Orthoptics Australia’s 2025 Workforce Survey reveals critical insights into a growing, diversifying profession – addressing data gaps vital for future workforce planning and eye health care delivery.
There is limited data available for the allied health workforce, particularly for self-regulated professions not captured under the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). Orthoptics is self-regulated by the Australian Orthoptic Board (AOB) and registration is a requirement under State-based Drugs and Poisons Legislation, the Sonography Act and for access to funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Medicare. However, as registration itself is not mandated for orthoptists, there is limited workforce data available for the orthoptic profession.
This data-gap was acknowledged as a significant issue for workforce planning in several recent Federal Government reviews, most notably the National Allied Health Workforce Strategy, the final report of which was released early in 2025. The NRAS Complexity Review and the Unleashing the Potential of Our Health Workforce: Scope of Practice Review also pointed out the lack of data available for workforce planning. As the Health Workforce Taskforce works to bring together the recommendations from these reviews and start to implement change, there has never been a more pertinent time for professional associations to gather such workforce data to inform future directions.
Orthoptics Australia has conducted several workforce surveys over its more than 80-year history. The first workforce survey was conducted in 1976, with surveys initially conducted every three years and later extended to every five years. The first Orthoptics Australia workforce survey was initiated to raise the profile of the orthoptic profession with government agencies and provide much needed information on orthoptic scope of practice. This mission remains just as relevant in 2025, as Orthoptics Australia released its new workforce survey.
The orthoptic profession has continued to grow steadily over recent decades with the census data in 2016 indicating that more than 1,000 orthoptists were practicing across Australia, mirroring the number of ophthalmologists at that time. The last Orthoptics Australia workforce survey conducted in 2017 showed a concentration of orthoptists working in New South Wales and Victoria aligning with the location of the two training schools but, growing numbers of orthoptists in other states and territories, particularly in Queensland. By 2025, workforce numbers have grown considerably, with further increases in the number of orthoptists practicing across Australia, and notable growth in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
It was already evident in early surveys in the late 1970s that orthoptic work in Australia extended far beyond strabismus and ocular motility disorders to include practice in areas of ophthalmics including surgical assistance and pre- and post-operative assessment. Low vision, disability and paediatric vision screening were also recognised areas of advanced practice orthoptics. There has been further expansion of orthoptic practice, with 2025 data indicating orthoptists working autonomously to screen, triage and monitor ophthalmic pathologies, advanced ophthalmic imaging and extended practice in management of pathology including, contributions to refractive surgery, corneal cross-linking, intraocular lens selection and minor surgical procedures.
The Orthoptics Australia 2025 Workforce Survey also demonstrates a growing number of orthoptists moving into high-level management, public health, education, research and ophthalmic industry roles. This increasing diversity of roles for orthoptists suggests broad recognition of the skills of orthoptists beyond clinical work and reflects that the majority of the profession now holds a minimum of a Master-level qualification. However, this also points to a potential issue of retention of orthoptists in clinical roles. It is of utmost importance to retain orthoptic knowledge and skills within clinical eye care for a robust eye health workforce in Australia and optimal patient care. To do so, it is essential that orthoptists are enabled to work to the top of their scope of practice and are appropriately recognised and renumerated for their specialised clinical expertise.
The findings of the 2025 Orthoptics Australia Workforce Survey will be presented this month at the Orthoptics Australia Education and Advocacy Forum, concurrent with the 2025 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmology (RANZCO) Congress in Melbourne. A ‘Future of the Orthoptic Profession’ Roundtable workshop to discuss findings of the survey, challenges and opportunities for the orthoptic profession and directions for future advocacy work will be held as part of the forum. This is intended to also inform development of the Orthoptics Australia Strategic Plan, with the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan reaching its conclusion in 2025.
Findings from the 2025 Orthoptics Australia Workforce Survey are expected to be published as a series of peer-reviewed papers throughout 2026, with the findings of the ‘Future of the Orthoptic Profession’ Roundtable and the 2026-2028 Strategic Plan to be released in the first quarter of 2026.
About the Author: Associate Professor Amanda French is the president of Orthoptics Australia and head of orthoptics at the University of Technology Sydney.
