Australian College of Optometry


The Australian College of Optometry is located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1939 to train optometrists. Optometry training is now undertaken in tertiary institutions, however, the college continues to work closely with the University of Melbourne, and other universities in optometry education. The Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences of the University of Melbourne is located within the Carlton premises of the college.

Mission

The mission of the Australian College of Optometry is to promote the visual health and well-being of the communities it serves by leading the profession to build its knowledge base, attain and advance clinical skills and deliver the best possible optometric care. The college achieves this mission by:
In 2008 the governing council of the Australian College of Optometry endorsed a new strategic direction for 2009 to 2011 that enables the organisation to re-position itself to meet future challenges and guide the ACO’s operations as it develops and grows. As the first step in this process, the college changed its name from Victorian College of Optometry to Australian College of Optometry on 1 October 2009.

National Vision Research Institute of Australia

The National Vision Research Institute of Australia is research division of the Australian College of Optometry. This organisation is notable for creating the popular LogMAR visual acuity charts.