Optometry and vision sciences
We are the only optometric training department in Wales and have a world class reputation for our education and our vision sciences research.
Courses
Why study with us?
Top 2
Learn at one of the leading Optometry Schools in the UK. We are consistently ranked in the top 2 in the Complete University Guide.
£22 million optometry facility
Our school is housed in a dedicated £22 million optometry facility with in-built eye clinic.
Accredited
Many of our modules and programmes are accredited by the General Optical Council (GOC) or the College of Optometrists.
After practising for over 20 years, I feel like I have learnt optometry properly now! The course has been hard work but the new skills I have learnt have been totally worth it. With the knowledge I have gained it is already allowing me to treat and manage my patients better, even before my hospital placement. The course leader and tutors are very knowledgeable but can explain anything in a way that is easily understandable. This course will improve your confidence and push your career on to the next level.
Postgraduate taught
Postgraduate optometry at Cardiff University
Find out from our academics and students what it is like to study postgraduate optometry at Cardiff University.
Our modules and programmes
Our programmes and modules are flexible and offer you the opportunity to study full-time or part-time. You can choose the modules that suit you and you can study at a distance or in Cardiff. Each mode of study makes use of our virtual learning environment and includes direct contact with your tutors.
Our teaching is informed by evidence based advanced clinical research and many of our teaching staff are leading experts in their fields. Our academics have vast experience in ophthalmic practice and have won prestigious awards for their vision sciences research including the Queen’s Anniversary Prize.
Postgraduate research
Vision Sciences (PhD)
Our PhD in Vision Sciences comprises student-led research across a wide range of disciplines, from molecular and cell biology to neuroscience and clinical studies of human vision.
We offer opportunities to graduates from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds to learn the fundamentals of research in the basic and clinical sciences.
Having already obtained my BSc and MSc from Cardiff University, I was aware of the outstanding facilities and supervision on offer, making it an easy decision to study for my PhD in the Structural Biophysics lab at the School. During my PhD I was fortunate enough to present my work at national and internationals conferences to world leaders in the field, subsequently leading to international collaborations. Collectively, these transferable skills prepared me for a career in academia and ultimately enabled me to obtain a post-doctoral position at Harvard University.
Our School
Our School is based in a £22 million purpose-built optometry facility and is situated at the Maindy Park Innovation Campus. We are conveniently located close to the other academic buildings, the Students’ Union, city centre shops, attractive parkland and several of the student residences.
We are the only optometric training department in Wales and are long established and well resourced with an excellent international reputation. Our teaching and research activities are also enhanced by our on-site eye clinic, which is open to the public and provides 'in-house' placements and research opportunities for our students.
Cardiff School of Optometry and Vision Sciences
A postgraduate student with a patient
A postgraduate student conducting an eye examination
Using Optical coherence tomography (OCT)
A postgraduate tutorial
A tutorial with Maggie Woodhouse OBE
Postgraduate students benefit from a wide range of opthalmic equipment
A postgraduate student conducting an eye examination
An examination using a visual fields scanner.
Our postgraduate clinic
Therapeutic prescribing
A postgraduate student with patient
Discover more
Having completed courses at other institutions, I have found the courses at Cardiff University are very professionally run and deliver the course aims that have allowed me to extend both the breadth and depth of my practice. I feel that the higher qualifications I have undertaken have allowed me to take a solid step forward in my professional career and have enabled me to deliver a much higher level of care than I had prior to studying at Cardiff.
Explore Cardiff University
Next steps
Learn more about our School
Visit our School website and programme pages to find out more.
Download our postgraduate brochure
Learn more about our courses, the School and the wider University.
Get in touch
If you have any questions - big or small - don't hesitate to get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
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