Optometry in Changing Times
On December 11, 1989, during the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) in New Orleans, Louisiana, the symposium “The Impact of ‘Europe 92’ on Optometric Licensure and Certification and the Delivery of Optometric Care and Services” was held. It was sponsored by the AAO’s Section on Public Health and Occupational Vision.1
In anticipation of the forthcoming European Union2 and the surrounding political debates, participants at the AAO Symposium discussed the potential impact of the future EU, the possible reunification of Germany, and the emerging dissolution of the Warsaw Pact on the international development of optometry.
Despite shared objectives—reflected in the 1927 founding of the International Optical League (IOL)3 in Berlin, the precursor to today’s World Council of Optometry (WCO)—optometry had developed very differently across countries over the preceding century, a divergence that was evident at the AAO Symposium.
Although significant differences existed, particularly regarding optometry education and professional practice—especially when comparing the United States and Europe in 1989—the AAO Symposium made an important contribution to the advancement of European optometry, thanks to its high-caliber speakers and the ensuing discussions. In addition to national professional organizations, the primary driving forces behind this development in European optometry have been, and continue to be, the European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO)4 and the Bologna Declaration, which aims to ensure comparability of academic degrees and quality standards across Europe.5
The current state of European optometry is comprehensively documented in the ECOO Blue Book 2025.6 Building on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Eye Care Competency Framework (ECCF)7 and the WCO competency framework8, the Blue Book 2025 provides detailed information on all relevant aspects of ophthalmic optics and optometry across the 27 European ECOO member states—many topics that were already discussed at the 1989 AAO Symposium.
As optometrists’ responsibilities in Europe continue to grow, continuing education is increasingly recognized as essential for patient safety. The ECOO Blue Book notes that no uniform legal requirement exists in Europe to maintain professional licensure. Although many national associations have established continuing education guidelines, certification of such training is not yet mandatory.
In this context each issue of OCL presents COE-recognized continuing education articles, complete with multiple-choice questions for readers.
References
[1] Haffner, A. N., Orzack, L., Classé, J., Bleything, W., Wallis, N., Kleinstein, R. (1990) Symposium: the impact of "Europe '92" on optometric licensure and certification and the delivery of optometric care and services. Introduction. Optom. Vis. Sci., 67, 863-885.
[2] McElroy, N. J. (1992). The European Community and 1992: The EC literature on the single market. Government Publications Review, 19, 5, 497–504.
[3] Pickwell, L. D. (1991). International Optometric and Optical League [Broschüre]. Archiv: British College of Optometrists / IOOL Archive.
[4] European Council of Optometry and Optics (2010). Fifty Years of European Optometry and Optics 1960–2010: An Overview of ECOO and its Predecessor Bodies, https://www.ecoo.info/wp content/uploads/2012/07/0385_ECOO_Broschuere.pdf. Referencing: 05 January 2026
[5] Donà dalle Rose, L.F., Serbati, A. (2019). 20th Anniversary of the Bologna Declaration: From overview of processes to ongoing activities and experiences. Tuning Journal for Higher Education, 6, 2, 13–19.
[6] European Council of Optometry and Optics (2025). ECOO Blue Book- Trends in optics and optometry - comparative European data, https://ecoo.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BlueBook_2025_web.pdf. Referencing: 05 January 2026.
[7] World Health Organization (2022). Guide to applying the WHO Eye Care Competency Framework, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240048416. Referencing: 05 January, 2026
[8] World Council of Optometry (2024). WCO Competency Framework for Optometry, https://worldcouncilofoptometry.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WCO_Competency-Framework-for-Optometry.pdf. Referencing: 05.January 2026