Flinders Vision: A new approach to delivering an optometry program

There are currently five accredited optometry programmes in Australia and one in New Zealand located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland. Each programme is accredited by the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand (OCANZ) that performs a similar role to the General Optical Council (GOC) by monitoring and setting standards of education.

One major difference is that professional registration of student and practicing optometrists is overseen by a central government agency known as the Australian Health Professional Regulation Agency (AHPRA) that works with the national boards of registration such as the Optometry Board of Australia to ensure that optometrists meet the required professional standards. AHPRA performs this role with optometry along with several other health professions such as: doctors, dentists, nurses, occupational therapists, radiographers, pharmacists, psychologists and chiropractors. In this way, AHPRA is able to ensure that only health practitioners who are suitably trained and qualified to practise are registered.