Optometrists examine and test eyes to identify abnormalities, visual problems, or diseases. They prescribe and fit lenses such as spectacles and contacts, and offer advice on visual problems. They may also refer patients to a medical practitioner. Their scope of practice and title varies according to national regulations.
Conduct comprehensive eye examinations to assess visual acuity, refractive errors, binocular vision, eye alignment, and ocular health. Perform tests such as visual acuity testing, refraction, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, tonometry, and dilated fundus examination to evaluate eye function and detect abnormalities.
Prescribe and dispense eyeglasses, contact lenses, and low vision aids to correct refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. Determine the appropriate lens power, design, and type based on patients’ visual needs, lifestyle preferences, and ocular health considerations.
Fit, prescribe and manage contact lenses for patients seeking vision correction without eyeglasses. Evaluate corneal curvature, tear film dynamics, lens parameters, and ocular health to select the most suitable contact lens options, including soft, rigid gas permeable, and specialty lenses.
Diagnose and manage common ocular diseases and conditions, including glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), dry eye syndrome, and ocular surface disorders. Perform diagnostic tests, imaging studies, and visual field assessments to monitor disease progression and treatment response.
Provide non-surgical treatment and management of ocular conditions, such as conjunctivitis, blepharitis, corneal abrasions, uveitis, and allergic eye disease. Prescribe topical medications, ophthalmic solutions, and therapeutic interventions to alleviate symptoms and promote ocular health.
Specialize in pediatric eye care and vision therapy for children with vision disorders, refractive errors, amblyopia (lazy eye), and strabismus (eye misalignment). Conduct pediatric eye examinations, vision screenings, and amblyopia treatment interventions to optimize visual development and school performance.
Provide comprehensive eye care services to older adults to address age-related vision changes, ocular diseases, and functional impairments. Screen for age-related eye conditions, such as cataracts, AMD, glaucoma, and diabetic eye disease, and implement preventive measures to preserve vision and independence.
Educate patients about the importance of regular eye examinations, eye safety practices, UV protection, and lifestyle modifications to maintain optimal eye health and prevent vision loss. Offer guidance on proper eyewear selection, contact lens care, and visual ergonomics for occupational and recreational activities.
Collaborate with ophthalmologists, opticians, primary care physicians, and other healthcare professionals to coordinate patient care, referrals, and treatment plans. Refer patients to ophthalmologists for specialized eye surgery, laser vision correction, or advanced medical interventions as needed.
Participate in community outreach programs, health fairs, and school vision screenings to raise awareness about eye health, vision care services, and preventive interventions. Provide educational resources, presentations, and workshops on eye wellness and visual hygiene topics.
Maintain accurate and detailed electronic health records (EHRs) documenting patients’ medical history, ocular findings, diagnostic test results, treatment plans, and follow-up care. Adhere to legal and ethical standards for patient confidentiality, data security, and recordkeeping in compliance with healthcare regulations.
Stay updated on advancements in optometry research, clinical practice guidelines, and technological innovations through continuing education, professional conferences, and participation in professional organizations. Pursue licensure, board certification, and specialty credentials to demonstrate proficiency and expertise in specific areas of optometric practice.
Optometrists work in a variety of settings, including private practices, group practices, retail optical centers, clinics, hospitals, community health centers, and academic institutions. They may also provide mobile eye care services through telehealth platforms or outreach programs to underserved populations, nursing homes, and residential facilities. The work environment may involve regular interaction with patients, colleagues, and support staff in clinical, office, or laboratory settings.
A Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from an accredited optometry school is the entry-level requirement for clinical practice as an optometrist. Optometry programs typically require four years of graduate-level study, including didactic coursework and clinical rotations in primary eye care, ocular disease, pediatric optometry, contact lenses, and low vision rehabilitation. After completing optometry school, optometrists must pass national and state board examinations to obtain licensure to practice optometry independently. Some optometrists may pursue advanced residency training or fellowship programs in specialized areas of optometric practice, such as cornea and contact lenses, ocular disease, or pediatric optometry. Continuous learning and participation in continuing education activities are essential for maintaining licensure, staying current with advances in optometric technology, and enhancing clinical skills and expertise.
ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:
the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.
This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of optometrist.
Preventive medicine: The measures taken for disease prevention in a specific area or a group of people.
Optical glass characteristics: The characteristics of optical glass such as refractive index, dispersion, and chemical properties.
Quality standards of ophthalmic equipment: The various national or international quality standards for ophthalmic equipment (glasses, lenses, etc) such as ISO 10685-1:2011.
Eye protection regulations: Eye protection regulations and relevant standards in relation to occupational visual requirements.
Refraction of the eye: The way to perform clinical tests by using a phoropter to identify the eye’s refractive error.
Optical instruments: The characteristics and usage of optical instruments, such as a lens meter, to determine the refractive power of lenses, such as glasses.
