MOptom Optometry with Preliminary Year

This 5-year programme consists of a foundation year followed by our 4-year MOptom programme, and will provide you with the required knowledge to register as an optometrist.

Optometrists are healthcare specialists trained to examine patients eyes, give advice on visual problems and prescribe spectacles and contact lenses to correct patients’ vision where necessary. They are also qualified to diagnose, treat and manage eye diseases such as glaucoma, and even detect signs in the eye which are related to general health conditions like diabetes.

This 5-year integrated master’s programme has been designed for students who have the desire and academic ability to study for a degree in optometry, but who do not have the suitable academic background. The foundation year will not only provide you with the necessary scientific knowledge to enter the first year of the MOptom Optometry programme, but also emphasise the logical thinking and analysis skills necessary to succeed in a science based discipline.

On this programme, you will become familiar with many aspects of optometric care including general eye examination, spectacle dispensing, contact lens fitting, binocular vision disorders, low vision, abnormal colour conditions, and paediatric optometry. You will also learn how to manage a wide range of optical and medical eye problems confidently and autonomously.

As you progress through the programme, you will embark on your extended clinical placement organised by the College of Optometrists. This will enable you to experience life as a working optometrist and take on more responsibility for patient care. Throughout your studies, you will also have unique opportunities to observe and work in our in-house specialist eye clinics led by our multi-disciplinary eyecare team to hone your clinical skills.

Opportunities to achieve selected higher qualifications from the College of Optometrists are embedded into this programme which will prepare you for expanding roles and future changes in the profession. You will be able to establish an excellent foundation for further specialist postgraduate clinical or research career pathways, and you will be well prepared to address lifelong learning, leadership and professional development challenges, allowing you to thrive in modern UK optometric practice.

Upon completion, you will have undertaken at least 48 weeks of learning in clinical environments, and you will be eligible to register and practise independently as an optometrist in the UK.