The AOP publishes the vision standards required by many professions. Click on the topic you want in the menu to the left of your screen.  If you need some help with interpreting any of the standards, the following would be pleased to help:

Lyndon Taylor, AOP Director, at vision-standards@aop.org.uk

Geoff Roberson, AOP Professional Adviser, at geoffroberson@aop.org.uk

Patricia O'Sullivan, Head of Professional Services, at patriciaosullivan@aop.org.uk          

Guidance on providing information on vision standards to third parties 

The confidentiality of all aspects of the relationship between the patient and the optometrist is of the utmost importance.  The optometrist should not divulge any information about the patient to a third party without the patient's written permission, which the optometrist should retain on the patient's file.  The few exceptions to this include where the optometrist is commanded by a Court order to divulge information or where an adult is requesting information on behalf of a child for whom they have legal responsibility. There are occasions where a third party i.e. an employer will request that the patient has an eye examination and on these occasions the third party may request details of the results of the eye examination.  This will usually happen where an employer is asking for an employee to have an eye examination for the purposes of their work, or where the patient is applying for a job which requires an eye examination to ascertain whether his/her eyesight meets the required standard of vision for that occupation. The fact that a third party requested and/or paid for the eye examination or test does not give the third party any right of access to the results of that test without the patients consent. It is of course possible that a patient’s unwillingness to reveal such information to his employer could become an employment/disciplinary matter but that is entirely between the patient and his employer and the optometrist must respect his patient’s wishes regarding confidential information. The patient’s written consent to reveal clinical information to their employer should be sought prior to sending the report to the employer. The one exception to this is where a patient attends for an eye examination with a report form and that form is completed by the optometrist and handed back the employee by the optometrist; formal written consent is not required as in this case it is the patient themselves who will pass the information on to the employer, not the optometrist. However, in such a case, the optometrist should: 

a) make the patient aware that the information contained in the report is their own property and that they may choose not to reveal it to their employer

b) keep a copy of the report in the patient's record

c) make a note that the report was handed directly to the patient

Employers should be made aware that the patient's written agreement to the information being divulged to them is required to show the patient is willing for the confidentiality of the relationship with the optometrist to be countermanded. A suitable form of words for the consent is:-   “I agree that the optometrist who examines my eyes may reveal to my employer information from my clinical records as necessary to complete the report from (attached?). I understand that I may see the report before it is sent to my employer"