MSc Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science

Fees for entry in 2027 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2026 were as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
  UK students (per annum): £15,800
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £36,200
• MSc (part-time)
  UK students (per annum): £7,900
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £18,100

The fees quoted above are fully inclusive of tuition, administration and computational costs.

Fees for entry are subject to yearly review. The University reserves the right to increase your tuition fee by up to 7% each year for courses lasting more than one year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our educational and wider student experience. Postgraduate fees information .

Always contact the admissions team if you are unsure which fee applies to your qualification award and method of attendance.

International student CAS deposit

Self-funded international applicants are required to pay a deposit of £2500 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. Some applicants will be required to pay a higher deposit. More information on tuition fee deposits .

The University permits applicants with comparable previous experience to submit an application for consideration of AP(E)L - Accreditation Prior (Experiential) Learning. The maximum AP(E)L is 15 credits to a Certificate, 45 credits to a Diploma and 60 credits to a Masters.

If an AP(E)L application is successful, the University charges £30 for every 15 credits of AP(E)L. The overall tuition fee is adjusted and then the administrative charge is applied.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

The unit aims to provide ophthalmic professionals with the science underpinning modern contact lens practice. Specifically, the unit will allow students to:

• acquire new information in the field of contract lenses and related corneal physiology
• critically evaluate the relevant literature
• develop articulate verbal and written communication skills around the relevant clinical science.

• To understand the key attributes of clinical studies in the area.
• To understand the benefits of examining the ocular surface with a clinical confocal microscope.
• To appreciate the various optical aberrations of the eye and their clinical significance.
• To learn about the various solutions which are used with contact lenses, their relative merits and the clinical issues which might arise with their use.
• To understand the materials from which contact lenses are manufacturered and the clinical benefits of each.
• To appreciate the clinical relevance of the oxygen supply through contact lenses and how laboratory measures can be applied in vivo.
• To learn about keratoconus and its management with contact lenses.
• To understand the inflammatory response of the ocular surface to contact lens wear and how it can be managed.  

This unit uses a range of different teaching methods including lectures, seminars and self-directed learning. The unit will be delivered online using Zoom or a similar platform. 

It is recognised that there are two distinct groups of students on this unit: an online group (likely to be working optometrists taking the unit as CET or under the ACOP umbrella) and an on-campus group (likely to be registered for IOVS). These two groups will be managed separately in order that all students feel they are part of the unit’s learning community. This will be achieved as follows:

• online students will be invited and expected to attend an evening ‘welcome’ session at the start of the unit for the course to be explained and important information about online resources, teaching styles, learning techniques etc. to be explained and discussed in a somewhat informal manner
• a separate session with the same objectives will be held in person for on-campus students who will also be invited to the online session to promote a sense of cohesion across the whole group
• all students will have the facility to take part in a weekly ‘office hour’ session; again, this will be online or in person at the choice of the student.
• engagement will be carefully monitored throughout and any indications of non-engagement will be identified by the unit coordinator and either raised directly with the student or with their academic advisor.

Students will: 

• have an understanding of relevant literature especially with respect to the evidence base supporting the use of contact lenses
• be familiar with the pathophysiology and management of some corneal pathologies related to contact lens wear
• understand relevant examination techniques for the cornea and associated contact lens management
• appreciate the nature and application of current contact lens management options
• learn about corneal diseases which can be managed with contact lenses
• understand the inflammatory response of the ocular surface and its relevance to contact lens wear.

Students should be able to:

• critically assess published relevant research and present such assessments in both written and verbal form.

Students should be able to:

• better prescribe and fit modern contact lenses.

Students should be able to:

• present and communicate scientific information and data
• gain confidence in the verbal delivery.

The students will receive feedback via Turnitin.

• Efron N. Contact Lens Practice. Third edition. ISBN 9780702066603.
• Phillips A and Speedwell L. Contact lenses. Sixth edition. ISBN 9780702071683.
• Special edition of Contact Lens and Anterior Eye: the CLEAR initiative. Publication Spring 2021.