Independent prescribing
Independent Prescribing enables optometrists to clinically assess a patient, establish a diagnosis, determine the clinical management required and prescribe where necessary.
Once qualified you may prescribe any licensed medicine (except for controlled drugs or medicines for parenteral (injected) administration) for conditions affecting the eye, and the tissues surrounding the eye, within your recognised area of expertise and competence.
You will be able to prescribe privately and, where suitable arrangements have been made, write an NHS prescription.
To qualify in Independent Prescribing you must:
- be a registered optometrist
- have been practising in the UK and registered with the GOC for two full years before beginning the clinical placement
- train in competencies which focus on the consultation, prescribing effectively and prescribing in context.
Regulations around the Independent Prescribing qualification as a whole are detailed in the GOC IP Handbook below.
The three-stage qualification process
Essential information
Privacy statement
We will use your information to process your application for the Independent Prescribing examination and to send you your results.
We will share your exam results with the GOC for registration purposes. We will not share your details with any other third parties.
We may share your name with examination venues for security reasons.
We will keep all data relating to your Independent Prescribing examination for one year after you have qualified and then we will delete it. We will keep your final exam results in perpetuity.