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- Work as part of a team specialising in diagnosing and treating eye problems
- You'll need excellent observational skills, practical and people skills
- Progress into specialist work or become a consultant orthoptist, managing a team or department
You may carry out vision tests on children and suggest treatments, like using an eye patch, doing regular eye exercises, contact lenses, low vision aids, surgery, or referral to another specialist.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Receive patients from hospital eye, casualty and neurology departments, and through GP and health visitor referrals
- Focus on conditions like a squint (strabismus), reduced or double vision, or 'lazy eye' (amblyopia) a disorder due to injury or disease.
- Diagnose and manage conditions like glaucoma, cataract, stroke, retinal disease, or neurological disorders
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You'll work within a team of other healthcare professionals, like ophthalmologists (eye surgeons), optometrists (who prescribe and dispense glasses and lenses) and vision scientists.
You'll need
For this role, you'll need the ability to work well with others, sensitivity and understanding, patience in stressful situations, thoroughness and attention to detail, knowledge of medicine and dentistry, thinking and reasoning skills, and knowledge of English language.
You'll need a degree in orthoptics approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and registration with the HCPC. Paid or voluntary experience would be helpful before you apply.
You'll also need to pass enhanced background checks.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience, you could become a specialist orthoptist, working with people affected by stroke, or with children. You could become a head or consultant orthoptist, and manage a team or department. You could also take further qualifications and move into research or teaching, or work in private practice and set up your own clinic.