Orthoptist
Orthoptists work with a team of specialists to diagnose and treat eye problems.
Typical Salary
£30,000 – £53,000
per year
Working Hours
37–40
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
Depending on where you work, as an orthoptist you could:
- diagnose squints, lazy eyes, reduced or double vision, and disorders
- manage conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, stroke, retinal disease and neurological disorders
- carry out vision tests on children
- suggest treatments like eye patches, eye exercises, contact lenses or low vision aids
- refer clients to other healthcare professionals like optometrists, eye surgeons and vision scientists
Skills needed
- the ability to work well with others
- sensitivity and understanding
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- thinking and reasoning skills
- knowledge of medicine and dentistry
- to enjoy working with other people
- knowledge of English language
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through a university course.
Career progression
With experience you could:
- become a specialist orthoptist and work with specific groups of people such as children or people affected by stroke
- become a head or consultant orthoptist, and manage a team or department
- take further qualifications and move into research or teaching
- work in private practice and set up your own clinic