FODO member update – 21 August

This week:

• College glaucoma qualifications updated
• Stem cell treatment improves vision in ‘untreatable’ condition
• Last chance: consultation on the GOC statement on testing of sight
• NHS Scotland updates
• Optical store is home from home
• Join FODO member webinar
• At a glance
• Health policy news

College glaucoma qualifications updated

The College of Optometrists has updated its curricula for its three glaucoma higher qualifications:

• Professional Certificate in Glaucoma
• Higher Certificate in Glaucoma
• Professional Diploma in Glaucoma.

Andy Miller, head of learning at the college, said: “The new curricula reflect modern clinical practice and will ensure that optometrists are prepared to offer more services and manage more patients closer to home, delivering the aspirations of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.” Read more.

Stem cell treatment improves vision in ‘untreatable’ condition

Patients receiving a breakthrough stem cell treatment for ARK (aniridia-related keratopathy) have shown improved vision in a first-in-human clinical trial at Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

The Moorfields team developed a collagen ‘scaffold’, which they tissue-engineered to deliver limbal epithelial and stromal stem cells to treat the affected area. One eye received this intervention, while the other acted as a control.

Read more in Clarity.

Last chance: consultation on the GOC statement on testing of sight

This is the final opportunity for members to complete our survey on the GOC’s proposed updates to its ‘Statement on testing of sight’ and related changes to the supervision and delegation requirements in its Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians and Standards for Optical Students. We will use your feedback to inform our response to the consultation.

NHS Scotland updates

The Health and Care Finance Directorate has published a revised payment verification protocol for GOS. Members with practices in Scotland are advised to review pages 30 to 43.

Community Eyecare Guidelines for Scotland have also been updated. Eight further redrafted guidelines, including choroidal naevus and melanoma, are now available on the eyes.nhs.scot website.

Optical store is home from home

An Australian interior design company has created an unusually relaxed, homely optical store which it says breaks the mould of the stark and “intimidating” clinic. The magazine Wallpaper talks to the duo behind the design. Read more.

Join FODO member webinar

A reminder that Clyde & Co legal healthcare experts are running a webinar for FODO members on 24 September exploring events shaping the eye care sector. Register here.

At a glance

• Optician magazine’s Eyes on Sustainability conference will take place on 1-2 November at Sustainable Ventures in central London.
• The Scottish Optometry Awards, celebrating people and practices, will be held on 14 November 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow. Find out more.
• The University of Manchester is working with LOCSU to map out current low- vision service provision in England. They invite practitioners to fill in this survey.
• Places are available for Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) optometry alumni to join the institution’s 150th anniversary celebrations on 28-29 August 2026.
• The GOC has granted permission to De Montfort University to recruit students for its Master of Optometry qualification.
• Shockat Adam MP posts on X that optometry has a major role in primary care prevention after a visit to Boots Opticians in Leicester, where he trained.
• Torbay MP Steve Darling visited Optical Express’s Torquay eye care clinic, which has reopened following a £200,000 investment. Read more.
• A randomised feasibility trial explores advantages of infants wearing glasses to improve visual outcomes in those at risk of perinatal brain insult. Read more.
• A prospective cohort study published in JAMA Ophthalmology finds that OCT scans may be able to detect retinal neurodegeneration in young people with type 1 diabetes before clinical signs emerge.
• The British Optical Association Museum opens its doors, including an archive of optometry throughout history, for the Open House Festival on 13 September.
• The only optometry practice on Orkney Island has a new optometrist, OT reports.

Health policy news

Advice and guidance may have caused harm

An interim report from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body has found evidence that Advice and Guidance services “contributed to near misses and incidents of patient harm”, including delayed or missed diagnoses and delays to treatment.

The organisation urged the government to undertake a rapid evaluation of A&G services, but did not recommend pausing them, Pulse magazine reported.

A&G services allow GPs to seek clinical advice from hospital specialists or consultants before they decide whether to make a referral.

First digital trust appoints leader

NHS England has appointed Dame Caroline Clarke as the first chief executive of the Online NHS Trust, established to deliver NHS Online and transform access to specialist care across England. She is currently NHS England’s regional director for London.

The Online NHS Trust was set up earlier this year to provide virtual elective care appointments and assessments across England from the end of 2027.

Dame Caroline said: “NHS Online has the potential to transform how patients access specialist care, connecting them with expert clinicians quickly and conveniently through the NHS App, while continuing to provide tests, scans and procedures closer to home.” Read more.

Eyecare is a top priority for NHS Online, with ophthalmology one of the busiest outpatient specialities. But the sector has warned that the government’s recent attempts to digitise the referral system will not succeed without a commitment to additional funding to cover the cost to practices.

Sightcare raises concerns about mandatory testing for older drivers

Sightcare has written to ministers and MPs on behalf of its members raising concerns about how any future mandatory eyesight testing scheme for older drivers would be delivered.

The organisation says that, while it supports the principle of road safety through eyesight standards, it is concerned that a centrally commissioned provider model could exclude certain providers. It urged “policymakers to ensure that any future scheme provides fair access for independent practices and protects patient choice”. Read more.