Optometry

The Optometry Unit

The Optometry Unit is part of the Head and Neck Directorate, in the Ophthalmology department and provides one of the most extensive hospital optometry services in the Midlands.

We are located in the Eye, Ear Nose and Throat Centre on A-Floor.  For directions and maps please click here.

Optometrists (Ophthalmic Opticians)

Optometrists are registered professionals who examine eyes, give advice on visual problems and prescribe and fit glasses and contact lenses.  In addition to refraction services, hospital optometrists have an extended role and this can encompass working in specialist contact lens clinics, low vision clinics, cataract clinic, paediatric and child development clinics, glaucoma, diabetic, and corneal clinics.  Optometrists study at university for at least three years and then participate in a year of training and supervision, called the pre-registration period.

Dispensing Optician

A Dispensing Optician is a registered healthcare professional whose job it is to interpret spectacle prescriptions and dispense, fit and supply spectacles and other optical aids.  Dispensing Opticians advise patients on the types of lenses available and help them choose the most appropriate option for their particular needs and circumstances.  Dispensing Opticians study for two years full-time, followed by a pre-registration year, or for three years part-time combined with practical training in practice.

Ophthalmic Technicians

Hospital-trained technicians carry out assessment of visual fields, perform ocular biometry and glaucoma imaging procedures.