O título de Grao en Óptica e Optometría pola USC ten como obxectivo formar titulados en Óptica e Optometría altamente cualificados para o coidado da saúde visual mediante o desenvolvemento de actividades dirixidas á prevención, detección, avaliación e tratamento das alteracións da visión, que dean resposta ás demandas da sociedade.
Duration:
4 academic years
RUCT code: 2502224
ECTS Number: 240
Seats number: 60
Dean or center director:
María Jesús Giráldez Fernández
mjesus.giraldez [at] usc.es
Title coordinator:
Carlos Garcia Resua
carlos.garcia.resua [at] usc.es
Use languages:
Spanish, Galician
MECES Level: 2
Coordinator university:
University of Santiago de Compostela
Partaker universities:
University of Santiago de Compostela
Xunta de Galicia title implantation authorization date:
Decreto 150/2010 del 16 de septiembre (DOG 23/09/10)
BOE publication date:
26 de febrero de 2026
Last accreditation date:
18/01/2023
Professional qualification:
Optician-Optometrist
The study plan has a total duration of 240 credits, which are distributed in four courses of 60 credits each, in subjects that are, in all cases, of a semester nature. Students must complete a Final Dissertation of 9 credits
• Basic Training: 60
• Compulsory Training: 133,5
• Optional Subjects: 22,5
• Compulsory Internship: 15
• Final Dissertation: 9
o Total: 240
Regarding the access profile, it is recommended that the student has the following personal and academic qualities:
· Interest in health and quality of life issues
· Social commitment
· Ethical commitment
· Scientific curiosity
· Ability for interpersonal relationships
· Perseverance and responsibility in work
· Ability to work in a team
· Analytical skills
· Problem-solving and decision-making skills
· Oral and written expression skills
· Linguistic competence in Spanish and Galician
· Linguistic competence in English, at least sufficient for reading texts.
· Competence in basic computer tools
Regarding the access profile, it is recommended that the student has the following personal and academic qualities:
· Interest in health and quality of life issues
· Social commitment
· Ethical commitment
· Scientific curiosity
· Ability for interpersonal relationships
· Perseverance and responsibility in work
· Ability to work in a team
· Analytical skills
· Problem-solving and decision-making skills
· Oral and written expression skills
· Linguistic competence in Spanish and Galician
· Linguistic competence in English, at least sufficient for reading texts.
· Competence in basic computer tools
Every year, at the beginning of the academic year, the USC organises Welcome Days, organised by the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs, which take place in all the University Centres during the first fortnight of the academic year, with the aim of introducing new students to the opportunities, resources and services offered by the University.
Welcome events in the centres, attended by both the Dean’s team and course coordinators, are also a means of providing information about courses so that new students can familiarise themselves with them.
The centres also have student tutors who provide information throughout the academic year.
When an official degree is suspended, the USC guarantees the effective development of the studies started by its students until their completion. To this end, the Governing Council approves the criteria related, among others, to:
• The admission of new enrolments in the degree programme.
• The gradual suppression of teaching.
• If the extinct degree is replaced by another similar one (modifying the nature of the degree), it establishes the conditions that facilitate students’ continuity of studies in the new degree and the equivalences between the subjects of one and the other plan.
The general requirements for access to degree programmes are set out in article 15 of Royal Decree 822/2021, of 28 September, which establishes the organisation of university education and the procedure for quality assurance. More information can be found at the following link:
Access to Degree
The Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry from the USC aims to train highly qualified graduates in Optics and Optometry for the care of visual health through the development of activities aimed at the prevention, detection, evaluation and treatment of vision disorders, which respond to the demands of society. To this end, students will acquire learning outcomes aimed at carrying out visual and eye examinations, design, verification and adaptation of optical systems, design and development of visual training programmes and design and proposals for ergonomic advances. All of this is based on a commitment to the ethical and deontological principles of the profession of Optician-Optometrist (https://coocv.com/codigo-deontologico/). The objectives of the degree, as defined in Ministerial Order CIN/727/2009, are as follows:
1. To know, design, and apply prevention and maintenance programmes related to the visual health of the population.
2. To perform visual examinations effectively in each phase: anamnesis, selection and performance of diagnostic tests, establishment of prognosis, selection and execution of treatment, and, if necessary, writing referral reports that establish levels of collaboration with other professionals to ensure the best possible care for the patient.
