Prospective Students
Optometry (BSc)
UCAS Code:
- B510 BSc/Op,
B511 BSc/OpPY(With Preliminary Year)
3 years, 4 years (with preliminary year) (Full-time) / n/a (Part-time) / n/a (Distance / E-Learning)
The main roles of an Optometrist are to test sight and prescribe patients an accurate correction for their vision. The Optometrist is also able to dispense spectacle frames, lenses and contact lenses and must be able to detect any disease that may affect the eye or the visual system. Indeed, much of the training you will receive at Cardiff will centre on detecting abnormalities of the eyes and deciding how to manage such situations.
Our Optometry degree course has been designed to be stimulating, flexible and relevant to the needs of a career in Optometry. Great emphasis is placed on the practical aspects and you will spend considerable time in our purpose-built clinic, which is open to members of the public who require eye examination.
In the first year students study a variety of subjects such as optics and visual optics, anatomy and physiology, dispensing and clinical procedures. The clinical practice of optometry is included from week one in the first year, providing vital, hands-on experience. This information forms the foundations upon which much of the remainder of the programme is built.
The second year develops all the main themes of the subject but also introduces ocular pathology, contact lenses, occupational vision and pharmacology. Clinical studies and dispensing techniques will continue and towards the end of the second year you will, with close supervision, be introduced to your first 'real' patient.
In your final year you will develop all clinical areas practically. A high proportion of the student week is spent working with patients in our clinics. These clinics provide professional services to the general public in routine refraction, contact lenses, low vision, paediatric and special assessment and dispensing. Hospital visits and lecture courses in binocular vision, physiology of vision, law, specialist contact lenses, ocular disease and paediatric optometry support your clinical development. You will also carry out a research project under the close supervision of a member of academic staff.
After your degree you must complete a period of supervised practice if you wish to register with the UK's General Optical Council (GOC) - this is called your pre-registration period. You must gain at least a lower second class degree to enter this training period. We are particularly pleased that graduates of this School rarely experience difficulties in securing pre-registration positions (subject to visa regulations), a process that begins in your second year. Indeed, many employers visit our School to recruit future graduates, knowing that Cardiff students generally do very well. Several of our students are also successful each year in gaining the much sought after hospital pre-registration positions.
You finally become UK qualified after satisfactory completion of this pre-registration period (normally 12 months), which is run by the College of Optometrists.
Typical Offer
AAA
Entry Requirements
A-levels: Three subjects, two of which would normally be from Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. General Studies is not accepted.
Alternative Entry Requirements
Applications from those offering alternative/vocational/overseas qualifications (eg Vocational A-level) are welcome as are those who may have combinations of qualifications or other relevant work/life experience.
Detailed Admissions Criteria
Please click here for a full list of entry requirements and admissions criteria for this degree programme.
Next intake: September each year
School Contact
Name: Mr Richard Earlam
Telephone: +44 (0)29 2087 4852/ 2087 4374
Fax: +44 (0)29 2087 4859
Email: Earlam@cardiff.ac.uk
School Website:
www.cardiff.ac.uk/optom