Graduate Study : Melbourne School of Health Sciences

The Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences strives to disseminate cutting-edge evidence-based education to all participants of the optometry profession, including students and practicing optometrists. The latest additions to the suite of subjects, which can contribute to Specialist Certificates and/or Master of Clinical Optometry, address areas where latest research is informing changes to clinical practice and keeping abreast of research developments.

The Specialist Certificate in Glaucoma and Retinal Disease is a newly developed online, postgraduate course, offered in semester 1, 2018. This course/subject is designed to allow optometrists to advance their capabilities in the day-to-day management of eye disease by affording them the opportunity to review the most current ideas on the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of ocular disease affecting the back of the eye, thus also preparing them for any further shifts in the scope of optometric practice in this area. This review will include a critical examination of how the state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging tools can be incorporated into clinical practice. Given the explosion in the literature of health sciences, the course will concentrate on developing a deep understanding in a select group of eye diseases regularly seen in optometric practice (for example, glaucoma, diabetes, age-related macular degeneration). The course will, however, provide optometrists with the tools necessary to develop a deeper, evidence-based understanding in other eye diseases of their choosing.

The Specialist Certificate in Anterior Eye Disease and Dry Eye is also a newly developed online, postgraduate course, to be offered in semester 2, 2018. This course/subject will allow optometrists to advance their clinical capabilities in the day-to-day management of eye disease by affording them the opportunity to review the most current theories on the pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of anterior eye disease, thus preparing them to better embrace changes in the scope of optometric practice. Given the explosion in the literature of health sciences, the course will concentrate on helping optometrists to develop a deeper understanding of a select group of common anterior eye diseases. It is expected that optometrists will, as a result, develop enhanced clinical capabilities in these areas. The course will also provide optometrists with the tools necessary to develop a deeper, evidence-based understanding in other eye diseases of their choosing, thus empowering them to improve their clinical skills across a gamut of anterior eye disease.

Co-contributors to both courses include academics whose contribution align with their field of research.

Specific details of all the Specialist Certificate courses and the Master of Clinical Optometry (MClinOptom) being offered in 2018 are available at the following weblinks.