3. To advise and guide the patient and their family throughout the treatment.
4. To be able to critically reflect on clinical, scientific, ethical, and social issues involved in the professional practice of Optometry, understanding the scientific foundations of Optics-Optometry and learning to critically assess the terminology, clinical trials, and research methodology related to Optics-Optometry.
5. To issue opinions, reports, and expert assessments when necessary.
6. To evaluate and incorporate the technological improvements necessary for the proper development of their professional activity.
7. To be able to carry out planning and management activities in an Optics-Optometry service or small business.
8. To be able to plan and conduct research projects that contribute to the production of knowledge in the field of Optometry, conveying scientific knowledge through common channels.
9. To expand and update their capabilities for professional practice through continued education.
10. To be able to communicate visual health therapeutic indications and conclusions to the patient, their family, and other professionals involved in their care, adapting to the sociocultural characteristics of each interlocutor.
11. To place new information and its interpretation in context.
12. To demonstrate an understanding of the general structure of optometry and its connection with other specific and complementary disciplines.
13. To demonstrate and implement methods of critical analysis, theory development, and their application to the field of Optometry.
14. To demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities in patient healthcare.
15. To demonstrate the ability to act as a primary visual care provider.
16. To demonstrate the ability to effectively participate in both unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams in Optometry-related projects.
17. To incorporate the ethical and legal principles of the profession into professional practice, respecting the autonomy of the patient, their genetic, demographic, cultural, and socio-economic determinants, integrating social and community aspects into decision-making, and applying principles of social justice in professional practice within a transforming global context.
18. To acquire the ability to perform patient-centred clinical management, health economics, and the efficient use of healthcare resources, as well as the effective management of clinical documentation with special attention to confidentiality.
COMPETENCES
- For students to have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific, or ethical issues.
- For students to be able, both in writing and orally, to debate and convey information, ideas, problems, and solutions related to Optics and Optometry to both specialised and general, non-specialised audiences.
- For students to have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.
- For students to know how to apply the theoretical-practical knowledge acquired in the degree professionally and to be competent in problem-solving, as well as in the formulation/defence of arguments in both academic and professional contexts related to Optics and Optometry.
- The ability to learn autonomously, work in teams, organise time and resources, and acquire new knowledge and techniques in Optics and Optometry.
- To clearly appreciate the ethical, social, economic, and environmental implications of professional activities, as well as to know and apply risk assessment criteria.
- The ability to generate optimal experiences for health and well-being.
- The ability to calculate the geometric parameters of specific visual compensation systems: low vision, intraocular lenses, contact lenses, and ophthalmic lenses.
- To detect and assess the main ophthalmological disorders, with the aim of referring patients to an ophthalmologist for further study and treatment.
- To interpret and apply clinical judgment of visual test results to establish the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
- To perform a complete anamnesis.
- To measure, interpret, and treat refractive defects. To measure, interpret, and treat accommodative anomalies and binocular vision disorders.
- To adapt contact lenses and ocular prostheses to improve vision and the external appearance of the eye.
- To examine, diagnose, and treat visual anomalies with a special emphasis on differential diagnosis.
- To identify and analyse environmental and occupational risk factors that may cause visual problems.
- To act as a primary visual care provider.
- To measure, interpret, and treat accommodative anomalies and binocular vision disorders.
- The ability to practise the profession with respect for the patient’s autonomy, beliefs, culture, genetic, demographic, and socio-economic determinants, applying principles of social justice, and understanding the ethical implications in a transforming global context.
- The ability, once any hearing impairment, dysfunction, or auditory pathology is detected, to refer the patient to a medical specialist.
- To enable students to carry out various astronomical observations.
- To provide solutions or alternatives for overcoming adaptation problems.
- To perform the protocol for patient care in the optometric clinic.
- To create an appropriate medical history for the patient’s profile.
- To correctly select and apply all the skills, abilities, and competences acquired in Optometry for each case.
- To communicate and inform the patient about all procedures and tests to be performed and to clearly explain the results and diagnosis.
- To encourage collaboration with other healthcare professionals.