Educate on the prevention of illness: Offer evidence-based advice on how to avoid ill health, educate and advise individuals and their carers on how to prevent ill health and/or be able to advise how to improve their environment and health conditions. Provide advice on the identification of risks leading to ill health and help to increase the patients’ resilience by targeting prevention and early intervention strategies.
Empathise with the healthcare user: Understand the background of clients` and patients’ symptoms, difficulties and behaviour. Be empathetic about their issues; showing respect and reinforcing their autonomy, self-esteem and independence. Demonstrate a concern for their welfare and handle according to the personal boundaries, sensitivities, cultural differences and preferences of the client and patient in mind.
Test visual acuity: Test patients` visual acuity, perception of depth colour, and ability to focus and coordinate the eyes.
Manage healthcare users’ data: Keep accurate client records that also satisfy legal and professional standards and ethical obligations in order to facilitate client management, ensuring that all clients’ data (including verbal, written and electronic) are treated confidentially.
Deal with emergency care situations: Assess the signs and be well-prepared for a situation that immediately threatens a person’s health, security, property or environment.
Provide health education: Provide evidence-based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.
Communicate effectively in healthcare: Communicate effectively with patients, families and other caregivers, health care professionals, and community partners.
Follow clinical guidelines: Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.
Perform comprehensive eye examinations: Undertake comprehensive eye examinations to determine prescription needs or diagnose disease or abnormalities. Some of the methods for this are cover tests, color blindness tests, and pupil dilation.
Advise on healthcare users’ informed consent: Ensure patients/clients are fully informed about the risks and benefits of proposed treatments so they can give informed consent, engaging patients/clients in the process of their care and treatment.
Promote ocular health: Participate in activities that promote ocular health and prevent ocular problems.
Comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice: Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.
Listen actively: Pay attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, ask questions as appropriate, and not interrupt at inappropriate times; be able to listen carefully to the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users, or others and provide solutions accordingly.
Apply health sciences: Apply a broad range of bio-medical, psycho-social, organisational, educational, and societal aspects of health, disease, and healthcare to improve healthcare services and to improve quality of life.
Adhere to organisational guidelines: Adhere to organisational or department-specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
Prescribe corrective lenses: Prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses, according to measurements and tests conducted.
Perform vision rehabilitation: Maximise the remaining sight in people with low vision using rehabilitation strategies and magnification aids.
Promote inclusion: Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, considering the importance of equality and diversity issues.
Interact with healthcare users: Communicate with clients and their carers, with the patient’s permission, to keep them informed about the clients’ and patients’ progress and safeguard confidentiality.
Ensure safety of healthcare users: Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person’s needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.
Apply organisational techniques: Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures that facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.
Advise on contact lense maintenance: Advise patients on how to clean and wear contact lenses to maximise lifespan and minimise risk of complications.
Apply context specific clinical competences: Apply professional and evidence-based assessment, goal setting, delivery of intervention and evaluation of clients, taking into account the developmental and contextual history of the clients, within one`s own scope of practice.
Refer healthcare users: Based on the healthcare user’s requirements and needs, make referrals to other professionals, especially when recognising that additional healthcare diagnostics or interventions are required.
Work in multidisciplinary health teams: Participate in the delivery of multidisciplinary health care, and understand the rules and competences of other healthcare-related professions.
Accept own accountability: Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.
Provide therapy of the visual system: Apply suitable orthoptic, pleoptic and optic treatment methods, using equipment such as lenses (`training glasses`), prisms, filters, patches, electronic targets, or balance boards, and suggest and implement adaptation options or possibilities for coping with everyday life, supervising in-office reinforcement exercises and instructing the patient to execute at-home exercises.
These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of optometrist. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.
Implement marketing strategies: Implement strategies that aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how employees undertake their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Diagnose problems of the visual system: Identify and diagnose problems of the visual system, such as those related to binocular vision, ocular motility, amblyopia or lazy eye, strabismus or squint, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, assessing the sensory state of the eye.
Apply numeracy skills: Practise reasoning and apply simple or complex numerical concepts and calculations.
Perform ocular tonometry: Perform ocular tonometry as a test to determine the intraocular pressure inside the eye of patients at risk from glaucoma.
Implement sales strategies: Carry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company’s brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.
Process payments: Accept payments such as cash, credit cards and debit cards. Handle reimbursement in case of returns or administer vouchers and marketing instruments such as bonus cards or membership cards. Pay attention to safety and the protection of personal data.
Have computer literacy: Utilise computers, IT equipment and modern-day technology in an efficient way.
Employ foreign languages in care: Communicate in foreign languages with healthcare users, their caregivers, or service providers. Use foreign languages to facilitate patient care according to the patient’s needs.
Administer medication for vision problems: Administer medication to patients to aid in the diagnosis of vision problems and prescribe drugs to treat some eye diseases.
