The British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) is a

professional body A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that professio ...

representing

orthoptists Vision therapy (VT), or behavioral optometry, is an umbrella term for alternative medicine treatments using eye exercises, based around the pseudoscientific claim that vision problems are the true underlying cause of learning disabilities, par ...

in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The society was established in 1937 as the British Orthoptic Society. By 2002, it had 1,455 members, the large majority of whom were women. Orthopists in the UK and Ireland are trained at either

Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...

, the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

, or the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

. Most work for the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

, with a few working for private healthcare organisations, or in the Republic of Ireland. The society is a member of the Allied Health Professionals Federation and the

International Orthoptic Association The International Orthoptic Association represents over 20,000 orthoptists, in over 20 countries. History The International Orthoptic Association was formed in 1967 after the first International Orthoptic Congress. The British Orthoptic Associat ...

. It operates a trade union wing, the British Orthoptic Society Trade Union, which is affiliated to the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Health in Birmingham, West Midlands Medical associations based in the United Kingdom 1937 establishments in the United Kingdom Ophthalmology organizations Organisations based in Birmingham, West Midlands Organizations established in 1937