- To carry out clinical activities related to refraction, visual examination, contact lens fitting, visual training, and low vision.
ABILITIES OR SKILLS
- To think comprehensively and approach problems from different perspectives with critical reasoning.
- To organise and plan work.
- To interpret results and identify consistent and inconsistent elements.
- To work in a team.
- To maintain an ethical commitment, as well as a commitment to equality and integration.
- Initiative, entrepreneurial spirit, and adaptability to new situations (resilience).
- Ability to organise, plan, and lead.
- To analyse data and interpret experimental results specific to the fields of Optics and Optometry.
- To apply instrumental techniques and work protocols in a laboratory, adhering to safety and hygiene regulations, waste management, and quality standards.
- To obtain, process, and interpret information from major databases (bibliographical, clinical), employ bioinformatics tools, and draw conclusions on topics related to Optics and Optometry.
- To apply the knowledge acquired in optical establishments, clinics, hospitals, and companies in the sector.
- To handle basic laboratory materials and techniques.
- To apply general statistical methods to Optometry and Vision Sciences.
- To demonstrate basic knowledge of geometry and mathematical analysis.
- To be able to handle centring, fitting, assembling, and manipulating all types of lenses based on an optometric prescription, visual aids, and protective eyewear.
- To be able to conduct psychophysical tests to determine levels of visual perception.
- To calculate the most relevant geometric, optical, and physical parameters that characterise all types of ophthalmic lenses used in optometric prescriptions and understand how they relate to the properties involved in the adaptation process.
- To handle techniques for the analysis, measurement, correction, and control of the effects of compensatory optical systems on the visual system, to optimise the design and adaptation of these systems.
- Teamwork skills as part of a unit where professionals and other personnel related to visual health are structured in a uni- or multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary manner.
- To recognise the different types of mechanisms and pathophysiological processes that trigger ocular diseases.
- To apply procedures and indications from various clinical examination methods and complementary diagnostic techniques.
- To apply health education techniques and address the main generic ocular health problems.
- To develop communication skills, data recording, and medical history taking.
- To acquire proficiency in instrumental tests for evaluating visual functions and ocular health.
- To prescribe, control, and monitor optical corrections.
- To design, apply, and monitor visual therapy programmes.
- To apply and interpret instrumental tests related to visual health problems.
- To apply optical and non-optical aids for low vision.
- To use clinical and instrumental protocols in examinations related to contact lens fitting.
- To apply clinical procedures associated with contact lens fitting for different refractive and ocular dysfunctions.
- To apply controlled techniques for corneal topography modification using contact lenses. To detect, assess, and resolve anomalies associated with contact lens wear.
- To measure and interpret psychophysical data obtained in visual perception assessments.
- To acquire the clinical skills needed for the examination and treatment of patients.
- To apply visual screening techniques to various populations.
- To apply new technologies in the field of optometric clinical practice.
- To apply rehabilitation techniques to real patients.
- To develop students’ ability to systematically and justifiably carry out all the evidence-based general hearing examination protocols.
- To develop students’ ability to systematically and justifiably perform functional testing protocols for special patient groups.
- To apply the technical terminology commonly used in specialized Audiology.
- To apply treatment protocols for hearing dysfunctions in paediatric and geriatric populations.
- To analyse the optical system of the eye using ray tracing.
- To assess visual quality using wave optics techniques.
- To apply ergonomic criteria for the design of lighting systems.
- To qualitatively and quantitatively use the main photometric quantities, the relationships between them, and their associated representation systems.
- To analyse, design qualitatively and quantitatively, and critically assess different lighting solutions, particularly from the perspective of visual ergonomics.
- To handle basic concepts of room acoustics (resonance and reverberation).
- To learn to use basic digital sound analysis tools (spectrum concept, frequency band spectra, and acoustic signal filtering).
- To establish a first contact with the basic aspects of Astronomy.
- To apply the necessary knowledge to carry out proper marketing planning.
- To assemble, adjust, and fit different types of eyeglasses available on the market.
- To detect and correct the origin of adaptation problems and difficulties faced by users.
- Ability to practically apply the principles and methodologies of Optics and Optometry.
- To apply techniques for assembling visual corrections or compensations in eyeglasses and possibly retouching contact lenses.
