Editing Optometry (section)

===== Licensing =====
Optometrists in the United Kingdom are regulated by the [[General Optical Council]] under the Opticians Act 1989 and distinguished from medical practitioners.<ref name="Opticians Act 1989">[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/44/pdfs/ukpga_19890044_en.pdf Opticians Act 1989] (cap. 44)</ref> Registration with the GOC is mandatory to practice optometry in the UK. Members of the [[College of Optometrists]] (incorporated by a Royal Charter granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)<ref name="Agarwal, R. 1995">Agarwal, R. (1995), A Royal Charter for optometrists, British Journal of Optometry and Dispensing, 3 (3), 100</ref> may use the suffix MCOptom.

The [[National Health Service]] provides free sight tests and spectacle vouchers for children and those on very low incomes. The elderly and those with some chronic conditions like diabetes get free periodic tests.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/help-with-health-costs/free-nhs-eye-tests-and-optical-vouchers/|title=Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers|publisher=NHS|date=2018-08-14}}</ref> Treatment for eye conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts is free and checked for during normal eye examinations.