Social media for opticians and optometrists: a practical guide

Choosing glasses is visual and personal, which suits social media well. People browse frames on Instagram and Pinterest, then check a local practice's reviews, hours and booking options on Google. Families and older customers are often on Facebook.

Two to four posts a week is enough. Photograph new frames as they arrive, and ask happy customers whether they would like to feature when they collect their glasses.

• Monday: new frames, styled on a team member or a consenting customer.
• Tuesday: an eye test explained, one step at a time.
• Wednesday: meet the team, with each person's role and registration.
• Thursday: eye health advice, such as screen breaks or sunglasses in summer.
• Friday: offers with the conditions stated, or opening hours.

UK: the GOC's standards say registrants must keep patient information confidential, including information that is digital, visual or audio, and must maintain confidentiality when writing and sharing images online, including on social media. They must also make sure staff know their confidentiality obligations.

A smiling customer in new frames is a great post, but only with their clear permission. The rest of the image matters too: a screen with a record on it, a prescription on the desk or another patient in the background can all disclose information.

1. Ask at collection, explain where the photo will appear and record the answer.
2. Never post retinal images, scans, prescriptions or clinical records, even with names removed, unless the patient has agreed to that specific use.
3. Check the frame for screens, paperwork and other customers.
4. Use first names only, and only if the customer wants to be named.
5. Remove a post promptly if a customer changes their mind.

Source: GOC Standards of practice, standard 14: Maintain confidentiality and respect your patients' privacy, checked 15 October 2026

UK: GOC standard 16 asks registrants to give patients clear information about the costs of services and products before they commit to buying, not to make misleading, confusing or unlawful statements in communications or advertising, and not to make false or misleading statements about their expertise, including through titles. Standard 17 asks them to make sure their conduct online, particularly on social media, does not damage public confidence.

The ASA's advice on "free" says something can only be described as free if people pay nothing beyond the unavoidable cost of responding and collecting or delivery, and that a free item with a purchase must be genuinely separate from the item they pay for. Items that are part of a package should not be called free. In 2023 the ASA upheld complaints against an optician's web pages claiming that coloured lenses could treat dyslexia, because the claims were not substantiated.

US: the FTC says you can advertise a single price for an eye exam and glasses, or a free exam with an eyeglass purchase, but the exam cannot depend on buying glasses, and you must give the patient their prescription before offering to sell them eyeglasses.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and change, so check with your regulator, professional body or a lawyer before you post claims, prices or patient stories.

Sources: GOC Standards of practice, standard 16: Be honest and trustworthy, checked 15 October 2026; GOC Standards of practice, standard 17: Do not damage the reputation of your profession through your conduct, checked 15 October 2026; ASA Advice Online: Use of "free", checked 15 October 2026; ASA Ruling on MH Optical Limited t/a Panoptica Opticians (August 2023), checked 15 October 2026; FTC: Complying with the Eyeglass Rule, checked 15 October 2026

Ask every customer for a review the same way, for example a card or QR code at collection. Google bans incentives for reviews and selectively asking satisfied customers. In the US, the FTC's rule bans incentives conditioned on the review's sentiment, and in the UK the CMA lists fake reviews and reviews that hide incentives among banned practices.

When someone asks about symptoms, such as flashes, floaters or sudden changes in vision, do not assess them in the comments. Tell them to contact the practice or seek urgent care, and give the number.

Sources: Google Maps user-generated content policy: fake engagement, checked 15 October 2026; FTC final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024), checked 15 October 2026; GOV.UK (CMA): Unfair commercial practices guidance (CMA207), checked 15 October 2026

Use four pillars: frames, eye health, the team and the practice. Plan around the moments people think about their eyes: the new year, the start of the school year, summer sun and the end of insurance or benefit years where they apply.

Disclosure: Zolyp, which publishes this guide, makes an AI social media manager. It plans a balanced week across your content pillars, writes the captions and designs the visuals in your brand voice, and schedules them to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You can add your own photos to any post, and you start by approving every post. Zolyp does not check posts against GOC, ASA or FTC rules, so have a registrant approve offers and health claims each week. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: check Google hours, services and booking link.
• Week 2: photograph new frames and gather two consented customer photos.
• Week 3: write one eye test explainer and one eye health tip.
• Week 4: reply to reviews and check which posts led to bookings.