Optometry Australia

Optometry Australia Optometry Australia is the peak professional body for optometrists.

The organisation aims to effectively lead the profession, ensuring that optometry evolves as a respected and satisfying profession. Services and resources provided by Optometry Australia include:

- Representation of optometrists and their interests to government and other bodies
- Development and sharing of information regarding vision standards
- Medicare guidelines
- Practice management
- Financial, marketing and legal services
- Information and services to the public

We are a not-for-profit organisation comprised of six state divisions, a national office and a National Board which acts as the organisation's governing body.

The South Australian inquest underway following a tragic road death involving a driver with poor visual fields is a diff...
19/02/2026

The South Australian inquest underway following a tragic road death involving a driver with poor visual fields is a difficult but important reminder: fitness-to-drive decisions carry serious responsibility.

If you need to sense-check a case, talk through obligations, or clarify next steps, you don’t have to do it alone.

In SA and the NT, legislation requires mandatory reporting by health professionals (including optometrists) when a patient is unfit to drive. In other states, while reporting may not be mandatory, optometrists still hold important professional and ethical obligations.

OA Help Desk is a member benefit you can use today — confidential, optometrist-led support to help you meet your professional obligations and keep the community safe. Many optometrists call us for support in this area.

📩 OAHelpdesk@optometry.org.au
📞 1800 678 662

If refreshing your practice materials has been on your to-do list, now's the perfect time to check it off 🎉 Use code OAR...
17/02/2026

If refreshing your practice materials has been on your to-do list, now's the perfect time to check it off 🎉

Use code OAREFRESH at VistaPrint to get 20% off appointment cards, brochures, and clinic stationery. But hurry—this offer ends on February 28.

Help improve access to genomic services for families living with childhood glaucoma, congenital cataracts or retinoblast...
13/02/2026

Help improve access to genomic services for families living with childhood glaucoma, congenital cataracts or retinoblastoma.

Register your interest in a 5-minute questionnaire: https://qualtrics.flinders.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_5p42WPiApy4udkG
(You may be invited to a focus group or 1:1 interview, with an optional co-design workshop later.)

This study has received ethics approval.

Our CEO, Mark Nevin, recently met with A/Prof Katrina Schmid and Courtenay Lind from QUT as part of his early focus on m...
12/02/2026

Our CEO, Mark Nevin, recently met with A/Prof Katrina Schmid and Courtenay Lind from QUT as part of his early focus on meeting with members, industry and academia to listen and learn.

They discussed the importance of maintaining strong local connections, including the value of programs and support from Optometry Queensland Northern Territory (OQNT). Mark also toured QUT’s clinical training facilities.

Thank you to the QUT team for the warm welcome and the insightful discussion.

A few moments from our new CEO’s first weeks at Optometry Australia. Mark Nevin has officially stepped into the role and...
10/02/2026

A few moments from our new CEO’s first weeks at Optometry Australia.

Mark Nevin has officially stepped into the role and has been meeting members, connecting with the team and speaking with colleagues across the sector. One thing that’s already stood out to him is the strength of the profession and the care optometrists bring to their patients every day.

Mark began his career practising as an optometrist in the UK and Ireland, so while he’s new to OA, the profession itself is familiar territory. He’s looking forward to many more conversations with members in the months ahead.

Optometry Australia supports Allied Health Professions Australia in calling for the expansion of the Commonwealth Prac P...
09/02/2026

Optometry Australia supports Allied Health Professions Australia in calling for the expansion of the Commonwealth Prac Payment to include all allied health students.

A petition launched today by Independent MP Dr Helen Haines and Senator David Pocock, alongside Allied Health Professions Australia, calls for equitable placement support across health disciplines.

Allied health students – including optometry students – complete extensive mandatory unpaid placements, often at significant personal cost. Expanding placement support is a practical step to reduce financial hardship, strengthen workforce sustainability, and ensure students can complete their training without unnecessary barriers. This is an important step in ensuring the profession continues to reflect the communities it serves, including those in rural, regional and remote Australia.

