Foundation Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing

Dispensing opticians are specialists who fit prescriptions for spectacles provided by either optometrists or ophthalmic medical practitioners. They assess the suitability of both spectacle lenses and frames to provide the best solution to the prescription for spectacles, with reference to the patient's visual and vocational requirements. Dispensing opticians can also recognise basic ocular disorders.

The two-year full-time, or three-year part-time, programme is taught mainly at the Centre for Applied Optics of City and Islington College in Goswell Road, with biological sciences and clinical practice modules being taught by the Department of Optometry and Visual Science at City University. A major component of the programme is the use of practical activities revolving around clinical dispensing, lens and frame manufacture, and spectacle assembly. Another key feature is the work placement element during which students spend 32 days in practice, obtaining invaluable practical clinical experience.

Updated: October 2008