About OCL

Optometry & Contact Lenses (OCL) is the peer-reviewed and official journal of the Association of German Contact Lens Specialists and Optometrists e.V. (VDCO).

OCL publishes original research articles, reviews, and clinical case reports focusing on ophthalmic optics, optometry, ophthalmology, and related disciplines. OCL also contains interviews with leading researchers, clinicians, and other individuals affiliated with the subjects covered by the journal, as well as book reviews and association information from VDCO.

Each issue contains a Continuing Optometric Education section (COE), featuring a COE certified article with a multiple-choice quiz. COE participants can earn one COE credit when they achieve the passing score for the quiz. Each article is peer-reviewed before publication.

Ethical Considerations

For clinical and scientific studies in humans published in OCL, the ethical guidelines of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) apply.  For clinical and scientific studies involving animals, the ARRIVE guidelines, the EU Directive 2010/63/EU for studies in animals or the guidelines of the National Institutes of Health guide for the care and use of Laboratory animals (NIH Publications No. 8023, revised 1978) are relevant.

• Publication model: hybrid/open access journal
• Formats: online and print
• Publication frequency: quarterly
• Publication languages: German and English
• First issue: June 2021
• Peer review model: double-blind peer review process
• Indexed in: CINAHL (EBSCO); MEDLINE/PubMed® pending
• ISSN (print): 2748-8217
• ISSN (online): 2751-4641
• Publication fee: none

Editor-in-chief

Wolfgang Cagnolati, DSc* MSc* FCOptom FAAO, Germany
*Pennsylvania College of Optometry

Editorial Board

 Michael Baertschi, PhD, Bern, Switzerland

 Sven Jonuscheit, PhD, Glasgow, UK

 Heiko Pult, PhD, Weinheim, Germany

Scientific Advisory Board

Involved in the OCL are 39 international experts for peer review.

Project coordination

Stephanie Mühlberg, M.Sc.

Optometry & Contact Lenses (OCL) is the 5-year-old Journal of the Association of German Contact Lens Specialists and Optometrists (VDCO). By the end of 2025, a total of 170 scientific and clinical articles had been published in OCL. Each publication underwent a double-blind review process.

The authors of the manuscripts submitted came from Germany, Great Britain, Canada, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Slovenia, and the USA. Around 80 percent of the authors were from optometry, while 20 percent were from ophthalmology. Thanks to the combination of a German-language print edition and a German- and English-language website, Optometry & Contact Lenses (OCL), published by DOZ Verlag, has become an important scientific and clinical journal for national and international readers and authors from both eye care professions.

As the official journal of the Association of German Contact Lens Specialists and Optometrists (VDCO), OCL has a strong national and international reputation.

Authors can find more information about publishing in OCL here: Author Guidelines for Publications

DOZ-Verlag is convinced that OCL is a scientific journal that provides important scientific and clinical implications for the entire German-speaking and international ophthalmic optics and optometry community.

DOZ- Verlag
Optische Fachveröffentlichung GmbH
69056 Heidelberg, Germany