About OCANZ

The Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand (OCANZ) was established in 1996 with support of the optometrists registration boards in Australia and New Zealand, the Heads of the Optometry Schools, the Optometrists Association of Australia and the New Zealand Optometric Association. All are represented on OCANZ.

Accreditation

OCANZ assesses undergraduate optometry courses and postgraduate courses in ocular therapeutics in Australia and New Zealand. Accreditation performs a number of important functions, including:

  • Assuring the registration boards that graduates are effectively prepared for entry to the profession and/or for therapeutic practice
  • providing schools with regular feedback on the contemporary needs of the profession.
More about OCANZ's accreditation function >

Examination

All optometrists trained outside of Australia and New Zealand are required to successfully complete an examination known as the Competency in Optometry Examination before being eligible to apply for registration with any of the 8 optometrists registration boards in Australia or the Board in New Zealand.

To migrate to Australia as a skilled migrant, optometrists must obtain a skills assessment from OCANZ.

The Competency in Optometry Examination >

Updates

23/06/10
Examination Process
The candidate guide has been updated – from September 2010, the written examination will consist of only two examination papers. The latest version of this guide is now available on our website.