What is the General Optical Council (GOC)?
The General Optical Council (GOC) is the statutory regulator for optical professions and businesses in the United Kingdom. Its role is to protect the public by upholding high standards in eyecare services, covering education, training and professional conduct.
The organisation currently registers and regulates approximately 35,000 optical professionals including optometrists, dispensing opticians, student optometrists and dispensing opticians and optical businesses.
What Does the General Optical Council Do?
The General Optical Council adheres to four core responsibilities:
- Setting standards for optical education and training, performance and conduct
- Approving qualifications leading to registration
- Maintaining a public register of individuals who are fit to practise or train as optometrists or dispensing opticians and bodies corporate who are fit to carry on business as optometrists or dispensing opticians
- Investigating and acting where registrants’ fitness to practise, train or carry on business is impaired
The GOC administers a mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) scheme for registered optometrists and dispensing opticians and accredits the external providers approved to deliver CPD content.
Who Does the GOC Regulate?
The GOC regulates the following professional groups:
- Optometrists
- Dispensing opticians
- Student optometrists and student dispensing opticians
- Optical businesses
It is a legal requirement in the UK to be registered with the General Optical Council to practise as an optometrist or dispensing optician. In addition, any business carrying out restricted functions, such as sight testing or the fitting of contact lenses, must be registered with the GOC, not only the individual practitioners working within it.
GOC Standards of Practice
The General Optical Council sets out Standards of Practice that define the professional behaviour and ethical responsibilities expected of all registered optometrists and dispensing opticians. The standards cover both conduct and clinical performance, spanning 19 areas including patient care, communication, consent, confidentiality, safeguarding, honesty and trustworthiness and the duty to act openly and honestly when things go wrong.
The most recent update came into effect on 1 January 2025, following a period of extensive consultation with key stakeholders, including patients and the general public. The revised standards introduced stronger protections for patients in vulnerable circumstances, clearer requirements around professional boundaries, explicit standards on workplace culture and behaviour between colleagues, and updated guidance on the use of digital technologies in practice.
Anyone can raise a concern with the GOC about a registered optometrist, dispensing optician or optical business. Concerns are received from patients, carers, employers, the police and other registrants. Where information calls into question a registrant’s fitness to practise, the General Optical Council can investigate and take action to protect public safety.
How to Check GOC Registration
The GOC maintains a public register that anyone can search online at https://optical.org/ .
The register provides key information, including:
- Whether a professional or business is currently registered
- Registration number and registrant category
- Qualification to practise
- Any fitness-to-practise history or sanctions, where applicable
This allows patients and employers to verify that an individual or business is properly authorised to provide optical services.
Why GOC Regulation Matters
The General Optical Council plays a central role in maintaining patient safety and public trust in eyecare services. It is overseen by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA), which independently reviews its performance and reports to the UK Parliament. This external oversight ensures the General Optical Council is held accountable for how it regulates professionals and protects patients, helping maintain confidence in the optical sector.