s eye style frames, with gems in the upturned corners, and pink temples

Dream team

A peek inside... Sutcliffes Opticians and Audiologists

Practice team

02 April

Japanese actor, Show Kasamatsu, models a pair of metal spectacles with rimless green lenses. He wears a white shirt with sharp collar, a yellow and green patterned tie, and dark suit jacket, over the top he wears a green-grey houndstooth coat.

Latest launches

Contact lens design and innovation

Products

01 April

Kayla has brown hair cut in a layered style just past her shoulders. She wears a round pair of spectacles with metal temples and a very thin light pink rim. She wears a pink work shirt with a patch of a stylised skull

Me and my glasses

Kayla Heersink: “Eyewear is the perfect way to show who you are without saying a word”

Products

02 April

Man and woman sitting at a dispensing desk talking and holding spectacles

At the dispensing desk

The stable prescription conversation

Practice team

02 April 5 min read 6 mins

A model looks summary and happy wearing a red top, red rectangle sunglasses and a rainbow beaded glasses chain

Behind the brand

Coti Vision: “We work in an amazing industry”

Products

02 April 6 min read

Kylian and Patrick pose together on a dark background, both wearing Oakley Meta HSTN smart eyewear

Supplier insight

How can practices introduce smart eyewear?

Products

02 April 6 min read

Also in this edition...

Illustration of two cogs being pushed by two people

The CEO’s view

Adam Sampson: “I immediately recognised it as an organisation deeply rooted in the values of the profession”

AOP

01 April 4 mins

Laurence Derbyshire holding a camera filming

OT on the go

Our movements over the past 60 days

AOP

31 March

A view of an exhibition hall from above. Stands include Johnson and Johnson, Safilens, Ocuco. The effect is busy and bustling

100% Optical

100% Optical 2026: education, training, launches, and connection

Products

09 April 7 min read

In focus

What does the closure of Norville Optical mean for the future of UK optical manufacturing?

Products

01 April

An illustration of a business woman standing alone in the rain. An arm leans in from the right and holds a red umbrella over her to keep her dry

In focus

Inside the fitness to practise process: “The hardest thing was the period of waiting”

AOP

01 April 10 min read

Large image of the Rodenstock DNEye scanner on a white background

I could not live without…

The Rodenstock DNEye scanner and ImpressionIST tower

Patients

01 April 4 mins

The hand of an older driver rests on the steering wheel while driving. She wears a pink coat and has glasses.

On the ground at the AOP

An AOP explainer on... responding to the driving and vision consultation

AOP

02 April 4 mins

A final thought

Illustration of a head with a flower growing out of it and it being watered

A final thought

Judith Tate: “Clinical competence is only one part of what makes us effective practitioners”

Optometrist, owner of Judith Long Opticians and AOP Councillor representing Northern Ireland, Judith Tate, discuses communication and the skills that are developed professionally to support the best outcomes for the practitioner and the patient

AOP 02 April 4 mins

Edition archive

June/July 2026

The Practice resilience edition

OT delves into the realities of life as a practice owner – uncovering the strategies shaping optometry businesses today, and what it takes to remain resilient

Read the edition

February/March 2026

The Emerging tech and future practice edition

Friend or foe? OT explores the role that emerging technologies and AI could play in the optometry setting today, and beyond, for optometrists and patient care

Read the edition