- To engage with the commercialization of products, supply, storage, preservation, and information.
The mobility of own and host students is regulated at the USC by the Regulations for inter-university student exchanges, approved by the Governing Council on 26.10.2012, and amended in 2019, the content of which can be consulted at the following link:
https://www.usc.gal/en/institucional/goberno/area/normativa/alumnado
External academic internships are part of the curriculum and the training project. In the current study plan it corresponds to a compulsory subject in the second semester, called "Tutored Practices" with a teaching load of 15 ECTS, whose implementation is guaranteed by the agreement between the USC and the College of Opticians-Optometrists of Galicia, and others that may be promoted.
In accordance with RD 822/2021, external placements are an activity of a formative nature carried out by students and supervised by the university, with the aim of allowing them to apply and complement the knowledge acquired in their academic training. Contact with the profession is highly recommended and internships will be the object of special promotion and monitoring. The centre ensures that internships have an essentially formative function and that they are not abused or distorted.
The Tutored Work Placement is a compulsory subject in the curriculum of the Degree in Optics and Optometry, which aims to provide the student with the possibility of applying the knowledge acquired in accordance with the competences set out in the ministerial record. The aim is for the future optician-optometrist to integrate into the professional environment, preparing them to carry out the activities they will be involved in in their future professional practice.
Bearing in mind the competences set out in the ministerial form for supervised placements, and the fact that the contents are a compulsory part of the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry study plan, it is essential for the centre to be fully involved in the organisation, monitoring and assessment.
The selection of admitted students, when it corresponds to the centre, is carried out by means of a public call for applications. Degree internships are scheduled throughout the second semester and until the end of the academic year. The maximum time spent at the training destination is limited to a maximum of 35 hours per week up to a maximum of 257 hours during the internship period (approximately 8 weeks).
Placements are offered in Optical Health Care Establishments. The list of agreements in force at the Faculty of Optics and Optometry for supervised placements can be consulted in the Internships section of the website: https://www.usc.gal/en/center/faculty-optics-and-optometry/work-placeme… . In addition, both lecturers and students may propose new agreements between the USC and other companies or institutions, which must be signed before the students join.
The conditions of the agreements with external institutions for tutored internships include the requirement that they have at least one external tutor, an optician-optometrist, who will act as a tutor for the interns during their stay at the optical health establishment, an academic tutor linked to the university (lecturer with an optician-optometrist qualification), and a monitoring committee responsible for the joint development of the agreement and for resolving any problems that may arise.
Professional profile: Regulated profession: Optician-Optometrist
Academic and teaching profile
The Final Dissertation (TFG) consists of 9 ECTS. The definition, completion, defence, grading and administrative processing of the Final Dissertation is carried out in accordance with the regulations in force at the University and the specific regulations of each centre. The Centre organises and manages the students’ Final Dissertations, guaranteeing their quality, academic recognition and achievement.
The Academic Committee is responsible for dealing with issues related to the management of the Final Dissertation. The Final Dissertations also have a tutor who assists the students in carrying out the work and who is part of the Research Teaching Staff (PDI) of the areas that teach in the degree. At the beginning of the academic year, a call for the assignment of Final Dissertation proposals will be published, with a list of open proposals formulated by the teaching and research staff who wish to participate in the tutoring of Final Dissertation of the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry. The assignment of tutors to students, the thematic line of the work and the evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the TFG regulations of the USC. The public defence of the work requires the previous and mandatory report of the tutor, and the student will deposit the Final Dissertation at the Centre, in accordance with the general regulations and the teaching guide of the subject. The final mark is public and, once it is definitive, it is included in the student’s transcript.
The Final Dissertation is oriented towards the evaluation of the competences associated with the degree. The Final Dissertation must be related to any of the subjects covered in the degree subjects. In this project, students must demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the degree course. The student must carry out and present an original work in which he/she demonstrates the skills acquired throughout the studies. The work must include literature search and review, critical analysis, systematisation and integration of information, writing and oral and written presentation.
The Final Dissertation shall be assessed by means of a public defence of the work in accordance with the corresponding regulations, such as the TFG and TFM Regulations of the USC, and the TFG Regulations of the centre. The assessment must take into account the evaluation report issued by the tutor. In the evaluation of the Final Dissertation, the quality, written presentation and oral presentation of the Final Dissertation will be assessed.
