Prepare yourself for a rewarding career in optometry in a high-quality learning environment. You will receive a grounding in the fundamentals of science with an emphasis on vision science, where you will study the visual system and factors that influence sight, in preparation for intensive study and clinical experience in optometry.

What you will study

First year

A typical first year may include:

• science topics in physics for the health sciences, evolution of biological diversity, the molecular basis of life, chemistry for the life sciences, and chemical structure and bonding or general chemistry
• medical and health topics in legal and ethical aspects of health care, skills for medical scientists, and human physiology and structure.

Second year

A typical second year may include:

• medical science topics in biochemistry, human molecular genetics, human physiology, fundamental neuroscience, and human immunology and infectious diseases
• optometry topics in skills for optometry practice, optics of the eye and vision, and communication for the consulting room.

Third year

A typical third year may include:

• topics in pathophysiology, principles of pharmacology and toxicology, ocular pharmacology and therapeutics, knowledge of health and illness for optometrists, ocular anatomy and histology, clinical skills, and normal eye and vision.

Fourth and fifth year

A typical fourth and fifth year may include:

• core topics in knowledge of health and illness for optometrists, ophthalmology, clinical skills for optometrists, and optometry
• a series of clinical placements.

Your career

Potential occupations include:

• optical consultant
• optometrist
• outreach optometry coordinator
• paediatric optometrist
• public health optometrist.