Orthoptists are university-trained clinicians who are concerned with disorders of vision and eye movements.

An orthoptist is able to diagnose and provide non-surgical management of disorders of eye movements and associated vision defects. The primary goal of orthoptic treatment is to relieve symptoms and enhance vision performance.

Orthoptists assist in the diagnosis and management of eye disease, such as glaucoma, and eye disease that is associated with general diseases such as diabetes. Orthoptic assessment can also assist in the diagnosis of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

By providing rehabilitation programs for people with vision impairments, orthoptists are allowing these people to make the best use of the remaining vision they have, in order to maintain independence.

Orthoptists are also able to assess the vision loss that is associated with stroke or head injury and, again, provide appropriate rehabilitation strategies. They also assess the functional vision of children with multiple handicaps to assist with education programming.

Orthoptists may work in their own practices, however they frequently work along side ophthalmologists or neurologists in clinics and private hospitals. They are also present in public hospitals in outpatient eye clinics, in community health centres and day care centres. Some orthoptists pursue research avenues or assist with vision screening programs in schools, pre-schools and childcare centres and also in the workplace.