GOC notes ABDO as first contact lens qualification to meet new education requirements

GOC notes ABDO as first contact lens qualification to meet new education requirements

The General Optical Council (GOC) has noted that the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) will be the first to deliver a contact lens qualification under the GOC’s new education and training requirements.

From September 2024, students will be able to study at ABDO College or Bradford College towards a Level 6 Diploma in Contact Lens Practice qualification.

Providers of existing GOC-approved qualifications are required to submit detailed plans of how their adapted qualifications will meet the new education and training requirements, with the GOC reviewing and noting these changes.

The updated qualification will still be subject to the GOC’s routine quality assurance processes to ensure they satisfy the GOC’s requirements.

Samara Morgan, GOC Head of Education and CPD Development, said: “We are delighted to note ABDO’s contact lens qualification as the first contact lens specialty to meet the updated education and training requirements. This means we have seen adaptations against all of the updated education and training requirements for optometry and dispensing optics, additional supply, supplementary prescribing, and/or independent prescribing, and for contact lens opticians.

It’s been exciting to see how optical education providers of GOC-approved qualifications are adapting their qualifications to meet the new education and training requirements. We know it’s involved a lot of hard work from providers, and we appreciate their dedication to ensure they offer courses that are fit for the future.”

Dean Dunning, Deputy Head of Professional Qualifications and Education at ABDO, said: “We are delighted that we are now able to deliver our 2024 syllabus, which is the first of its kind to follow the GOC’s Requirements for Approved Qualifications for Contact Lens Opticians. It has been a huge undertaking, lasting over two years and wouldn’t have been possible without a great deal of help from educators, industry professionals, registrants, students and employers for whom we are extremely grateful.

We have worked very hard to ensure that we have a syllabus that meets the needs for a modern Contact Lens Optician to practice safely and successfully, embracing the fast-paced changes happening in the Contact Lens Industry.

We would like to thank Samara and the education team at the General Optical Council for their hard work in reviewing the documentation in what is clearly an extremely rigorous and thorough process.

We look forward to collaborating with our training partners at ABDO College and Bradford College along with the General Optical Council over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition to the new syllabus.”