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World Orthoptic Day

World Orthoptic Day (1)

World Orthoptic Day falls on the first Monday of June and is a day when orthoptists globally promote their profession and celebrate the fantastic work they do.

It is organised by the International Orthoptic Association (IOA), made up of 15 member national professional organisations and 6 associate member organisations.

World Orthoptic Day 2026

In 2026, we’ll be celebrating on Monday, 1st June, and as always, there are many ways to get involved:

  1. In the build-up to the day, we’ve been asking members to help us collect patient stories to help promote the profession. Find out more here.
  2. On the day, we’ll be launching our #ProudToBeAnOrthoptist campaign (resources below): providing new resources and guidance to encourage members to shout about the orthoptic profession.
  3. The IOA’s annual picture contest is open now:
    • The theme this year is ‘EcoVision: Where Orthoptics Meets Environmental Care’
    • Share your picture on social media, using the hashtags #WOD26 and #internationalorthopticassociation, before 7th June
  4. As always, you can get involved on the day by hosting events in your department or posting on social media. You can download BIOS posters and flyers here.

#ProudToBeAnOrthoptist

For WOD, and throughout June, we’ll be celebrating orthoptists by shining a light on the breadth of your contribution across eye care, research, and, ultimately, the positive impact you have on your patients.

We’ll be highlighting stories that show the impact that orthoptists have, and in particular how patients feel about the difference it’s made to their lives, whether through early detection of childhood vision problems, advanced clinical practice, or leadership in multidisciplinary teams. Were also launching a new section on our website to bring together examples of the impact that orthoptists have, highlighting positive news stories and providing resources for members to use in promoting orthoptics.

How you can get involved

This is why we’re proud to support you, but we want to hear from you about why you’re proud to be an orthoptist. This could be about the impact you have on patients’ lives, the increasingly wide scope of orthoptics, the role of orthoptists at the forefront of research, or simply how welcoming and supportive the orthoptic community is.

So take this as an opportunity to tell everyone – friends, family, colleagues – then take to social media and let everyone know.

Resources

Social media templates for World Orthoptic Day (1st June) onwards:

Explore other areas

Orthoptist giving eye drops to patient

Policy & campaigns

Find out about our work representing the orthoptic profession and campaigning on the issues that mean the most to our members.

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Influencing

Influencing

As an orthoptist, there is no better advocate for the profession than you. You may not see yourself as an influencer, but every member of BIOS can help support and promote the profession.

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Promotional resources

Promotional materials

We’ve a wide range of posters, leaflets, and infographics for use in promoting orthoptics.

Read more