About us

We provide an interdisciplinary team of specialists in the fields of optometry, medicine and physics as well as external lecturers from the fields of ophthalmology, orthoptics, low vision, occupational optometry, business administration and clinical optometry. This enables us to offer a wide range of expertise in our profession.

We contribute to specialised fields on an international level, such as the examination board for the ECOO European Diploma, the board of the ECOO Education Committee, standardisation committees and executive board activities in large optometric associations. We are members of important optometric associations such as EAOO, ECOO, AAO, VDCO, IVBS and the national Swiss associations OPTIKSCHWEIZ and SBAO.

The institute and several of its individual affiliates are members of the EAOO and hence benefit from the European network of research and clinical optometry.

Training and continuing education

We offer a full-time Bachelor of Science in Optometry FHNW degree programme in German and French language. It is fully accredited for the European Diploma in Optometry and hence represents one of the leading educational programmes in its field in Europe.
Professionals attend the Master of Advanced Studies MAS in Optometry on a part-time basis. The programme is aimed at opticians / optometrists practising in the optometric field.
The Institute of Optometry also offers continuing education courses in low vision.

Contact / Office hours

Our office is available from Monday to Friday between 8 and 12 a.m.

+41 62 957 22 60, info.io.technik@fhnw.ch

Head of Institute and Head of Programme

Team

Christian Birkenstock
Lecturer
+41 62 957 22 60
christian.birkenstock@fhnw.ch

Tobias Bracher
Assistant
+41 62 957 22 60
tobias.bracher@fhnw.ch

Fabrice Gogniat
Scientific employee
+41 62 957 24 32
fabrice.gogniat@fhnw.ch

Prof. Stephan Gutzwiller
Lecturer
+41 62 957 25 84
stephan.gutzwiller@fhnw.ch

Caroline Guy
Assistant
+41 62 957 22 60
caroline.guy@fhnw.ch

Joëlle Joss
Lecturer
+41 62 957 26 29
joelle.joss@fhnw.ch

Emanuele Käser
PhD student
+41 62 957 23 02
emanuele.kaeser@fhnw.ch

Xenia Knobel
Lecturer
xenia.knobel@fhnw.ch

Léonard Kollros
Lecturer
leonard.kollros@fhnw.ch

Dr. Martin Lörtscher
Lecturer
+41 62 957 28 64
martin.loertscher@fhnw.ch

Remo Poffa
Lecturer
+41 62 957 26 04
remo.poffa@fhnw.ch

Estelle Reymond
Assistant
+41 62 957 22 09
fabianne.wegmann@fhnw.ch

Dr. Maria Sol Rodriguez Pena
Lecturer
+41 62 957 22 60
maria.rodriguez@fhnw.ch

Volkhard Schroth
Lecturer
+41 62 957 26 05
volkhard.schroth@fhnw.ch

Philippe Seira
Lecturer
+41 62 957 26 06
philippe.seira@fhnw.ch

Pierre Vallier
External Lecturer
pierre.vallier@fhnw.ch

Christian Vogt
Lecturer
+41 62 957 22 60
christian.vogt@fhnw.ch

Fabian Wegmann
Assistant
+41 62 957 22 91
fabianne.wegmann@fhnw.ch

About us

Head of Institute and Head of Programme

Team

FHNW School of Engineering and Environment, Olten