Health

Optometrist

Optometrists test eyesight, prescribe glasses and contact lenses, and check eyes for signs of disease.

An optometrist in a lilac shirt looks through a slit lamp microscope into the eye of an older woman in a patterned head wrap, whose chin rests on the machine.
Photo: Gkbediako, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Maker's name on the slit lamp and maker's label on its power box blurred; cropped to 3:2 and resized to 1000 px wide.

At a glance

Pay

No reliable figure yet

Years of study

AAIMS's BSc in Optometry takes four years (16 terms, four a year).

All American Institute of Medical Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Optometry (programme page), checked Oct 2026

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Jobs

No reliable figure yet

The path

  1. Your CSEC subjects and where to study

    Bachelor of Science in Optometry (ask AAIMS whether the UCJ has accredited it)

    All American Institute of Medical Sciences (AAIMS)

    You need: 7 CSEC passes (grade III or better), including English A, Mathematics, Biology, Physics and Chemistry

    All American Institute of Medical Sciences, Admission Requirements (B.Sc. Optometry section), checked Oct 2026

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    BSc Optometry (in Trinidad)

    The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine

    You need: CSEC Mathematics (grade III or better) and CSEC English A (grade III or better) and CSEC Biology (grade III or better) and CSEC Chemistry (grade III or better) and CSEC Physics (grade III or better)

    The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, BSc Optometry (Faculty of Medical Sciences), checked Oct 2026

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  2. Your licence

    Like doctors, nurses and pharmacists, optometrists must be registered before they practise in Jamaica, even for a single day.

    Ministry of Health and Wellness, Professional Registration for Short Term Volunteers (updated June 2024), checked Oct 2026

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  3. Your first job

    Some public hospitals have optometrists on staff. For example, Mandeville Regional Hospital has a Lead Optometrist who is its Head of Optometry.

    Jamaica Information Service, Hundreds of Free Cataract Surgeries Performed at Mandeville Regional Hospital (JIS News, 28 May 2024), checked Oct 2026

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    AAIMS trains its optometry graduates to serve the community and to work in an eye health team alongside other health workers.

    All American Institute of Medical Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Optometry (programme page), checked Oct 2026

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Sources for these sections

No AI writes these facts. Each one comes from the source named under it and is checked again every year.