General Optical Council
Public SafetyEngland, United Kingdom201-500 Employees
The General Optical Council is the regulator for eye care services in the UK, with public safety as its core remit. It sets standards for optical education and training, approves qualifications, and maintains a register of qualified and fit-to-practise optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians, and optical businesses. The council registers around 34,000 individuals and entities in the optical sector and is based in London. It serves registrants and the public by monitoring professional performance and conduct, and by investigating fitness to practise or to run a business when concerns arise. In 2026, the GOC began a thematic review into commercial practices and patient safety to better support registrants and safeguard the public.