Guidance for Professional Practice

Guidance on when to refer; who to refer to; communicating referrals; and recording communications.

Urgency of referrals

This table in the Guidance for Professional Practice provides information on which conditions are considered an emergency or urgent.

Writing a good referral letter

Acuity article on what makes a good referral letter, information you must include, and how much is too much.

Latest online CPD

Independent prescribing – management in clinical practice

In this updated online CPD course for optometrists you will be given the background to four patients and will complete a series of activities related to each case.

Cataract Contact lenses Independent prescribing Referrals
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Latest journal article

Unravelling misunderstandings around cataract care

A response from the College regarding concerns about the integrity of optometrists referring cataract patients to independent sector providers.

Cataract Policy Referrals Workforce
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Live events

Northern Ireland member peer review (general and IP) - 9 October 2025

This is an in-person peer review taking place at Assembly Buildings, Belfast.

Cataract Children Glaucoma Referrals
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Latest clinical files

March 2025: Case on keratoconus

Clinical files: I have seen a patient in practice who I suspect has keratoconus. Do I need to refer them?

Contact lenses Referrals
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Referral

May 2024: Case on repeat visual fields and internal referral

Clinical files: I am a locum optometrist who has been working at a practice while the resident is on holiday. It is my last day at the practice, and I have a patient who needs a repeat visual fields test but declined to complete it on the same day. What should I do?

Referrals

February 2024: Case on patient referrals and PED

Clinical files: Do I have to refer an asymptomatic patient with a small pigment epithelial detachment (PED)?

AMD Low vision OCT Referrals

Picture perfect: sharing the best ophthalmic images

Kaye McIntosh on tackling the lack of standardisation when sharing ophthalmic images.

Public health Referrals

Optometry Tomorrow

Welcome to the UK's leading optometry conference - our flagship CPD event!

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