The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

, UK. The company was founded by a

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, b ...

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

in 1629 AD; it was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1809. The company was empowered to set regulations and standards for optical devices; this was eroded by the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

, after which mechanical advancements made trade restrictions difficult to enforce.

F.S.M.C. credential

The company acquired the right, however, to set examinations that

optician An optician, or ''dispensing optician'', is a technical practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses lenses for the correction of a person's vision. Opticians determine the specifications of various ophthalmic appliances that will give the nec ...

s had to pass before practising. The opticians that passed the examinations were designated F.S.M.C. and this credential stood for Fellowship in Optometry of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.Editor. (1905). White's Directory of Sheffield & Rotherham. Trade Directory. Sheffield Indexers. London.Editor. (2016). GOC Recognised Qualifications. General Optical Council. 10 Old Bailey, London.

British College of Ophthalmic Opticians

This power was surrendered to the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (now titled the

College of Optometrists The College of Optometrists is the professional, scientific and examining body for optometry in the United Kingdom, working for the public benefit. Their headquarters is at 41-42 Craven Street, London WC2, of which no 41 is a Grade II listed bui ...

) in 1979, who took over the examination of

optometrists Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Un ...

, and in 1986 power of examination for

dispensing optician An optician, or ''dispensing optician'', is a technical practitioner who designs, fits and dispenses lenses for the correction of a person's vision. Opticians determine the specifications of various ophthalmic appliances that will give the nec ...

s was surrendered to the

Association of British Dispensing Opticians The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) is the main professional association for opticians in the UK. History ABDO was formed in 1986 from the merger of the Association of Dispensing Opticians and the Faculty of Dispensing Optici ...

(ABDO).

Association of British Dispensing Opticians

In 1986, the power of examination for

s was surrendered to the

(ABDO). Now, the Spectacle Makers' Company supports charities, including

Vision Aid Overseas Vision Action (formerly Vision Aid Overseas - VAO) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, which provides optical aid and services to developing countries in Africa. History In 1985, a group of British optometrists and dispensing optician ...

, and research in the field of

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultrav ...

and conducts training and professional development including the two-year correspondence course for optical technicians that has national accreditation in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

National Qualifications Framework A national qualifications framework is a formal system describing qualifications. 47 countries participating in the Bologna Process are committed to producing a national qualifications framework. Other countries not part of this process also hav ...

. The Spectacle Makers' Company ranks sixtieth in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance and can be applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. Most often it is used in the context of people by many organizations and governments, for very formal and state o ...

for Livery Companies.

References

External links

The Spectacle Makers' Company

College of Optometrists

Association of British Dispensing Opticians
{{authority control Eye care in the United Kingdom Spectacle Makers 1629 establishments in England