Work in progress: How the University of Portsmouth's new course is shaping up

When Optician broke the story that the University of Portsmouth was planning to launch an optometry programme, some quarters of the working optometric profession greeted the news with cynicism, concerned with issues of oversupply and potential knock-on salary contraction.

Even course clinical advisor and practising optometrist Andrew Matheson admits he was sceptical when he was initially approached by course project leader and associate head of education Dr Isobel Ryder. He, like others, questioned the need for another course, but was also keen to find out how the university intended to deliver on its aims.

After listening to Dr Ryder’s plans for the course and how it would fulfil an under-serviced part of the country, Matheson was convinced that it would be of significant benefit to optometry in the south of England.