香港理工大学

Programme Aims & Learning Outcomes

Students become primary eye care practitioners with expert knowledge of the eye and the visual system. They gain the knowledge and skills that are necessary to diagnose visual problems and offer treatment options, which may be in the form of optical lenses or visual training.

The journey to becoming an eye care practitioner begins with a strong foundation in basic life sciences, followed by a thorough grounding in the optometric sciences. In the second half of the programme, students acquire clinical skills that enable them to effectively manage a wide variety of visual problems. The five semesters of supervised clinical training with real patients in our Optometry Clinic and our satellite clinics give students many opportunities to learn to care for patients and consolidate their clinical skills and knowledge.

Throughout the programme, students learn about ethical, professional and legal issues in preparation for clinical practice.

Programme Characteristics

Students participate in clinical training in preparation to be optometrists. The training is in two phases, in the Clinical Laboratory and in the Optometry Clinic, examining real patients.

Our Optometry Clinic, which is unique in Hong Kong, provides an excellent environment for clinical training.

Curriculum

• The programme comprises General University Requirements (GUR) and four main areas of study: basic sciences, optometric sciences, clinical sciences and clinical and professional training.
• Years One and Two concentrate on the general education and basic sciences to establish a sound base of knowledge.
• Years Three and Four develop students' optometric clinical techniques for clinical practice.
• Years Four and Five focus on clinical training (a total of 5 semesters). Students examine patients and gain valuable clinical experience.
• A research project is conducted in Years Four and Five.

Career Prospects

Optometrists are the main providers of vision care in the community. Most of our graduates initially enter optometric practice as employees. Many subsequently establish their own practices. Some of them work in government agencies such as the Hospital Authority and the Department of Health.

Apart from optometric practice, there are also opportunities in the optical industry, particularly in the area of professional services. A small number of our graduates pursue postgraduate research studies locally and overseas.

Professional Recognition

Graduates are eligible for full registration in Part I of the Register of the Optometrists Board of Hong Kong. They can also practise optometry in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Besides, graduates are eligible to sit the Competency in Optometry Examination (COE) and Assessment of Competence in Ocular Therapeutics (ACOT) hosted by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand .