Optometry with Independent Prescribing

Optometry is the healthcare profession concerned with the examination, diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting vision and the eye. Optometrists carry out eye examinations, detect refractive errors, diagnose eye disease and conditions affecting systemic health that are visible in the eye, prescribe and fit spectacles and contact lenses, and refer patients for specialist medical care when necessary. Independent prescribing extends the optometrist's role, allowing qualified practitioners to prescribe a wide range of medications for conditions of the eye without the need for a separate medical referral, making them more autonomous and effective clinicians.

At the University of the Highlands and Islands this programme is studied part time, allowing you to develop your optometric knowledge and clinical skills alongside work or other commitments. The course combines in-person teaching at local campuses or learning centres with digital access to learning materials, and includes a work-based component that gives you practical clinical experience in real optometric settings. This flexible structure makes postgraduate professional development in optometry accessible to practitioners who cannot pursue full-time residential programmes.

You will develop the advanced clinical knowledge and prescribing competence needed for independent prescribing practice, building on your existing qualification and experience as an optometrist. The programme addresses ocular pharmacology, the clinical management of eye conditions and the legal and professional frameworks that govern prescribing practice.

Completion of this qualification enables registered optometrists to gain independent prescribing endorsement from the General Optical Council, extending their scope of practice and their ability to provide comprehensive primary eye care. Independent prescribing optometrists work across NHS primary care, hospital ophthalmology departments and the independent optical sector, taking on more complex clinical responsibilities than those available to non-prescribing optometrists.