Academia and politics

University and academic life seem to be getting closer and closer these days. Tuition fees are having a profound effect on the way young people view their academic careers. This is taking its toll on the numbers going to university, the type of courses they want to take and where they live when they are there.

Optics has always had its own quirks when it comes to university. A decade or so ago the university population was expanded, under pressure from employers, to cope with a skills shortage. The numbers graduating in optometry rose from around 300 to closer to 600. The idea was that over time numbers would rise, and the availability of skilled staff, and salaries, would fall.