What is it like on an optometry degree course?

A shortage of qualified staff remains a problem for practice owners in several regions of the UK. The optometry programme at Plymouth University was launched in September 2011 as a collaboration between the university and Exeter Medical School, with the support of Specsavers, to meet the need for a training centre in the south-west of England. It is the only optometry school in the region.

Faryal Zafar has just completed her first year optometry examinations at Plymouth. Her interest in optometry was sparked during a GCSE biology class, which briefly touched on the function of the eye.

‘I knew immediately that I needed to know more about the eye,’ says Zafar. ‘Since that class I have been working to achieve the grades to apply to an optometry degree. I want to be in the healthcare field, at the start of patient care and go through the whole journey with them. I want that responsibility of taking care of their sight.’