There are now 7,419 optometrists registered to practice in Australia, up from 7,150 in September 2024. Non-practising optometrists made up 231 of the 7,419 optometrists, and there were 29 optometrists with limited registration.
There are 5,701 optometrists with scheduled medicines endorsement, comprising 79.6% of the profession.
According to Optometry Board Australia’s September 2025 statistics, 4,461 (60.1%) of registered Australian optometrists are women and 2,958 (39.9%) are men. Thirteen registered optometrists, or 0.2% of all optometry practitioners, are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander practitioners.
Reflecting the growing number of schools graduating optometrists, the largest cohorts are 34 years old or younger (1,503 are aged 25-29 and 1,343 are aged 30 – 34).
In September 2024, of the 7,150 optometrists registered to practise in Australia, 4,255 (59.5%) were women and 2,895 (40.5%) men. There were 1,404 optometrists aged 25-29 and 1,239 aged 30-34. Thirteen registered optometrists, or 0.2% of all optometry practitioners, were Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander practitioners.
Looking back 10 years ago, Australia had 4,983 optometrists, 50.91% being women and 49.09% men. There was no mention of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander practitioners in the report.
There are now 7,419 optometrists registered to practice in Australia, up from 7,150 in September 2024
Renew Registration Before 31 December
Registration renewal for optometrists is now overdue and a late fee may be incurred. Registration will lapse for those who fail to renew before 31 December 2025, meaning they will be removed from the register of practitioners, and won’t be able to use the protected title, ‘optometrist’’.