Equitable access to placement support must be a national priority.

If you want to help end placement poverty for allied health and medicine students, sign the petition below.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/expand-prac-payments-to-allied-health-and-medical-students?source=direct_link&

06/02/2026

Glaucoma care is evolving, and advanced practice needs recognition that’s clear and consistent.

Optometry Australia’s Advanced Practice Recognition (APR) Program formally recognises the clinical expertise optometrists develop in areas like glaucoma through a structured, measurable assessment process. APR helps make advanced capability visible, credible and trusted across the care team, supporting high-standard glaucoma care.

Explore the APR Program and what’s involved: https://www.optometry.org.au/practice-professional-support/advanced-practice-recognition/

Want to ask questions before you apply?
Join the APR Drop-in Session (Glaucoma Care) for live Q&A with the APR team on 10 Feb at 7:30pm AEDT
Register here: https://www.optometry.org.au/institute-of-excellence/cpd-events/advanced-practice-recognition-apr-drop-in-session/

Optometry Australia has released two new Clinical Practice Guides supporting optometrists in pre- and post-surgical eye ...
02/02/2026

Optometry Australia has released two new Clinical Practice Guides supporting optometrists in pre- and post-surgical eye care. The guides provide clear, evidence-based guidance to support safe, consistent clinical decision-making, and reinforce the central role of optometrists in the surgical care pathway, including referral, co-management and follow-up.

Content is practical and clinically focused, designed for use in day-to-day optometric practice. The guides were developed with input from an expert working group, ensuring relevance, credibility and alignment with current best practice. The guidance supports patient safety, continuity of care and quality outcomes across surgical interfaces.

Download them here (under 'Cataract'):
https://www.optometry.org.au/practice-professional-support/patient-practice-management/clinical-practice-guides/

The First Nations Eye Health Alliance (FNEHA), Optometry Australia and The Fred Hollows Foundation have united in a nati...
01/02/2026

The First Nations Eye Health Alliance (FNEHA), Optometry Australia and The Fred Hollows Foundation have united in a national effort to tackle refractive error — one of the largest contributors to avoidable vision loss for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Refractive error is common, easy to diagnose, and often correctable with a simple eye test and access to affordable glasses.

We’re proud to work alongside FNEHA and partners, and we’re urging governments to partner with First Nations organisations to strengthen investment in eye examinations, improve access to subsidised glasses, and support culturally safe pathways to care.

Read the article:
https://fneha.com.au/news-1/f/new-collaboration-to-close-the-gap-in-refractive-error-for-mob

CXO January 2026 issue is now published.Here are the Editor’s Choice picks this month:• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic ...
30/01/2026

CXO January 2026 issue is now published.

Here are the Editor’s Choice picks this month:
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons with visual impairment (Sebastian et al.)
• Managing corneal foreign body injuries in a primary eye care setting (Xu & Lim)
• Readiness of optometrists in the management of geographic atrophy: a survey of optometrists in Australia (Guymer et al.)

OA members can access the full articles via member access
https://www.optometry.org.au/institute-of-excellence/publications/clinical-experimental-optometry/

[Update: Scheduled Website Maintenance]We’re completing additional WordPress platform updates to keep the website secure...
28/01/2026

[Update: Scheduled Website Maintenance]

We’re completing additional WordPress platform updates to keep the website secure, stable and running smoothly. No action is required from members.

Due to a couple of complications during last night’s staging updates, we need an extra maintenance window to finish the work.

📅 When: Thursday 29 January 2026
🕚 Time: 11:00pm AEDT (see local times below)

11:00–11:30pm – Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart
10:30–11:00pm – Adelaide
10:00–10:30pm – Brisbane
9:30–10:00pm – Darwin
8:00–8:30pm – Perth

⚡ During this window, the website may be briefly unavailable (up to 5 minutes) while updates are applied. Members will still be able to access Membership 360, but we ask 360 admins and WordPress admins not to make changes during this time.

Thank you for your understanding, and sorry for any inconvenience.

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