Specsavers supports paediatric eyecare diploma for dispensing opticians

Strengthening specialist skills to support children and families in community practice 

Specsavers is providing shoulder‑to‑shoulder funding to support dispensing opticians enrolling on the Association of British Dispensing Opticians’ (ABDO) Level 7 Diploma in Paediatric Eyecare, reinforcing its ongoing commitment to high‑quality children’s eyecare across community practice. 

Paediatric eyecare is a core part of everyday dispensing, with growing expectations around communication with families, frame fitting, myopia management and wider clinical decision‑making.

The ABDO Level 7 Diploma in Paediatric Eyecare has been developed to enhance the advanced clinical, analytical and communication skills required to meet these demands and support consistently high standards of care for children.

Dan Green, Head of Dispensing Development at Specsavers, right, says the qualification offers clear benefits for both patients and professionals.  

A structured pathway for advanced paediatric practice 

The postgraduate, CPD‑accredited qualification combines seven online modules delivered by leading academics with interactive CPD activity, a face‑to‑face practical workshop day at ABDO’s National Resource Centre in Birmingham. It is assessed through patient management cases, a literature review and an online professional discussion.

Enrolment is available on a rolling basis, allowing dispensing opticians to begin the programme at a time that fits around professional and personal commitments.  

The diploma is designed to support more confident and informed professional conversations with children and their families, particularly in areas such as frame selection, fitting considerations and longer‑term visual needs. 

Supporting colleagues and patient outcomes 

By offering shoulder‑to‑shoulder funding alongside ABDO’s programme, Specsavers aims to remove financial barriers to postgraduate study and support colleagues who wish to invest in their professional development while remaining in community practice. 

Dan Green, Head of Dispensing Development at Specsavers, explains: ‘Paediatric eyecare is a core part of dispensing practice, and this Level 7 diploma provides a robust and well‑structured pathway for colleagues who want to develop specialist expertise.

‘For patients and their families, it supports more confident and informed conversations around frame fitting, myopia management and wider paediatric needs.’  

He adds that the diploma also helps dispensing opticians build professional confidence in an increasingly complex area of care, while gaining a recognised postgraduate qualification that supports long‑term career development. 

Welcomed by the profession

The initiative has been welcomed by ABDO, which highlights the vital role dispensing opticians play within multidisciplinary optical teams and the importance of continued professional development in paediatric eyecare.

Alistair Bridge, chief executive officer of ABDO, says: ‘We welcome Specsavers’ investment in training its dispensing opticians. Dispensing opticians are vital to optical care teams, and this diploma enhances children’s expert care. We look forward to supporting participants during the course and seeing their future success.’

For those considering a career or further development in dispensing, more information about working at Specsavers as a dispensing optician is available at:
https://join.specsavers.com/uk/dispensing-optician