Duration:
4 academic years
RUCT code: 2502224
ECTS Number: 240
Seats number: 60
Dean or center director:
María Jesús Giráldez Fernández
mjesus.giraldez [at] usc.es
Title coordinator:
Carlos Garcia Resua
carlos.garcia.resua [at] usc.es
Use languages:
Spanish, Galician
MECES Level: 2
Coordinator university:
University of Santiago de Compostela
Partaker universities:
University of Santiago de Compostela
Xunta de Galicia title implantation authorization date:
Decreto 150/2010 del 16 de septiembre (DOG 23/09/10)
BOE publication date:
26 de febrero de 2026
Last accreditation date:
18/01/2023
Professional qualification:
Optician-Optometrist
The study plan has a total duration of 240 credits, which are distributed in four courses of 60 credits each, in subjects that are, in all cases, of a semester nature. Students must complete a Final Dissertation of 9 credits
• Basic Training: 60
• Compulsory Training: 133,5
• Optional Subjects: 22,5
• Compulsory Internship: 15
• Final Dissertation: 9
o Total: 240
Regarding the access profile, it is recommended that the student has the following personal and academic qualities:
· Interest in health and quality of life issues
· Social commitment
· Ethical commitment
· Scientific curiosity
· Ability for interpersonal relationships
· Perseverance and responsibility in work
· Ability to work in a team
· Analytical skills
· Problem-solving and decision-making skills
· Oral and written expression skills
· Linguistic competence in Spanish and Galician
· Linguistic competence in English, at least sufficient for reading texts.
· Competence in basic computer tools
Regarding the access profile, it is recommended that the student has the following personal and academic qualities:
· Interest in health and quality of life issues
· Social commitment
· Ethical commitment
· Scientific curiosity
· Ability for interpersonal relationships
· Perseverance and responsibility in work
· Ability to work in a team
· Analytical skills
· Problem-solving and decision-making skills
· Oral and written expression skills
· Linguistic competence in Spanish and Galician
· Linguistic competence in English, at least sufficient for reading texts.
· Competence in basic computer tools
Every year, at the beginning of the academic year, the USC organises Welcome Days, organised by the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs, which take place in all the University Centres during the first fortnight of the academic year, with the aim of introducing new students to the opportunities, resources and services offered by the University.
Welcome events in the centres, attended by both the Dean’s team and course coordinators, are also a means of providing information about courses so that new students can familiarise themselves with them.
The centres also have student tutors who provide information throughout the academic year.
When an official degree is suspended, the USC guarantees the effective development of the studies started by its students until their completion. To this end, the Governing Council approves the criteria related, among others, to:
• The admission of new enrolments in the degree programme.
• The gradual suppression of teaching.
• If the extinct degree is replaced by another similar one (modifying the nature of the degree), it establishes the conditions that facilitate students’ continuity of studies in the new degree and the equivalences between the subjects of one and the other plan.
The general requirements for access to degree programmes are set out in article 15 of Royal Decree 822/2021, of 28 September, which establishes the organisation of university education and the procedure for quality assurance. More information can be found at the following link:
Access to Degree
The Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry from the USC aims to train highly qualified graduates in Optics and Optometry for the care of visual health through the development of activities aimed at the prevention, detection, evaluation and treatment of vision disorders, which respond to the demands of society. To this end, students will acquire learning outcomes aimed at carrying out visual and eye examinations, design, verification and adaptation of optical systems, design and development of visual training programmes and design and proposals for ergonomic advances. All of this is based on a commitment to the ethical and deontological principles of the profession of Optician-Optometrist (https://coocv.com/codigo-deontologico/). The objectives of the degree, as defined in Ministerial Order CIN/727/2009, are as follows:
1. To know, design, and apply prevention and maintenance programmes related to the visual health of the population.
2. To perform visual examinations effectively in each phase: anamnesis, selection and performance of diagnostic tests, establishment of prognosis, selection and execution of treatment, and, if necessary, writing referral reports that establish levels of collaboration with other professionals to ensure the best possible care for the patient.
