History and goals

On September 17, 2018, the Council of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw established a faculty-wide teaching facility called the Academic Centre for Education of Optometrists (ACKO). The facility will utilize infrastructure – rooms and equipment/apparatus – in the Faculty of Physics building at 5 Pasteura Street and 7 Pasteura Street in Warsaw. ACKO is part of the Teaching Center of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw.

The primary goal of ACKO is to provide teaching in specialized subjects within the uniform master's degree program: Optometry and Ocular Optics, and third-cycle (doctoral) programs. ACKO conducts classes in dozens of regular subjects, research necessary for preparing master's and doctoral theses, research within the student research group, and research conducted by staff and volunteers from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw.

The total number of hours of practical classes in the Optometry and Ophthalmic Optics program exceeds 1,200 hours, including 855 hours of professional internships. ACKO currently provides students with some optometric internships. According to the recommendations of the European Council of Optometry and Optics, students should perform and document examinations on at least 150 patients during their studies. The records of 20 patients should be complete. 

According to all optometric organizations, vision should be examined at least once a year.