Around the World in 80 Optometrists: The Swiss View

I began as an apprentice optician in a small private store in my home town of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, at the age of 16. After qualifying as an optician, I worked in a few different stores and then went traveling for six months. At 22, I started my optometry studies at the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz in Olten. I’ve always been attracted to the medical side of the profession, and I had the opportunity to spend the last semester of my Bachelor’s degree at the Université de Montréal, Canada, where I gained experience in clinical optometry.

Returning to Switzerland in 2017, I started working with world-renowned ophthalmologist Farhad Hafezi at the ELZA Institute in Dietikon. I quickly got my bearings and began specializing in contact lens fitting for irregular corneas, diagnosis and treatment of dry eye, and various corneal diseases and their treatment. At ELZA, we specialize in all diseases of the cornea, in particular keratoconus, and refractive surgery.

Since working at the Institute, I’ve completed a Master’s in Advanced Clinical Optometry at the University of Ulster and become a board member of the Swiss Society for Optics and Optometry. In March 2022, I opened an optical store in Biel/Bienne (Lorella & Léonard OPTIC) with my partner, who is also an optometrist, and since August 2022, I’ve been teaching undergraduate optometry students one day a week. So, I feel I have a real understanding of the different aspects of the profession!

The optical industry in Switzerland has changed a great deal since I started my career, however. There are more eyewear chains now, selling at very low prices. It wasn’t easy opening our own optical store at the same time as many of the chains were re-opening after the pandemic. But we’re not trying to compete with the chains; we offer other products and services. And I think there’s room for both independents and chains in the market. We were fortunate that, during COVID-19, we had fewer restrictions in Switzerland than in some European countries. The optical industry continued to do well and now, I’m happy to say, people seem more inclined to help small, independent local businesses.

I would say that optometrists and ophthalmologists work together well in Switzerland. More and more optometry clinics are linking up with ophthalmology clinics to share rooms and equipment and work together more directly. Ophthalmologists appreciate detailed and professional referral letters from optometrists, particularly the younger ophthalmologists, who are more aware of the optometrists’ skills. It should be noted that optometry studies only began in Switzerland in 2007. Before this, you would study for two years and become a graduate optician. The optometry studies program runs for three years and is more advanced; it is also accredited by the European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO). As well as a Bachelor’s degree, graduates also receive the European Diploma in Optometry. Switzerland’s Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz is the first educational institution in Europe to achieve full accreditation for all graduates, demonstrating its excellence in optometric education.

With our optometry laws changing recently – essentially allowing us to use diagnostic drops – the optometrist in Switzerland is taking on a bigger role in public health as far as screening is concerned. This change will affect our professional activities, our practices, and how the public sees us. So, more than ever, that collaboration between optometrists and ophthalmologists will be important in delivering a high-quality service to patients.