3. To advise and guide the patient and their family throughout the treatment.
4. To be able to critically reflect on clinical, scientific, ethical, and social issues involved in the professional practice of Optometry, understanding the scientific foundations of Optics-Optometry and learning to critically assess the terminology, clinical trials, and research methodology related to Optics-Optometry.
5. To issue opinions, reports, and expert assessments when necessary.
6. To evaluate and incorporate the technological improvements necessary for the proper development of their professional activity.
7. To be able to carry out planning and management activities in an Optics-Optometry service or small business.
8. To be able to plan and conduct research projects that contribute to the production of knowledge in the field of Optometry, conveying scientific knowledge through common channels.
9. To expand and update their capabilities for professional practice through continued education.
10. To be able to communicate visual health therapeutic indications and conclusions to the patient, their family, and other professionals involved in their care, adapting to the sociocultural characteristics of each interlocutor.
11. To place new information and its interpretation in context.
12. To demonstrate an understanding of the general structure of optometry and its connection with other specific and complementary disciplines.
13. To demonstrate and implement methods of critical analysis, theory development, and their application to the field of Optometry.
14. To demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities in patient healthcare.
15. To demonstrate the ability to act as a primary visual care provider.
16. To demonstrate the ability to effectively participate in both unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams in Optometry-related projects.
17. To incorporate the ethical and legal principles of the profession into professional practice, respecting the autonomy of the patient, their genetic, demographic, cultural, and socio-economic determinants, integrating social and community aspects into decision-making, and applying principles of social justice in professional practice within a transforming global context.
18. To acquire the ability to perform patient-centred clinical management, health economics, and the efficient use of healthcare resources, as well as the effective management of clinical documentation with special attention to confidentiality.
COMPETENCES
- For students to have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data to make judgments that include reflection on relevant social, scientific, or ethical issues.
- For students to be able, both in writing and orally, to debate and convey information, ideas, problems, and solutions related to Optics and Optometry to both specialised and general, non-specialised audiences.
- For students to have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy.
- For students to know how to apply the theoretical-practical knowledge acquired in the degree professionally and to be competent in problem-solving, as well as in the formulation/defence of arguments in both academic and professional contexts related to Optics and Optometry.
- The ability to learn autonomously, work in teams, organise time and resources, and acquire new knowledge and techniques in Optics and Optometry.
- To clearly appreciate the ethical, social, economic, and environmental implications of professional activities, as well as to know and apply risk assessment criteria.
- The ability to generate optimal experiences for health and well-being.
- The ability to calculate the geometric parameters of specific visual compensation systems: low vision, intraocular lenses, contact lenses, and ophthalmic lenses.
- To detect and assess the main ophthalmological disorders, with the aim of referring patients to an ophthalmologist for further study and treatment.
- To interpret and apply clinical judgment of visual test results to establish the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
- To perform a complete anamnesis.
- To measure, interpret, and treat refractive defects. To measure, interpret, and treat accommodative anomalies and binocular vision disorders.
- To adapt contact lenses and ocular prostheses to improve vision and the external appearance of the eye.
- To examine, diagnose, and treat visual anomalies with a special emphasis on differential diagnosis.
- To identify and analyse environmental and occupational risk factors that may cause visual problems.
- To act as a primary visual care provider.
- To measure, interpret, and treat accommodative anomalies and binocular vision disorders.
- The ability to practise the profession with respect for the patient’s autonomy, beliefs, culture, genetic, demographic, and socio-economic determinants, applying principles of social justice, and understanding the ethical implications in a transforming global context.
- The ability, once any hearing impairment, dysfunction, or auditory pathology is detected, to refer the patient to a medical specialist.
- To enable students to carry out various astronomical observations.
- To provide solutions or alternatives for overcoming adaptation problems.
- To perform the protocol for patient care in the optometric clinic.
- To create an appropriate medical history for the patient’s profile.
- To correctly select and apply all the skills, abilities, and competences acquired in Optometry for each case.
- To communicate and inform the patient about all procedures and tests to be performed and to clearly explain the results and diagnosis.
- To encourage collaboration with other healthcare professionals.
- To carry out clinical activities related to refraction, visual examination, contact lens fitting, visual training, and low vision.
