The initiative coincides with National Close the Gap Day on Thursday, 19 March, recognising the ongoing inequities in health outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Recent changes to Queensland driver licence medical forms have raised concerns among optometrists, particularly around the visibility of optometry within the driving assessment process.
Optometrists are being urged to remain vigilant following reports of eye infections affecting Australian rules football players in the Northern Territory.
After receiving the highest number of votes from peers for her case report, ‘To dilate or not to dilate? Choroidal melanoma: obtaining appropriate baseline data’, optometrist Annie Tran has been named the winner of the 2025 Optometry Connection Case Report and Clinical Image Award.
Optometrists in the Northern Territory will soon have hands-on, practical professional development closer to home, with Optometry Queensland and Northern Territory (OQNT) hosting Darwin Interactive (18-19 April 2026): a boutique, face-to-face CPD conference delivering case-based learning through immersive clinical sessions and peer discussion.
Mark Nevin doesn’t think small when it comes to optometry’s future. He thinks about direction, momentum and impact. Since taking on the role of CEO at Optometry Australia in early 2026, Mark has brought with him a career’s worth of perspective shaped by frontline care, national advocacy and whole-of-system health reform.
Optometry Australia and the five State Divisions are exploring a move to a unified structure: a single organisation which will strengthen member engagement and support, advocate more effectively and reduce duplication to help lower member fees.
Optometry Tasmania and the Tasmanian Optometry Foundation (TOF) are proud to support the next generation of Tasmanian optometrists through the Tasmanian Optometry Foundation Scholarship, with applications now open for 2026. The scholarship enables optometrists, students and researchers to pursue professional development opportunities that advance the profession and improve patient care in Tasmania.
New research published by Flinders University has identified a significant gap in South Australia’s approach to children’s vision screening, with hundreds of children at risk of permanent, preventable vision loss each year. The study found that 17% of children in a school-based Year 3 sample had an undiagnosed vision condition, with 2.5% having amblyopia.
The member-exclusive Advanced Practice Recognition (APR) Program is a cornerstone of Optometry Australia’s long-term vision for the profession, designed to formally recognise optometrists with advanced clinical expertise while supporting career progression and workforce sustainability.
In the spirit of reconciliation Optometry Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
