New equipment and clinical teaching space unveiled for Leicester School of Optometry
Professor Christina French using some of the new equipment
A dedicated teaching space for Leicester’s new Masters of Optometry (MOptom) course launching this September was officially declared open on Thursday.
Based in the Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building on the Leicester Royal Infirmary site, the space includes a seminar room and 20 clinical cubicles which replicate optometrists consulting rooms.
The seminar room is equipped with a mock consulting room, including digital video slit lamp microscope, so that the session’s tutor can demonstrate specific techniques in real time for all students to see and put to practice.
Each cubicle also has a full complement of optometrist’s clinical equipment, and every single slit lamp biomicroscope has been fitted with an additional observation eyepiece. This allows for direct observation of students to provide a superior teaching experience and deliver targeted feedback.
Blending clinical-based learning with practical real-world experience, students will develop their knowledge of eye health to gain a Master of Optometry (MOptom) degree.
Professor Christian French, who is leading the new course, said: “I believe we will be the only institution in the UK with every single slit lamp to have a teaching eyepiece fitted - it is much more common in North American Optometry Schools.
“We’re delighted that this state-of the-art clinical training facility exists for our new students and we’re very much looking forward to welcoming them in September.
“Students will also undertake multiple placements throughout the three-year degree course to give them a real sense of what is expected of a career in Optometry. They will be learning how to carry out detailed eye examinations, prescribe spectacles or contact lenses and detect and manage a variety of disorders in vision or disease; skills which put them at the frontline of healthcare.
“It’s highly important that not only does the course develop essential practical knowledge needed for an optometrist, but the supporting business and management acumen necessary to thrive and develop when they step into the real world of work, whether that’s in a hospital, on the High Street, or elsewhere.”
In their final year, students undertake a year-long Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP) module, run in conjunction with the College of Optometrists, in addition to working towards a Professional Certificate in Glaucoma (ProfCert Glauc), whilst working with a single employer. This allows them to implement and consolidate their clinical learning into routine practice and means that upon successful completion of the course, they will immediately be eligible to enter the professional register as a fully qualified optometrist.
David Hewlett (FODO) and President and Vice chancellor of the University, Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah cut the ribbon
Cutting the ribbon was David Hewlett, on behalf of FODO Educational Charity, which has donated funding for equipment.
He said: “Leicester University is one of our great UK universities but has lacked one jewel in its crown - a department of optometry. FODO, and the trustees and funders of the FODO Educational Charity, are glad to have helped bring that about.
“Leicester University’s Latin motto is ut vitam habeant – ‘so that they may have life’. In no area is this more applicable than optometry and vision science. Optometrists give that unique gift of vision to those who need it at all ages from childhood to older age. They enable us all not only to have life but to live life fully, to strive for and achieve our dreams and goals."We wish Professor French, the whole academic team and every student who passes through the department every success."
Among those gathered for the opening of the space, was President and Vice chancellor of the University, Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, who said: “It’s fantastic to see this new clinical space fully equipped and ready to help propel students into a career in optometry.
“The course balances theory with vital hands-on clinical training, ensuring that our graduates at the University of Leicester are ready to diagnose, manage, and treat complex visual systems and setting them up as true Citizens of Change for the future.
“My thanks to FODO, for their support and funding, which reinforces our focus on equipping our students with the relevant industrial engagement and investment in this programme.”
General Optical Council (GOC) approval for the course to accept students in September is expected imminently, following a successful in-person inspection last month.