ABILITIES OR SKILLS
- To think comprehensively and approach problems from different perspectives with critical reasoning.
- To organise and plan work.
- To interpret results and identify consistent and inconsistent elements.
- To work in a team.
- To maintain an ethical commitment, as well as a commitment to equality and integration.
- Initiative, entrepreneurial spirit, and adaptability to new situations (resilience).
- Ability to organise, plan, and lead.
- To analyse data and interpret experimental results specific to the fields of Optics and Optometry.
- To apply instrumental techniques and work protocols in a laboratory, adhering to safety and hygiene regulations, waste management, and quality standards.
- To obtain, process, and interpret information from major databases (bibliographical, clinical), employ bioinformatics tools, and draw conclusions on topics related to Optics and Optometry.
- To apply the knowledge acquired in optical establishments, clinics, hospitals, and companies in the sector.
- To handle basic laboratory materials and techniques.
- To apply general statistical methods to Optometry and Vision Sciences.
- To demonstrate basic knowledge of geometry and mathematical analysis.
- To be able to handle centring, fitting, assembling, and manipulating all types of lenses based on an optometric prescription, visual aids, and protective eyewear.
- To be able to conduct psychophysical tests to determine levels of visual perception.
- To calculate the most relevant geometric, optical, and physical parameters that characterise all types of ophthalmic lenses used in optometric prescriptions and understand how they relate to the properties involved in the adaptation process.
- To handle techniques for the analysis, measurement, correction, and control of the effects of compensatory optical systems on the visual system, to optimise the design and adaptation of these systems.
- Teamwork skills as part of a unit where professionals and other personnel related to visual health are structured in a uni- or multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary manner.
- To recognise the different types of mechanisms and pathophysiological processes that trigger ocular diseases.
- To apply procedures and indications from various clinical examination methods and complementary diagnostic techniques.
- To apply health education techniques and address the main generic ocular health problems.
- To develop communication skills, data recording, and medical history taking.
- To acquire proficiency in instrumental tests for evaluating visual functions and ocular health.
- To prescribe, control, and monitor optical corrections.
- To design, apply, and monitor visual therapy programmes.
- To apply and interpret instrumental tests related to visual health problems.
- To apply optical and non-optical aids for low vision.
- To use clinical and instrumental protocols in examinations related to contact lens fitting.
- To apply clinical procedures associated with contact lens fitting for different refractive and ocular dysfunctions.
- To apply controlled techniques for corneal topography modification using contact lenses. To detect, assess, and resolve anomalies associated with contact lens wear.
- To measure and interpret psychophysical data obtained in visual perception assessments.
- To acquire the clinical skills needed for the examination and treatment of patients.
- To apply visual screening techniques to various populations.
- To apply new technologies in the field of optometric clinical practice.
- To apply rehabilitation techniques to real patients.
- To develop students’ ability to systematically and justifiably carry out all the evidence-based general hearing examination protocols.
- To develop students’ ability to systematically and justifiably perform functional testing protocols for special patient groups.
- To apply the technical terminology commonly used in specialized Audiology.
- To apply treatment protocols for hearing dysfunctions in paediatric and geriatric populations.
- To analyse the optical system of the eye using ray tracing.
- To assess visual quality using wave optics techniques.
- To apply ergonomic criteria for the design of lighting systems.
- To qualitatively and quantitatively use the main photometric quantities, the relationships between them, and their associated representation systems.
- To analyse, design qualitatively and quantitatively, and critically assess different lighting solutions, particularly from the perspective of visual ergonomics.
- To handle basic concepts of room acoustics (resonance and reverberation).
- To learn to use basic digital sound analysis tools (spectrum concept, frequency band spectra, and acoustic signal filtering).
- To establish a first contact with the basic aspects of Astronomy.
- To apply the necessary knowledge to carry out proper marketing planning.
- To assemble, adjust, and fit different types of eyeglasses available on the market.
- To detect and correct the origin of adaptation problems and difficulties faced by users.
- Ability to practically apply the principles and methodologies of Optics and Optometry.
- To apply techniques for assembling visual corrections or compensations in eyeglasses and possibly retouching contact lenses.
- To engage with the commercialization of products, supply, storage, preservation, and information.
