onlincourse

Orthoptics: How to be a Brilliant Allied Health Professional

Explore all aspects of the orthoptic profession – from the conditions an orthoptist investigates to the exciting career prospects with this online course from King’s College London.

Duration

3 weeks

Weekly study

4 hours

100% online

How it works

Unlimited subscription

Learn more

Start your career as an orthoptist

Orthoptics is an allied health profession in demand worldwide, particularly in the NHS. It is considered a specialist subject, which means students in the UK are eligible for funding throughout their studies.

This three-week course will provide you with accessible knowledge and a comprehensive introduction to orthoptics.

With this understanding, you’ll be able to develop in your career as an orthoptist as you discover what the profession entails, the opportunities available, and the routes into this exciting professional world.

Understand the basics of eye anatomy and binocular vision

An orthoptist has a varied role and treats many fascinating conditions.

On the course, you’ll unpack these conditions, such as binocular vision, and learn the basics of eye anatomy to help develop your clinical skills.

Become inspired by the progressive careers of orthoptists

You’ll delve into the impressive extended roles and progressive careers of orthoptists.

Exploring the NHS bands and salaries, the continuing professional development available, and listening to what patients think, you’ll gain a large-scale picture of orthoptics to understand how you can develop within the role.

Develop crucial clinical skills alongside King’s College London

Throughout the course, you’ll be guided by the specialists at King’s College London and King’s College Hospital Optical Services.

With their expertise, you’ll finish the course with the clinical skills and knowledge to begin an exciting career in orthoptics.

Week 1
What is Orthoptics?
- Introduction to Orthoptics
  In this activity, we will introduce you to what Orthoptics is and why it is such a brilliant Allied Health Profession.
- Meet the team at King's
  Hello from all of us at King's College Hospital. We hope that we can give you an insight into what we all do. You'll be seeing some of us throughout the course again soon.
- Routes into Orthoptics
  In this section, we will go through the different routes into Orthoptics. Each University tells us information about their available courses.
- Student Orthoptic Ambassadors
  Hear from some student Orthoptic Ambassadors who let us know what it is like to study Orthoptics at the different Universities.
- Learn the basics: Eye Anatomy
  Learn the structures of the eye and visual pathway. We will also delve into anatomy of the cranial nerves and extraocular muscles.
- Learn the Basics: Binocular Vision and Eye Movements
  Discuss the core ideas of binocular vision and eye movement. Why do we have two eyes? Why do some animals have 3D vision, whilst others don't? Why do we never see our eyes move when we look in the mirror?
Week 2
Clinical Orthoptics
- Clinical Skills and Equipment
  In this section, we will teach you some clinical skills, such as how to take a good history, and the different tests and equipment that Orthoptists use to diagnose and treat ocular conditions.
- Conditions We Investigate Overview
  See our overview presentation on some of the conditions that we investigate with core Orthoptics.
- Conditions We Investigate: Amblyopia
  In this section, you will learn about amblyopia diagnosis, treatment, management and monitoring.
- Conditions We Investigate: Strabismus
  Strabismus is a misalignment of the eyes. There are many different causes of strabismus. Often, this is benign and congenital. For others, strabismus may be a sign of a nerve palsy or brain lesion.
- Conditions We Investigate: Nerve Palsies
  There are 12 main cranial nerves in the brain. Three of them are involved in eye movement. In this section, you will learn how an Orthoptist can diagnose damage to these nerves, a diagnosis which may save someone's life...
- SCOPE: Lids and Tears
  In this section, SCOPE teaches us all about conditions effecting the lids and tears. This includes Blepharitis (inflammation of eyelids) and Dry Eye Disease (DED).
- What do our patients think?
  Orthoptists impact lives every day. Hear what some of our patients at King's have to say about their experience. Also meet Jemima, who was an orthoptic patient as a child, and now has become an Orthoptist!
Week 3
Brilliant Career Prospects
- Extended Roles at King's
  There are many opportunities for Orthoptists to expand their knowledge and expertise. They may specialise within an ophthalmology clinic, take part in research and education, or focus on service improvement and management.
- Further Extended Roles
  We reached out to colleagues across the country to find out further opportunities for extended roles within the profession. In this activity, inspiring Orthoptists kindly share with us their areas of specialty.
- Post-Graduate Qualifications
  There are many opportunities for Orthoptists to develop skills and expand knowledge within ophthalmology. Learn from Universities and students about some of the post-graduate options available.
- Advanced Clinical Practitioners
  Advanced Clinical Practice is the long term solution in the NHS to alleviate the growing demand within Ophthalmology. Orthoptics is continuing to grow and become a great career alternative to medicine.
- Progression
  There is a lot you can do with an Orthoptics degree! In this section, we look at career progression, both in and out of Orthoptics. We discuss NHS bands and salaries, progression into management, and alternative careers.
- Orthoptics at a Large Scale
  Behind every Orthoptist, there are those who standardise practice, manage high quality teaching, research new ideas, promote the profession, and establish united organisations globally.
- Reflection and Quiz
  We hope you have gained knowledge on what a career in Orthoptics is like from the many great experts and organisations that were involved in the making of this course. It is now time to reflect on what you have learnt...