Dr Jaymie Rogers
PhD graduate
In 2020, Jaymie was awarded the University of Auckland Senior Health Research Scholarship to complete her PhD on inequities in eye care access, with a particular focus on Māori and Pacific people in Auckland. In 2025, she becomes the Community Eye Health team’s first PhD graduate. She now plays a key role in developing the rural optometry curriculum at the School of Optometry and Vision science, and will contribute her expertise within our upcoming population-based eye health survey.
“Keep an open mind, embrace the opportunity, and choose a topic that you are passionate about. A research degree builds skills, connections, professional and personal growth.”
This week we welcome back the Community Eye Health team’s first PhD graduate, Dr Jaymie Rogers, who returns in her new role as a Research Fellow and Optometrist.
Over the last four years, Jaymie has played a key role in our ongoing efforts to make eye care more accessible for everyone. Her PhD thesis, “Understanding unmet need and addressing access to eye health services in Aotearoa New Zealand,” provides some of the first evidence reporting inequities in access to eye care in Aotearoa. Prior to Jaymie’s contributions, this information was largely unknown and under-researched.
Jaymie’s decision to begin a PhD came from her desire to improve how evidence is used within optometry education and public health. Within her ongoing role as optometrist and Professional Teaching Fellow at The University of Auckland’s School of Optometry and Vision Science, Jaymie has guided clinical optometry students for a number of years, both in their general optometry training and in her specialist area—low vision rehabilitation.
“I was particularly drawn to my PhD topic as it aligned with some of my key interests, including optometry for underserved communities and improving access to quality eye care for all,” says Jaymie.
Supported by her supervisor A/Prof Jacqueline Ramke, Jaymie’s PhD research largely focused on the underserved east Auckland community of Glen Innes. During a six-week period in 2021, Jaymie and other members of the CEH team conducted a pilot eye health survey in the area, delivering eye examinations and dispensing spectacles to community members. Although challenged by Covid lockdowns that hindered data collection, Jaymie found research in the community a learning experience, but one that was ultimately rewarding.
“I enjoyed the field work, being amongst the people, getting to know them, and having the opportunity to apply my clinical skills in a research setting.”
The pilot data collected during this time provided important evidence quantifying the unmet need for eye care in Aotearoa. Jaymie describes how up to 50% of people with vision impairment within her survey population had never had an eye examination before.
In the following years, Jaymie’s ongoing work with these survey participants allowed her to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges that people face in accessing eye care. She found that cost is the major barrier to accessing eye health services, while the lack of nearby eye care services and limited transport options were other barriers. The impact of Jaymie’s work extends beyond the boundaries of her study population, and Jaymie believes that other communities throughout Aotearoa may also face similar barriers to care.
Importantly, Jaymie’s concludes her doctoral research with several policy recommendations that could improve the way eye care services are delivered in the future—for example, the observation that funded spectacles for people who need them can significantly improve quality of life.
“This [research] highlights the need to explore ways to make eye health services more accessible for underserved communities. It also reinforces the need for further research and investment in this area to generate equity focused eye care solutions,” she says.
On a personal level, Jaymie values what she has learnt through the PhD process.
“It taught me to think more analytically, and I feel I’ve grown both personally and professionally,” says Jaymie, reflecting on the changes that she has experienced over this time.
We congratulate Jaymie on her achievements throughout her doctoral degree and look forward to celebrating her successes at her graduation ceremony later this year. In the meantime, Jaymie is leading the rural optometry space by developing new curriculum for optometry students, and will play an invaluable role as a Research Fellow within the CEH’s population-based eye health survey that will begin in Counties Manukau later this year.
Jaymie’s current Research Fellow role is supported by the New Zealand Optometric Vision Research Foundation (NZOVRF) and Rapanui Trust.