Cardiff University has invested an impressive £20m in a new state-of-the-art centre for the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences which will open its doors to students this September. The school continues to offer a BSc in optometry and postgraduate research studentships.
Located a short walk from the current building, the new custom-designed facility is split over four floors and will feature more than 60 testing bays, large research areas, a dedicated eye clinic area and the very latest equipment. The school conducts research in four main areas: molecular research, ocular imaging, biophysics and clinical research. Head of school Professor Tim Wess describes the new centre as 'the biggest investment in eye research in the UK in over 20 years'.
Getting involved in the wider optometric and vision science communities is a key goal for Wess who hopes the new school will become the centre for eye care in south Wales. The school has already forged strong links with the optometric community through, for example, the Welsh Eye Care Initiative (WECI) and a successful partnership with the Bristol Eye Hospital, which allows students to visit for specific training with ophthalmologists.
Part of the plan for integration includes establishing links with 'critical friends' in the optometric community, such as Professor John Marshall from the Rayne Institute at St Thomas' Hospital and Welsh Assembly Government adviser on optometry Richard (Dick) Roberts.
Wess meets Roberts once a month to discuss plans: 'Dick has a role in the university, local optometric committee, GOC, and the WAG, and therefore provides the school with a wealth of experience as well as direct access to these bodies.'
The GOC reviewed the school just before Christmas and while it is still awaiting the formal review, Wess says informal feedback was positive with praise for the enthusiasm of the students, the successful integration of teaching and research, and the effectiveness of teamwork.
The optometry course receives between 700 and 900 applications for the 70 available places each year, and students must achieve grades AAB in sciences and maths. A 28-strong academic staff base comprises 17 optometrists and ophthalmologists, as well as 11 vision scientists.
Learning through practice
'It is a well-balanced school which currently has a fairly even split of male and female students. We also have a significant number of mature students and welcome international students. The high number of applicants means we can select the highest quality students,' says Wess.
Cardiff's optometry course places a heavy emphasis on learning through practice rather than teaching.
'We try to teach the course governed by the GOC, but we want learning to be hands-on as we believe our research feeds into how we learn,' he says.
During year one of the course, students learn background theory to optometry and carry out practical work in the laboratory. In years two and three, students begin their patient episodes and primarily conduct refraction work, but also learn about abnormal ocular conditions. The school offers free eye tests in term time and clinical optometrists help guide the training.
A unique aspect to the course is 'professional awareness' - the only area Wess continues to teach since being appointed school head - where students learn about the importance of good communication and teamwork.
'Patients aren't just a pair of eyes on legs and I think it is important for us to produce well-rounded graduates with good listening skills,' he says.
'We video our undergraduates interviewing postgraduates and play it back to them so they can see how they come across. We discuss potential scenarios in practice, such as harassment, and teach students how to provide good customer care.'
He adds: 'I am fully aware that the standard of the graduates we send out in to the world reflects on the ones that might want to come in and their perception of Cardiff. I am very aware of the importance of interpersonal skills.'
In their final year, students spend a significant amount of time carrying out projects in the laboratory under the supervision of academic staff and postgraduate students.
'We teach clinical pharmacology, but not therapeutics at the moment. We teach abnormal ocular conditions and pathologies and carry out a lot of research on glaucoma and diabetes.'
Through solid research and learning, Wess says the school stays strong and is keen to point out that in 2001 it received the highest grade for research and that the teaching quality assessment graded the school as 'excellent'. He says he is delighted when undergraduate students continue their careers into research and actively encourages them to do so.
'We have the highest grade in research and benchmark ourselves against international optometry schools,' he says.