Course summary

**Please note that the General Optical Council (GOC) has revised the standards for Optometry and this BOptom may be replaced by a 4-year integrated Masters course starting in 2023. The details of such a course will not be known until at least September 2022. All module, fee and entry requirement information is subject to change and will be published as soon as these are known. The module, fee and entry requirement information is for 2022 entry and is subject to change as noted above. The University reserves the right to alter or withdraw courses at any time.** Take the first steps towards a career as an optometrist by studying for our General Optical Council accredited degree in Cambridge. As a BOptom (Hons) Optometry student at ARU, you’ll study in our specialist eye care facilities, learning how to perform eye examinations, diagnose sight problems, improve people’s vision and manage a range of eye conditions. You’ll spend much of your time in our University Eye Clinic. A working clinic that’s open to the public, it boasts 16 fully-equipped testing rooms and the latest optometric equipment such as an optical coherence tomographer, video slitlamps, and videokeratoscopes. With support from expert tutors and the chance to gain work experience, this is the perfect place to train as an optometrist. Qualified optometrists are hands-on, spending lots of time examining patients and managing their visual needs and eye health. And we know that it’s important for you to gain this kind of practical experience. That’s why more than 50% of your learning time is spent in clinical and lab sessions, practical demonstrations, and our University Eye Clinic. There’s the chance to visit local hospital clinics too, and get work experience in the community, spending time with eye care charities such as Cam Sight. In the lecture theatre, we’re often joined by visiting professors, orthoptists and optometrists working in diabetic clinics, hospitals and their own practices. They’ll share their professional insights – as will our expert tutors, who are trained optometrists and dispensing opticians. These are just some of the reasons why our Optometry degree has had an overall satisfaction score of 90% or more for the past five years (National Student Survey). As a BOptom (Hons) Optometry graduate, you’ll be ready to take on a pre-registration clinical placement before registering as a fully-qualified optometrist.