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

Assessing swollen discs

This is a recorded lecture from Optometry Tomorrow 2026 where Simon Hardman-Lea explores the causes behind optic disc swelling, specific clinical features and symptoms to look out for, and considerations of current referral patterns from optometrists.

Children OCT Referrals Retina
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Latest journal article

Did you know...about paediatric vision assessments?

The conditions and development milestones to look out for in paediatric vision assessments.

Binocular vision Children Myopia Public health Referrals
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Optometry Tomorrow

Where optometry professionals come together for practical learning, CPD and fresh insight.

AMD Binocular vision Cataract Children Contact lenses Dementia Dispensing Driving and vision Falls Glaucoma Independent prescribing Low vision Myopia OCT Referrals Research Retina Workforce
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Latest clinical files

October 2026: Case on managing a patient with CHRPE

Clinical files: "A new adult patient attended for their first sight test, and I detected congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium CHRPE in their right eye. They were asymptomatic, do I need to refer? "

Public health Referrals
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Referral

Patient management and referrals – part two

This online CPD course will help you with management decisions when retinal lesions are identified by both fundus examination and optical coherence tomography (OCT).

OCT Referrals

Getting referrals right (2026)

This online CPD course will guide you through a series of example referral letters, from the perspective of the person who receives them in the hospital eye service.

Referrals

WebinarXtra: Best practice for optometrists' written and telephone referrals

Podcast: Dr Gordon Hay answers all those questions there wasn't time to cover during his webinar on referrals.

Referrals

How would you manage a patient you had referred who said they had not been seen?

In each issue, Acuity poses a topical question to a panel of members.

Referrals

July 2022: Case on ensuring you provide patients with a meaningful choice when making a referral

Clinical Files: Do I need to offer patients a choice every time I make a referral?

Referrals

Webinar: Effective Referrals

Watch our webinar on effective referrals and test your knowledge by taking a quiz!

Referrals

WebinarXtra: Monitor, manage, treat or refer?

Podcast: Daniel talks to Michelle Hanratty MCOptom Dip Tp(IP) on how to decide what is best for your patient.

AMD Cataract Glaucoma Referrals

Annex 4 Urgency of referrals table

Referrals