Giving you that something xtra

• Learn to detect, diagnose and manage eye disorders with medical doctors and optometrists to guide you
• Hone your research skills through collaborations with industry partners
• Attend off-campus classes delivered by multinational eye-care product manufacturers
• Pursue a two-year direct honours degree in Optometry at the University of Manchester

About the Diploma

If you don't need contact lenses or spectacles to see clearly, then you're in the minority of Singaporeans. After all, more than 80 per cent of Singaporeís adult population is expected to be wearing specs within the next two to three decades.

What this means, of course, is that there is going to be a huge demand for optometrists in time to come!

Practice-oriented training & Broad-based 

Wondering what gives this course the edge?
 
For a start, medical doctors and practising optometrists will be on hand to train you to examine eyes, test sight and diagnose visual problems. You will then be able to prescribe and dispense spectacles and contact lenses, as well as recommend eye treatments.

Our broad-based curriculum also includes modules on psychology, patient management and optometric retail management, plus a research project. These will equip you to better manage your patients, run a retail business or embark on a career based in research.

Off-campus classes

Starting from your first year, you will attend classes with our industry partners such as Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Carl Zeiss and Essilor Singapore. These multinational eye-care product manufacturers will be able to offer you specialised product training and expose you to the latest in eye-care products and technology.

But that's not the end of it - our Optometry students also get to go on a 15-week internship with a retail practice, ophthalmology clinic or eye-care product company as well as numerous other clinical practice modules!

Career Prospects   

With the current shortage of optometrists in Singapore, our graduates are very much sought after by ophthalmological clinics, eye-care companies, research centres and hospitals.
 
You will also be able to pursue a career as a researcher with the Singapore Eye Research Institute and Defence Science Organisation.
 
Alternatively, you will be able to work at optometry retail outlets where the average salary of a fresh Optometry grad is amongst the highest of all diploma graduates, and even university graduates, in Singapore!

Further Studies 

You will be able to pursue related degree programmes at overseas universities such as:

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (China)
• Cardiff University (UK)
• The University of New South Wales
  

Our grads also have the option to pursue degrees in Arts, Social Sciences, Business Administration, Communications and New Media, and more at NUS, NTU and SMU.

You can also apply for a Bachelor of Science in Optometry at the  Polytechnic-Foreign Specialised Institution (Poly-FSI). The two-year direct honours degree is offered in partnership with the University of Manchester and is subsidised.