With nearly 95 per cent of General Optical Council registrants having completed their registration online, the GOC has declared the new system a success.
'We're delighted that the online retention system has allowed our registrants to complete their retention so easily,' said Samantha Peters, GOC chief executive and registrar. 'To have such good figures for the first year of operation shows it works well, and we're now working hard to roll the system out for students and businesses.'
Retention for optometrists, DOs and bodies corporate has now closed and the GOC has removed 203 registrants for failing to apply for 2011-12. This represents 1 per cent of the registers.
Individuals or business registrants who have been removed, but who wish to continue practising, must apply for restoration by completing a form and paying the £340 fee.
Individual practitioners must also provide evidence of having completed the required minimum of CET in the past 12 months. Restoration forms are available from www.optical.org.