AOP Council

Illustration of medical professional standing and lines connecting them

A final thought

Sarah Lowry: “Extended pathways allow you to manage everyone who comes in”

IP optometrist and AOP Councillor representing North West England, Sarah Lowry, discusses the importance of extended services for patients, secondary care, and the profession

AOP

Today mins

An illustration in an abstract watercolour style of silhouettes of people, with speech bubbles in muticoloured shapes

In focus

Five factors shaping practice

AOP

1 day ago 10 min read

The AOP Councillors gather outside the glass front doors of the building, they are all looking up and smiling towards the camera

AOP Council meeting in five updates

AOP

17 Jun 6 min read

Karan is photographed in the library of the AOP offices, with rows of optometry and professional books behind him. He wears thin metal glasses and a checkered blue and green shirt

AOP Board welcomes new member

AOP

10 Jun

Emma Spofforth and Nizz Sabir sitting on an sofa holding the AOP chairman medal

Leadership, continuity and change: AOP chairman handover

AOP

08 Jun 7 min read

Illustration of a woman with a spade digging at a tree with light bulbs on

A final thought

Frances Jamieson: “Practice ownership represents freedom to me”

AOP

05 Jun 1 4 mins

Kevin Thompson after receiving the AOP’s Peter Yeo Award with Emma Spofforth and Nizz Sabir

Kevin Thompson receives AOP Peter Yeo Award

AOP

04 Jun

Councillors sitting at tables talking with hands raised at the November 2025 AOP Council meeting

AOP establishes new student and early career positions on its Council

AOP

27 May 5 min read

AOP announces new Council appointments

AOP

13 May

Councillors are seated around tables and looking towards the front of the room, they raise their hands in agreement with a statement

Five discussions from the spring AOP Council meeting

AOP

09 Apr 6 min read

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”

AOP

02 Apr 4 mins

Johnathan Waugh and Rebecca Donnelly

AOP opens applications for Council

AOP

20 Mar

Councillors are seated around a table in the AOP offices. Dr Peter Hampson is reading a mind map they have produced and members are discussins the information with him

On the ground at the AOP

An AOP explainer on... 2026 Council nominations

AOP

10 Mar 2 mins

Johnathan Waugh

Johnathan Waugh: “You’ll definitely enjoy it, and you’ll definitely find it rewarding”

AOP

03 Mar

Rebecca Donnelly

Rebecca Donnelly: “If you care about the profession, you belong in the room, so put yourself forward”

AOP

02 Mar

Ben Lewis

Obituary: Ben Lewis OBE

Practitioner stories

27 Feb 5 min read

An illustration of an eye comprising on numbers

A final thought

Technology’s role in transforming eye care

AOP

03 Feb 5 mins

Illustration of a student wearing a graduation cap

A final thought

“It was one of the first things I learned about”

AOP

05 Dec 2025 4 mins

Dr Peter Hampson

The Dr Peter Hampson episode

AOP

26 Nov 2025

Habeed Rahman, Zahrah Khan, and Hannah Silcock

Pre-reg focus

The pre-reg path to qualification

Students and pre-regs

01 Aug 2025 10 min read

Council meeting

In focus

A picture of optometry: three AOP Councillors share insights

AOP

01 Aug 2025 8 min read

A final thought

“There have been times where others have seen strengths in me that I was unable to see myself”

AOP

01 Aug 2025 7 min read 1 8 mins

woman with pink hair smiling

AOP Council: updates from devolved nations, certificate of vision impairment, and refracting children

AOP

08 Jul 2025 8 min read

Cogs lead image

A final thought

“We are capable of providing more”

AOP

06 Jun 2025 4 mins

Group of professionals sharing ideas during a casual meeting in a bright, modern workspace

HOC election results announced

Hospital optometry

04 Jun 2025

Bonnie laughs during an AOP Council meeting

AOP appoints new Councillors

AOP

08 May 2025

Person filling in a form on a macbook

Voting opens for Hospital Optometrists Committee elections

Hospital optometry

23 Apr 2025

AOP gavel

Notice of the AOP Annual General Meeting 2025

AOP

11 Apr 2025

Load more

Most popular across OT

Harper poses outside of a hospital

An optometrist saved my life

“We will always be grateful that Charlotte recognised the signs when she did”

Patients

26 Jun 5 min read 1

A female optometrist performs a sight test with a slit lamp for a male patient

OFNC advises profession against committing to “unfunded” ERS until negotiations complete

Government and regulation

24 Jun 1

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June/July 2026

The Practice resilience edition

05 Jun

A man tries on glasses in an optometry practice

GOC launches consultation on updated sight testing statement

Government and regulation

16 Jul 1

Most popular across AOP Council

Emma Spofforth and Nizz Sabir sitting on an sofa holding the AOP chairman medal

Leadership, continuity and change: AOP chairman handover

AOP

08 Jun 7 min read

Kevin Thompson after receiving the AOP’s Peter Yeo Award with Emma Spofforth and Nizz Sabir

Kevin Thompson receives AOP Peter Yeo Award

AOP

04 Jun

AOP announces new Council appointments

AOP

13 May

Councillors sitting at tables talking with hands raised at the November 2025 AOP Council meeting

AOP establishes new student and early career positions on its Council

AOP

27 May 5 min read

Karan is photographed in the library of the AOP offices, with rows of optometry and professional books behind him. He wears thin metal glasses and a checkered blue and green shirt

AOP Board welcomes new member

AOP

10 Jun

Chosen for you

A woman receives an eye examination

New research finds 83% of CUES patients retained within primary care in Greater Manchester

Research

30 Jul

Professor Shehzad Naroo with an ophthalmoscope

A personal history of Aston University optometry department in 12 objects

Students and pre-regs

1 day ago 9 min read

David Hewlett (on left) and Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah

University of Leicester officially launches optometry degree

Students and pre-regs

23 Jul 1

A group of female friends are pictured together

Dry Eye Awareness Month: “You can genuinely transform someone’s quality of life”

Patients

23 Jul 9 min read

Little girl getting a sight test with blue glasses

SeeAbility wins NHS contract to extend Special School Eye Care Service across London and South East England

Domiciliary

30 Jul