The mobility of own and host students is regulated at the USC by the Regulations for inter-university student exchanges, approved by the Governing Council on 26.10.2012, and amended in 2019, the content of which can be consulted at the following link:
https://www.usc.gal/en/institucional/goberno/area/normativa/alumnado
External academic internships are part of the curriculum and the training project. In the current study plan it corresponds to a compulsory subject in the second semester, called "Tutored Practices" with a teaching load of 15 ECTS, whose implementation is guaranteed by the agreement between the USC and the College of Opticians-Optometrists of Galicia, and others that may be promoted.
In accordance with RD 822/2021, external placements are an activity of a formative nature carried out by students and supervised by the university, with the aim of allowing them to apply and complement the knowledge acquired in their academic training. Contact with the profession is highly recommended and internships will be the object of special promotion and monitoring. The centre ensures that internships have an essentially formative function and that they are not abused or distorted.
The Tutored Work Placement is a compulsory subject in the curriculum of the Degree in Optics and Optometry, which aims to provide the student with the possibility of applying the knowledge acquired in accordance with the competences set out in the ministerial record. The aim is for the future optician-optometrist to integrate into the professional environment, preparing them to carry out the activities they will be involved in in their future professional practice.
Bearing in mind the competences set out in the ministerial form for supervised placements, and the fact that the contents are a compulsory part of the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry study plan, it is essential for the centre to be fully involved in the organisation, monitoring and assessment.
The selection of admitted students, when it corresponds to the centre, is carried out by means of a public call for applications. Degree internships are scheduled throughout the second semester and until the end of the academic year. The maximum time spent at the training destination is limited to a maximum of 35 hours per week up to a maximum of 257 hours during the internship period (approximately 8 weeks).
Placements are offered in Optical Health Care Establishments. The list of agreements in force at the Faculty of Optics and Optometry for supervised placements can be consulted in the Internships section of the website: https://www.usc.gal/en/center/faculty-optics-and-optometry/work-placeme… . In addition, both lecturers and students may propose new agreements between the USC and other companies or institutions, which must be signed before the students join.
The conditions of the agreements with external institutions for tutored internships include the requirement that they have at least one external tutor, an optician-optometrist, who will act as a tutor for the interns during their stay at the optical health establishment, an academic tutor linked to the university (lecturer with an optician-optometrist qualification), and a monitoring committee responsible for the joint development of the agreement and for resolving any problems that may arise.
Professional profile: Regulated profession: Optician-Optometrist
Academic and teaching profile
The Final Dissertation (TFG) consists of 9 ECTS. The definition, completion, defence, grading and administrative processing of the Final Dissertation is carried out in accordance with the regulations in force at the University and the specific regulations of each centre. The Centre organises and manages the students’ Final Dissertations, guaranteeing their quality, academic recognition and achievement.
The Academic Committee is responsible for dealing with issues related to the management of the Final Dissertation. The Final Dissertations also have a tutor who assists the students in carrying out the work and who is part of the Research Teaching Staff (PDI) of the areas that teach in the degree. At the beginning of the academic year, a call for the assignment of Final Dissertation proposals will be published, with a list of open proposals formulated by the teaching and research staff who wish to participate in the tutoring of Final Dissertation of the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry. The assignment of tutors to students, the thematic line of the work and the evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the TFG regulations of the USC. The public defence of the work requires the previous and mandatory report of the tutor, and the student will deposit the Final Dissertation at the Centre, in accordance with the general regulations and the teaching guide of the subject. The final mark is public and, once it is definitive, it is included in the student’s transcript.
The Final Dissertation is oriented towards the evaluation of the competences associated with the degree. The Final Dissertation must be related to any of the subjects covered in the degree subjects. In this project, students must demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the degree course. The student must carry out and present an original work in which he/she demonstrates the skills acquired throughout the studies. The work must include literature search and review, critical analysis, systematisation and integration of information, writing and oral and written presentation.
The Final Dissertation shall be assessed by means of a public defence of the work in accordance with the corresponding regulations, such as the TFG and TFM Regulations of the USC, and the TFG Regulations of the centre. The assessment must take into account the evaluation report issued by the tutor. In the evaluation of the Final Dissertation, the quality, written presentation and oral presentation of the Final Dissertation will be assessed.