In recent years, our programme has undergone significant transformation in response to both national higher education imperatives and disciplinary scope of practice expansion. UKZN Optometry has historically been at the forefront of diagnostics and therapeutics training for optometrists, and is proud to be the first optometry programme in South Africa to implement a decentralised clinical training model. This is a new approach to undergraduate health sciences training being adopted by various health science programmes across the country. In this way, we are able to respond to the human resource needs within our public health sector, as well as expose our students to real world practice contexts, which enhances practice readiness.
Our academic staff are progressive in their teaching and learning approaches in response to evolving training needs, and each has a growing research profile within a defined area of expertise. The Discipline of Optometry also has an active postgraduate programme, with many of our Masters and PhD students emerging from other African countries. We are therefore proud to be recognized leaders in optometry education on the African continent.
The profession of optometry in South Africa is continuously evolving and it remains a competitive health profession. UKZN is therefore excited to be at the forefront of developing optometric practitioners that will contribute to the visual welfare of our nation, as well as researchers who will contribute towards scholarship within our profession beyond the borders of our country. We invite prospective undergraduate and postgraduate students, or postdoctoral fellows, to explore training opportunities within our dynamic programme.
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A state-of-the-art Mobile Eye Clinic, valued at more than R2.1 million, was donated by the South African Muslim Charitable Trust to the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Discipline of Optometry, to assist in delivering vital eye-care services to rural and under-served communities across KwaZulu-Natal, where access to healthcare remains a challenge.
