Australian College of Optometry | About Us - Australian College of Optometry

About us

The Australian College of Optometry (ACO) is committed to improving the eye health and well being of Australian communities through innovation, partnership, and leadership. We are dedicated to providing accessible and affordable eye care, and advancing the profession through world-class research and education.

The ACO administers the Victorian Eyecare Service (VES) and Victorian Aboriginal Spectacles Subside Scheme (VASSS) in partnership with the State Government of Victoria. Through a network of metropolitan clinics and private practices in regional Victoria, the ACO provides eye care to over 70,000 Victorians each year.

Our services include primary eye care, hospital collaborations and clinical placements for optometry students from Australian universities. We also provide an extensive outreach program for people who have difficulty accessing traditional eye care services including people who are experiencing homelessness, refugees and asylum seekers, and people in supported residential services.

The ACO is also proud to work with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health service sector, the Commonwealth Government and community members in reducing avoidable blindness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We provide eye test equipment and training, comprehensive eye health consultations and visual aids, and referral pathways for primary care services.

An important arm of the ACO is the National Vision Research Institute (NVRI) who undertake internationally recognised research to improve the understanding of vision science and eye care. The NVRI is committed to discovery and to leading the advancement of eye health through researching the complexities of vision and its disorders.

The ACO is a leader in lifelong learning for optometrists. Developed by experts in their fields, the ACO provides unique and specialised education across the broad range of clinical areas.

Mission

To improve the eye health and well-being of communities through innovation, partnership and leadership in:

Clinical Optometry Services – providing high quality public health eye care for communities in need and leading best practice.
Research – undertaking high impact internationally recognised research to improve the understanding of vision science and eye care.
Education – providing best practice clinical learning pathways for optometrists from pre-registration through to professional practice