Help people protect and care for one of our most precious gifts: eyesight.
Optometrists provide a wide range of services including testing vision, prescribing glasses and contact lenses, assessing and treating vision problems, and diagnosing and managing eye disease and complex eye conditions.
As an AHPRA-registered optometrist, you’ll work with patients young and old, undertaking routine eye tests, diagnosing conditions such as macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma, treating eye and vision health issues such as acute infections and inflammation, and diagnosing and referring conditions that need ophthalmological care such as retinal tears, detachments, and the effects of diabetes.
⬆︎
15.2%
Employment Growth, Optometrists and Orthoptists.
(National Skills Commission, 2021 Employment projections for the five years to 2026).
No.3 in SA
in Health Services & Support for full-time employment, learner engagement
(The Good Universities Guide 2024 (undergraduate))
No. 1 SA university
for overall educational experience and full-time employment.
(The Good Universities Guide 2022 (postgraduate), public SA-founded universities only)
Health Care and Social Assistance is Australia’s largest industry and is projected to have strong employment growth through to May 2033.
(Jobs and Skills Australia 2024).
This degree is accredited by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand.
“
For me, the highlight of studying Optometry was the placement opportunities. I felt they were crucial to my development becoming a practice-ready optometrist.
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Optometry graduate Alex Coffey-Oates shares her career journey and discusses her passion for Indigenous and Torrens Strait Islander eye health.
Learn about Optometry at Flinders with Senior Lecturer Dr Jeremiah Lim.
Explore our Health2Go clinic, where our students receive hands-on training.
For fifth year Optometry student Aliza Benchmo, a work placement in remote South Australia provided clarity on what she wanted her career to look like.
Academic Lead: Professor Nicola Anstice
Nicola completed her PhD in Optometry from the University of Auckland in 2010. Her research interests focus on myopia control with soft contact lenses and children’s vision screening. Nicola holds registration as a therapeutically endorsed optometrist in both Australia and New Zealand.
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Jason Booth
Jason joined Flinders in 2014 and has helped maintain the authenticity of the work integrated learning experiences for students both on and off campus to ensure they are taught clinical diagnostic thinking skills.
Jason’s first role as an optometry graduate was in Broken Hill. He has since worked in community practice in many locations over the years.
Placement Education Coordinator: Jacqueline Warren
Jacqueline graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2012 and commenced working as a lecturer at Flinders in 2016. She has a keen interest in improving timely access to eye health care in Australia, having recently developed an innovative model of care to start seeing public ophthalmology patients in the student-led optometry clinics at Health2Go. Recently accepted in the World Council of Optometry program in leadership and advocacy, Jacqueline aims to continue to advocate for better eye health outcomes for patients and diverse placement experiences for students. If you are interested in being a placement supervisor for a final year optometry student, please contact Jacqueline via email or phone.
Student Experience Coordinator: Dr Mallika Prem Senthil
Mallika is an ophthalmologist with extensive clinical, teaching and research experience in both universities and health sectors. She worked as a consultant ophthalmologist in India between 2000 and 2004 and then moved to Malaysia, joining the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Malaysia Sarawak as a Senior Lecturer as well as a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Sarawak General Hospital.
Over nine years in Malaysia, Mallika achieved numerous academic and professional service excellence awards. She also embarked on various clinical and academic research projects.
In 2014, she was invited to undertake a doctoral study at Flinders and was offered two prestigious Australian scholarships.
Yes. According to the National Skills Commission (2021 employment growth projections for the five years to 2026), employment growth for optometrists and orthoptists is 15.10%.
This degree is accredited by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand. Graduates will be eligible to register as optometrists.
The Bachelor of Health Sciences (Vision Science)/Master of Optometry requires full-time study and is not offered externally or on a part-time basis.
Yes, students are required to complete clinical placements in year 5 of the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Vision Science)/Master of Optometry. The final year is considered an internship designed to transition our graduates into the workforce.
If you are unable to maintain the Grade Point Average (GPA) requirements to progress to the Master of Optometry, you will be awarded a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Vision Science).
The current pandemic situation (COVID-19) will affect many aspects of your study, from topic availability on campus to how your classes are delivered. For detailed information about the impact of COVID-19 on your study please refer to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) information page.
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