Ophthalmic medical personnel, or Allied Ophthalmic Personnel (AOP) are part of the allied health profession, and members for the professional team of eye care providers. Certified AOP technicians and technologists perform assigned procedures and testing under the direction and supervision of a licensed ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

AOP technicians and technologists are not independent practitioners, and may not diagnose or teat eye disorders, nor prescribe medications. Instead, their role is to support the treating physician by collecting and supplying diagnostic and patient information, and may also assist in sugical procedures or patient education. 

Some common tasks performed by AOP technicians or technologists include:

• taking patient history
• maintaining insturments
• taking eye measurements
• administering tests and evaluations
• providing patient services
• other clinical tasks

There are three levels of AOP:

• Ophthalmic Assistant (OA): the entry level AOP
• Ophthalmic Technician (OT): the intermediate level AOP
• Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (OMT): the advanced level AOP

Ophthalmic assistants perform the most basic of ophthalmic tasks, such as measuring vision, some basic intraocular pressure measurements, and may received some extra training by their employer to run some additional testing. 

An ophthalmic technician will receive a foundation in a wide range of ophthalmic diagnostic techniques, ranging from more advanced intraocular pressure measurement, to different examination skills (eg corneal assessment, visual field testing, biometry, ocular motility, etc). A technologist is equipped with the skills needed to immediately integrate into whatever diagnostic role an eye clinic might require. 

The ophthalmic technologist builds on the skills of a technician, learning more advanced techniques and skills, and begins to hone their critical thinking skills in the context of the ophthalmic practice. A more fundamental knowledge is developed, leading to a greater understanding of which tests are indicated, and why, for a given condition, and greater skills of diagnosis are honed. 

The KOTC offers programs at the ophthalmic technician (OT), and ophthalmic medical technologist (OMT) levels.

Every year, KOTC admits two students in each of its Ophthalmic Technician and Ophthalmic Medical Technologist courses to train onsite in Kingston. 

Each course begins in mid-August, and runs until late-June of the following year. 

Each course consists of a theory component, and a practical component; regular didactic lectures prime students with relevant exposure to a topic, after which the students move on to a clinical setting to experience the topic in practice.

Our intensive clinical learning program (roughly 75% of the time) features one-on-one pairing with staff ophthalmic technicians, ophthalmic medical technologists, orthoptists, and ophthalmologists. 

The practical component of the program consists of roughly 75% of a student’s time. This effectively makes the program not only a course, but also a placement. 

We are based in the department of ophthalmology of the Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Hotel Dieu Site, with affiliation to the Queen’s University School of Medicine. Our department is the main ophthalmic centre for the South East Ontario LHIN, servicing a vast catchment area between Toronto and Ottawa. Our site also houses one of the largest retina practices in the country.

We have also launched a distance learning program with partner clinics like the Kensington Eye Institute in Toronto, Ontario. Contact us to see if there is a partner clinic located near you.

Our limit of two per year only applies to our on-site students. Given that the professions of ophthalmic technician and ophthalmic medical technologist are so hands-on in nature, our programs feature a very heavy clinical component. While our department is very busy, the need to maintain a one-on-one clinical learning environment forces us to limit enrolment.

We are happy to accept distance learners from partner clinics who have the clinical capacity to offer a comparable clinical learning environment.

Yes, both  programs are  accredited by the International Council on Accreditation (ICA) for Allied Ophthalmic Education Programs. (http://www.icaccreditation.org/) 

 While we cannot guarantee employment, graduates of our program have had 100% employment within two months of graduation.

Anecdotally, we gather that there are many jobs available for graduates who are willing to move to where those jobs exist. But as there are many influences on job prospects, it is impossible to predict where the jobs will be year to year.

The KOTC routinely receives calls from potential employers looking for graduates and we continue to liaise with students, graduates, and employers.

The cost of each program is $3000CAD. This fee includes tuition, course materials, and some incidental costs.

Students are responsible for their own costs of living and all other costs.