On the first Tuesday in September a group of eager students - and just as eager staff - met up for the start of their studies. A total of 15 students comprise the first class at Aarhus University's new Master’s degree programme in optometry and visual science. 

"We have been looking forward to meeting you and to getting started. But it is a new degree programme so we will have to take it a little at a time and find the best way to do things as we go along. You can help us find the best way to do that," said Jesper Østergaard Hjortdal to the new class of students. He is a senior hospital physician at the Department of Ophthalmology at Aarhus University Hospital, as well as one of the programme’s lecturers and the degree programme director.

Together with Toke Bek, who is senior consultant at the Department of Ophthalmology at Aarhus University Hospital and also teaches on the degree programme, Jesper Hjortdal has fought to realise Denmark’s first Master’s degree programme for optometrists. Now the hard work has become reality.

Christina Lysholm Eckmann is one of the new students. Like the majority of her fellow students, she has a professional Bachelor's degree programme in optometry behind her. She graduated as an optometrist in January from Copenhagen School of Design and Technology.

"I have lived in the middle of Copenhagen all my life. So moving here is a big step for me, but when I heard about the new Master’s degree programme I knew it was the way to go for me," says Christina Lysholm Eckmann.

From clients to patients

The degree programme has a clinical focus and large sections of the teaching take place at the Department of Ophthalmology at Aarhus University Hospital, where the students also examine the department’s patients. Here the students are readied to handle complex clinical tasks.

"You have worked with clients before. Now you will be dealing with patients," explained Jesper Østergaard Hjortdal at the first meeting.

Via the degree programme the students will not only learn about the optician’s aid and remedy perspective, but also the treatment provider perspective. The hope is that as Master's degree graduates, the optometrists can relieve the pressure on ophthalmologists by taking over areas such as feasibility studies and on-going monitoring. Thus ophthalmologists can instead focus on treatment and reducing the long waiting lists.

For Christina Lysholm Eckmann, the Master's degree programme will hopefully be the path to her dream job:

"I really want to learn more about special optics. And then I hope that the education can lead to a job with either a private ophthalmologist or at an ophthalmology department at a hospital."

The degree programme has initiated a collaboration with the School of Optometry, Aston University, Birmingham, which has a long tradition of higher education for optometrists. The new students will e.g. meet guest lecturers from Aston.

In addition to being able to work at optician stores, hospitals and in private clinics, graduates of the new Master’s degree will also be able to choose to follow a research path and take a PhD or participate in research projects at hospitals.

About the Master’s Degree Programme in Optometry and Visual Science

• Admission requires a professional Bachelor’s degree in optometry
• Opticians trained in accordance with previous Ministerial Orders and registered nurses with two years of experience from an ophthalmology department may be admitted to the degree programme following an individual academic assessment.
• Find out more about the degree programme

Further information

Degree Programme Director, Clinical Professor, Senior Hospital Physician Jesper Østergaard Hjortdal

Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and

Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology

Direct tel: +45 8949 3221

jesper.hjortdal@clin.au.dk

Clinical professor, Head Consultant Toke Bek

Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and

Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology

Direct tel: +45 7846 3223

toke.bek@mail.tele.dk