Over the past 18 months, the pace of guidance change has never been so fast. However, professional judgement remains as vital as ever. Professional judgement is a critical cognitive component that differentiates technicians from independent healthcare professionals. 

For example, I have had several clinical enquiries relating to contact lens (CL) supply during the pandemic: for instance, “Can a remote CL consultation and supply be provided if a patient has an expired CL specification in the amber phase?” Typically, the context is a CL supply request from a wearer who has declared that they are clinically vulnerable to COVID-19, or they would like to wait for both doses of the vaccination before attending a face-to-face appointment.