20 October 2025

College publishes its Strategic Plan for 2025-2030

The College of Optometrists has today published our new Strategic Plan 2025-2030, setting out our bold objectives for the next five years.

The strategy is anchored in a clear vision and purpose: to end preventable sight loss and to champion optometrists as the first port of call for eye care professionals across the UK, inspiring and enabling them to improve eye health and vision for all.

Through four strategic pillars, the College will continue to grow and enhance our services to meet our members’ evolving needs. By fostering collaboration and continuous learning, we will help members to give patients the care they need, when and where they need it most. 

Strategic pillars

Our strategic pillars are focused on ensuring:

  • optometrists are inspired, enabled and equipped to deliver high-quality services
  • optometry is recognised in all healthcare pathways, trusted and valued by all
  • patients get the eye care they need, when they need it, where they need it
  • the public are aware of the benefit of maintaining good eye health

The strategy is underpinned by our unwavering focus on our core foundations: our members, our values, our people and our resources. 

The world, and our profession, moves at pace, with ever-changing technological, societal, and personal needs. Over the next five years, we will build on our successes, innovations and partnerships. We will focus our efforts on ensuring that optometrists are the first port of call for eye care across the UK and, through collaboration, that optometry is recognised in all healthcare pathways.”

Dr Gillian Rudduck MCOptom, President of The College of Optometrists

Related further reading

What the NHS 10-Year Health Plan means for optometry in England

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

Independent MP – and independent optometrist – Shockat Adam talks about his first six months in Parliament and how he is bringing eye health care to the national stage.