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College
Of Optometry
(Recognized by: Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University)
Next to life itself, God's most precious
gift to mankind is sight, thus optometry has a vital role to play in the
nation's health care system.
Primarily ,the important function of eye care is entrusted to ophthalmology but
the extent of the work involved in the field is so vast that it needs to be
shared by other disciplines as well. while the ophthalmologists render
specialized eye care involving surgery and therapeutic procedures, the
optometrists are responsible for primary eye care. Like physicians and dentists,
they are primary health care professionals. For a person, interested
in a health career, optometry can be rewarding profession
What is Optometry ?
Optometry is
an independent vision care science which covers the examination of human eyes
and visual system required for the estimation of errors of refraction, the
fitting manufacturing and supply of optical aids.
Who is an Optometrist ?
An
Optometrist is a Primary health care professional who is institutionally
educated and clinically trained in art and science of Optometry.
What does an
Optometrist do ?
The
Optometrist is required to
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Examine the
eyes and the visual system.
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Diagnose
the Visual problem .
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Prescribe
and provide corrective treatment in the form of spectacles, contact lenses,
low vision aids, orthoptics and vision therapy.
Scope and Career
Options
There are many career options available to graduates
as a result of their academic and clinical experience.
An
Optometrist can
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Practice
independently / hospitals / clinic
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Practice at
optical establishments
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Have
excellent job opportunities overseas
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Offer
clinical services to multinationals dealing with the manufacturing and
distribution of ophthalmic lenses, contact lenses, and ophthalmic instruments.
For those
interested in higher studies, post graduation in the form of fellowships as well
as MS and PhD Programmes are now available in the country.
Why Optometry ?
As per recent
studies conducted, India has the following number of eye care professionals:
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Opticians
30,000
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Optometrists (Qualified)
4,000
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Ophthalmic
Surgeons
16,000
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Ophthalmic
Assistants (Qualified) 4,000
In short, we
have only 54,000 professionals to render eye care to a huge population of 1
billion.
The optical
trade alone needs at last 10,000 optometrists to service the dispensing optical
outlets.
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