The Optometrists Act, promulgated and implemented in 2016, classifies optometrists as the 15th category of medical personnel under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Act helps improve the professional standards of optometry and lens fitting in Taiwan, safeguarding the vision health of the nation.

The higher education system is the cradle for professional optometrists and can also enhance the professional competence of personnel in optometry research and clinical studies, providing better vision care for the nation. Northern Taiwan lacks higher education departments specializing in optometry, particularly medical schools with hospital clinical training capabilities. Furthermore, the number of students admitted to higher education optometry departments is only about 250 per year, clearly insufficient to meet the societal demand for higher education optometry professionals.

Therefore, our department has been approved to establish an Optometry Department, aiming to cultivate optometry professionals with a strong foundation in basic research, clinical skills, and industry practice. This will inject new blood into visual science, clinical optometry, and the optometry industry, improving the vision and eye health of the nation.