Doctor of Optometry 2010

London South bank University

Doctor of Optometry at the Institute The Doctor of Optometry programme, which will be in its third year in September 2010, is a collaboration between the Institute of Optometry (IoO) and London South Bank University (LSBU) and is the first of its kind in the UK to carry the Doctor of Optometry qualification.

The course which is run on a part-time basis involves suitably qualified optometrists embarking on a five year programme of which years one and two are taught. In the first two years students are expected to attend LSBU 8 days a year, to undertake a one week research summer school, and to carry out course work in their own time.

Professor Rishi Agarwal, Director of Post Graduate Education at the IoO said 'the first two years of our professional doctorate offer a unique opportunity to working optometrists to participate in seminars with practitioners from several healthcare professions. Our Doctor of Optometry programme is successful because it offers flexibility in the development of clinical work from different healthcare perspectives'.

In years three to five students spend time on research projects, supervised by staff from IoO and LSBU. Professor Bruce Evans, Director of Research at the IoO added 'the taught years of this doctorate will help clinical optometrists to develop their research skills and to work up their research project. At the beginning of their third year they will be able to launch straight into an achievable programme of research, with all the skills that they need to achieve research at a doctoral level on a part-time basis. The IoO exists to further clinical optometry and the Dr of Optometry degree is very well-suited to community and hospital optomertrists'.

Adrian Chorley, an optometrist working for the Civil Aviation Authority was one of the first practitioners to enrol onto the Doctor of Optometry course in 2008 commented: 'I was keen to undertake research but also to continue clinical practice. The doctorate course seemed an ideal option. Most of the study is carried out in the student's own time with one day a month taught at LSBU. The course provides a firm ground knowledge on the understanding and appraisal of research together with construction of a scientifically robust research proposal and project. The student has the advantage of the access to both optometry and research expertise through the IoO and LSBU. The course also enables the student to conduct research within a formal taught framework which for me as a busy practitioner, I think makes the goal nore achievable'.