What the New Gazette Means for Opticians
P. Ramachandran highlights changes to NCAHP registration regulations, professional roles and regulatory clarity
The Government of India has taken an important step towards formalising India’s allied and healthcare workforce with the notification of the Registration of Allied and Healthcare Professionals Regulations, 2026, under the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) Act, 2021.
The Gazette is dated 9 September 2026, and the Regulations come into force from the date of their publication.
For India’s optical community, the Gazette brings greater clarity to the qualifications and registration of professionals providing
eye-care services.
Three Recognised Levels in Ophthalmic Sciences
Schedule I of the Regulations recognises Ophthalmic Sciences Professionals as a category and, importantly for the optical sector, identifies three professions:
Optometrist, Ophthalmic Assistant and Vision Technician. The new Bachelor of Optometry qualification is specified as a five-year programme—four years of study plus one year
of internship.
At the same time, the Schedule recognises several existing Optometry and Ophthalmic degree qualifications of a minimum three-year duration. Existing recognised degree holders do not cease to qualify for Optometrist registration under the new framework.
A two-year Diploma in Optometry with a minimum of 2,000 hours is recognised, along with qualifications such as Diploma in Refraction and Optometry, Diploma in Optics & Refraction and Diploma in Ophthalmic Assistant. These fall under the professional designation Ophthalmic Assistant, subject to the prescribed conditions and Government recognition. The Gazette separately recognises the Vision Technician, based on a Government-approved or Government-recognised two-year Diploma in Vision Technician comprising at least 2,000 hours.
What Does This Mean for an Optician?
This is where the industry needs to clearly distinguish between optical retail and professional eye care.
The industry must distinguish optical retail from professional eye care. An optician involved in frame and lens selection, dispensing, fitting and after-sales service should not automatically be equated with an Optometrist.
Under the new Regulations, a person is entitled to practise a recognised allied or healthcare profession after obtaining the prescribed registration. Registration entitles the professional to provide services within the scope of practice of the recognised profession.
This distinction is likely to become increasingly important for optical establishments employing personnel to conduct refraction and eye examinations.
What About Experienced Opticians Already Doing Eye Tests?
Here, too, the Gazette contains an important transitional provision. A person who was already offering services in a recognised category on or before the commencement of the NCAHP Act, but does not possess the prescribed recognised qualification, is required to obtain provisional registration. Regulation 26 provides for provisional registration subject to Section 38 requirements.
It would therefore be premature—and inaccurate—to interpret the September 2026 Gazette simply as saying that “Opticians can no longer conduct eye tests.” The key issue is the scope of practice for each category.
Registration as an Optometrist, Ophthalmic Assistant or Vision Technician should not automatically be interpreted as meaning that all three categories have identical authority to independently examine patients, undertake refraction and prescribe spectacles. Clear scope-of-practice guidance will therefore
be critical.
Registration Also Brings Continuing Professional Development
Another important change is that professional registration is not intended to be a one-time exercise. Registration is valid for five years and requires a minimum of 15 hours of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) annually, or 75 hours over the registration period, subject to the Regulations.
The Missing Piece: India Still Needs an Opticians Act
However, the optical community must also address the recognition and regulation of the optician and optical dispensing profession. The time has therefore
come for the industry to actively pursue an Opticians Act or an appropriate statutory framework for optical dispensing, clearly defining the role, qualifications, competencies,
responsibilities and professional standards applicable to opticians.
Such a framework should follow consultation with opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, optical associations, educational institutions, industry representatives, NGOs and policymakers.
This requires unity within the optical community. Optical associations across India should come together on a common platform and engage constructively with policymakers so that the voice of the dispensing optical profession is properly represented when future legislation and regulations are framed.
If implemented pragmatically, the Regulations can strengthen professional standards and public confidence while supporting affordable access to quality vision correction.
The Gazette should therefore be seen as the beginning of a national conversation on professionalising eye care and formally recognising the optician in India.
Disclaimer: The above views expressed by Ramachandran Parthasarathy are in his personal capacity as Eyewear Consultant and Fellow -Institute of Directors.
