1:30min
Optometry Australia is deeply saddened to share the passing of Associate Professor Mark Roth OAM on Wednesday, 14 January 2026.
A/Prof Roth was a highly respected member of the profession and a Principal Fellow in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences at the University of Melbourne. He played a significant role in educating and inspiring generations of optometrists, and his loss will be deeply felt across the profession. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and students at this difficult time.
Throughout his career, A/Prof Roth made a lasting contribution to optometry in Australia. A passionate and long-standing advocate for therapeutic prescribing, he helped advance the profession’s role in therapeutics and supported continued progress in the safe use of scheduled medicines. In a past interview with Optometry Australia, he reflected, ‘My advocacy was important to me, and now education is very important, passing down knowledge and making a difference to the next generation of optometrists.’
His commitment to education was evident throughout his work. He served on the Optometry Victoria Board from 1990 to 2000 and the Optometry Board of Australia’s Scheduled Medicines Advisory Committee from 2010 to 2015. Beyond this, he was closely involved in the establishment of Australia’s first Doctor of Optometry program at the University of Melbourne, and through his mentoring, he supported countless students and early career optometrists. He was also the founding Clinical Editor of Pharma, Optometry Australia’s former therapeutics publication, and played a central role in establishing its credibility and profile within the profession.
In recognition of his service to optometry, A/Prof Roth was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2017, an honour that reflected both his individual achievements and the respect he earned across the profession.
A/Prof Roth’s legacy lives on through the profession he helped shape and the students he helped teach. On behalf of Optometry Australia, we extend our sincere condolences to his loved ones and to the wider optometry community.