The number of registered optometry students in Australia has jumped by more than a quarter in the past year, according to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This increase reignites concern about oversupply of Australian primary eyecare professionals, reports Insight, putting the influx down to the University of Canberra having started a new Bachelor of Vision Science course.

AHPRA’s annual registration report shows an increase of 420 students, or 27.7% in one year, with 1936 students enrolled in the year ending June 2018, up from 1516 for the previous year.

Optometry Australia (OA) CEO Lyn Brodie told Insight that, at the current rate, optometrist numbers would soon outstrip demand. OA’s projection studies indicate the industry is already close to optimum supply, particularly in eastern states.

“There has been steady growth in the number of Australians accessing eyecare, and with an ageing population and increasing rates of myopia, there will be increasing need for optometric care. Even so, indications are that there will soon be more optometrists than required to meet community demand,” Brodie said, adding this was a problem as it could lead to poorer employment conditions and less opportunity for practitioners to utilise the full scope of their professional skills. She also said recent changes in university funding might stem the growth in optometry student numbers.

However, Insight said, in the past OA’s stance on optometry numbers had been disputed. Last year Specsavers had indicated more optometrists were needed to fill current employment demand, while Bupa had also indicated some rural locations had been struggling to fill placements.

According to the AHPRA report, the number of registered optometrists was also on the rise, climbing 3.5%, the same as the increase reported for all registered health practitioners in the National Accreditation and Registration Scheme across 14 different professions. Of the 702,741 health professionals registered in the 2017/8 year, just 0.8% were optometrists.