Orthoptist to optometrist
An orthoptist already meets 64% of what the optometrist role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.6/ 100
1 How much of what an optometrist is expected to do is already part of an orthoptist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the optometrist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An optometrist role treats 29 of its required skills as things an orthoptist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accept own accountability
- adhere to organisational guidelines
- advise on healthcare users' informed consent
- advise patients on vision improvement conditions
- apply context specific clinical competences
- apply organisational techniques
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 39 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An optometrist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an orthoptist background worth leading with.
- already held advise patients on vision improvement conditions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held diagnose problems of the visual system information skills
- already held prescribe corrective lenses assisting and caring
- already held promote ocular health communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide therapy of the visual system assisting and caring
- already held test visual acuity assisting and caring
All 39 carried skills, including the 29 the optometrist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise customers on optical instruments maintenance required
- still to learn advise on contact lense maintenance required
- still to learn implement marketing strategies required
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- still to learn perform comprehensive eye examinations required
- still to learn perform ocular tonometry required
- still to learn apply numeracy skills required
- still to learn fit contact lenses required
- still to learn refer healthcare users required
- optional, not held administer medication for vision problems optional
- optional, not held provide domiciliary eyecare optional
- still to learn refraction of the eye required
- still to learn optical instruments required
- optional, not held preventive medicine optional
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn process payments required
- still to learn quality standards of ophthalmic equipment required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an optometrist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 perform comprehensive eye examinations practise this
- 02 perform ocular tonometry practise this
- 03 refraction of the eye study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 39 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- already held advise on healthcare users' informed consent skill
- already held advise patients on vision improvement conditions skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held apply organisational techniques skill
- already held communicate in healthcare skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held deal with emergency care situations skill
- already held determine eye disease progression skill
- already held diagnose problems of the visual system skill
- already held educate on the prevention of illness skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held ensure safety of healthcare users skill
- already held follow clinical guidelines skill
- already held inform policy makers on health-related challenges skill
- already held interact with healthcare users skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held manage healthcare users' data skill
- already held prescribe corrective lenses skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
- already held promote ocular health skill
- already held provide therapy of the visual system skill
- already held record healthcare users' billing information skill
- already held respond to changing situations in health care skill
- already held test visual acuity skill
- already held work in a multicultural environment in health care skill
- already held work in multidisciplinary health teams skill
- already held contribute to continuity of health care skill
- already held develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship skill
- already held participate in medical inventory control skill
- already held perform vision rehabilitation skill
- already held provide health education skill
- already held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health skill
- already held record healthcare users' progress related to treatment skill
- already held use e-health and mobile health technologies skill
- already held use foreign languages for health-related research skill
- already held use foreign languages in patient care skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn optical glass characteristics required
- still to learn eye protection regulations required
- still to learn have computer literacy required
- still to learn use ophthalmic instruments required
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held administer medication for vision problems optional
- optional, not held provide domiciliary eyecare optional
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held preventive medicine optional
31 held skills the optometrist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role anaesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out orthoptic treatments skill
- not needed by the target role conduct specialised orthoptic tests skill
- not needed by the target role contact lens fitting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role first aid knowledge
- not needed by the target role health care legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role health care occupation-specific ethics knowledge
- not needed by the target role human anatomy knowledge
- not needed by the target role human physiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role hygiene in a health care setting knowledge
- not needed by the target role medical informatics knowledge
- not needed by the target role medical terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role neuro-ophthalmology knowledge
- not needed by the target role neurology knowledge
- not needed by the target role neurophysiology knowledge
- not needed by the target role ophthalmological examination methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role optics knowledge
- not needed by the target role orthoptics knowledge
- not needed by the target role paediatric psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role paediatrics knowledge
- not needed by the target role pathology knowledge
- not needed by the target role pedagogy knowledge
- not needed by the target role pharmacology knowledge
- not needed by the target role professional documentation in health care knowledge
- not needed by the target role psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role receive patient referrals with eye conditions skill
- not needed by the target role select intraocular lenses for surgery skill
- not needed by the target role supervise orthoptic treatments skill
- not needed by the target role treatment of strabismus knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of strabismus knowledge
- not needed by the target role undertake healthcare examination skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn refraction of the eye required
- still to learn quality standards of ophthalmic equipment required
- still to learn eye protection regulations required
- still to learn optical glass characteristics required
- still to learn optical instruments required
- optional, not held preventive medicine optional
Common questions about this move
Can an orthoptist become an optometrist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An orthoptist already covers 64% of what an optometrist is expected to do: 39 skills carry over, 29 of which the optometrist role treats as required.
What skills does an orthoptist need to become an optometrist?
17 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is perform comprehensive eye examinations.
How hard is the move from orthoptist to optometrist?
Its learning distance is 52.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.