Careers › Health

How to become a Optometrist

Tests eyes and prescribes glasses, lenses and eye care.

What does a Optometrist actually do?

More about this career

Tests eyesight, diagnoses eye conditions and prescribes glasses and contact lenses – most optometrists run or work in private practice, with some in hospitals or academia. It’s distinct from ophthalmology (eye surgery), which requires a full medical degree plus specialisation.

Where this degree can take you

  • Contact Lens Specialist
  • Low Vision Therapist
  • Optometry Practice Owner
  • Vision Researcher

This is our general description of the role and related jobs, not from an official source – it’s here to give you a fuller picture, not as a careers-counselling guarantee.

Not from an official source

Subjects that usually help

  • Mathematics
  • Life Sciences
  • Physical Sciences

This is our general guidance about which school subjects suit this career. It is not an admission requirement and not from an official source – the real requirements are on the degrees below.

Not from an official source

Where to check this yourself

What the degrees we’ve captured actually ask for

  • Mathematics – asked for by 1 of 1 degrees
  • Life Sciences – asked for by 1 of 1 degrees
  • Physical Sciences – asked for by 1 of 1 degrees

Counted from the requirements below (an “or” alternative counts for each subject named). Each degree links to the page it came from.

Degrees that lead here

1 degree at 1 university. More are added as we verify them.

University of KwaZulu-Natal

From an older document

Bachelor of Optometry

Health Sciences · 4 years

UKZN APS 33 points out of 48

  • Mathematics: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Life Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)
  • Physical Sciences: level 4 (50% or more)

The published APS range is 48-33. UKZN does not appear to offer a BDS; the brochure lists Dental Therapy instead. This comes from the Study@UKZN 2026 brochure, the most recent official source we could find. UKZN had not published a 2027 table when we checked, so treat these as 2026 figures pending a 2027 update. Applications go through the CAO.

Source: View the official page (studyatukzn.ukzn.ac.za) (opens the official page)

Are your marks enough?

Put your subjects in once and we’ll check them against every degree above – scored each university’s own way.

What do I qualify for?