Recent media coverage has raised serious concerns about workplace pressures, commercial expectations and patient care in parts of the optometry sector. Optometry Australia takes these concerns seriously.
OA invites expressions of interest to support up to three Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander optometrists and/or optometry students to attend the Optometry Clinical Conference from 9 – 10 August, on the lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera Peoples, at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The proposal was endorsed nationwide, with 97% of voting members in Optometry Victoria South Australia, 86% in Optometry New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, 95% in Optometry Queensland Northern Territory, 81% in Optometry Western Australia, and 100% in Optometry Tasmania, voting in favour of unification.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that Australia has become the 30th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. This is a significant milestone for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities across the nation, and a vital step in preventing avoidable vision loss.
The initiative coincides with National Close the Gap Day on Thursday, 19 March, recognising the ongoing inequities in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Recent changes to Queensland driver licence medical forms have raised concerns among optometrists, particularly around the visibility of optometry within the driving assessment process.
Optometrists are being urged to remain vigilant following reports of eye infections affecting Australian rules football players in the Northern Territory.
Mark Nevin doesn’t think small when it comes to optometry’s future. He thinks about direction, momentum and impact. Since taking on the role of CEO at Optometry Australia in early 2026, Mark has brought with him a career’s worth of perspective shaped by frontline care, national advocacy and whole-of-system health reform.
The member-exclusive Advanced Practice Recognition (APR) Program is a cornerstone of Optometry Australia’s long-term vision for the profession, designed to formally recognise optometrists with advanced clinical expertise while supporting career progression and workforce sustainability.
With patient expectations shifting and technology evolving at lightning speed. Adrian Vecchio, Optometry Australia member and Owner at The Eye Collective Optometry, has been tracking these shifts for over a decade and is confident the next wave of innovation will transform practice life as we know it.
In the spirit of reconciliation Optometry Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
