Optometry

Optometry

Elton John has over 500 pairs and although he may not be your fashion icon there is no doubt that glasses are fast becoming the ultimate accessory, as well as a necessity for many. A 2007 survey concluded that 46 per cent of Irish drivers had ‘indefinite’ vision and thus required an eye exam. So the demand is there for optometrists who assess the eyesight of individuals and determine the level of prescription called for to ensure good sight.

Optometrists should be seen as distinct from opticians. An optician is someone who can dispense glasses or contact lenses, but to do the testing and prescription, you need to be a fully trained and qualified optometrist.

Education

The only undergraduate Optometry programme in Ireland is at the Dublin Institute of Technology in Kevin Street. This is an honours degree (level eight) course and candidates need at least one higher-level C3 in a Leaving Cert science subject.

Optometry students study general science subjects such as Physics, Biology and Chemistry, as well as specialist eye-science subjects including Optometry and Optical Dispensing, Binocular Vision, Ocular Pharmacology & Contact Lenses and Optometric Instruments. The course also includes Business and Law subjects to prepare students for the professional requirements of an optometry practice.

In the fourth year of the course, students take supervised optometric work placements for a period of at least six months. They must also undertake a research project or conduct a series of clinical case studies. Graduates then need to take examinations set by the Association of Optometrists Ireland before they can register to practice.

As there are limited places to study Optometry in Ireland (which also increases the CAO points requirement), some people travel to the UK and take a course there.

The Work

There are good opportunities for optometrists in Ireland and abroad. After qualification, most new graduates are employed by optometry practices, where their main tasks are eye examinations, determining vision problems and preparing prescriptions. Many optometrists choose to specialise – some concentrate on treating partially sighted patients, while others choose sports vision or contact lenses. Other optometry graduates work in hospitals and for lens manufacturers. There are also opportunities in education, research and consulting work.

Examining patients’ eyes is the fundamental part of an optometrist’s day. This process involves the assessing of three main areas of eye function: visual sharpness and refraction (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), binocular vision (how the eyes work together), and eye health.

An optometrist’ work goes further than asking you to read out the letters; expertise with a variety of instruments is mandatory. For example the retinoscope measures refraction by the amount of light that bounces off the retina, which determines the basis of a patient’s prescription. Lenses of varying power are then placed in front of the eye until the refractive (focusing) error is cancelled out and a final, more accurate result is achieved.

The various tests that optometrists perform allow them to examine the internal and external structures of patients’ eyes. This means they may detect eye diseases like glaucoma and cataracts, as well as systemic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Optometrists won’t treat such conditions themselves, but rather refer patients to an ophthalmologist (eye doctor). However, they do play an important role in the early detection and diagnosis of these potentially debilitating conditions.

Did you know?

The reason why we blink is to lubricate our eyeballs so they don’t get too dry.

Further Resources

• Association of Optometrists – www.optometrists.ie
• Sightsavers Ireland – www.sightsavers.ie
• National Council for the Blind of Ireland – www.ncbi.ie