Why Optometry

Definition of Optometry

Optometry is a primary health care profession in eye care. Optometrists are specialists trained to examine the eyes, diagnose diseases, and manage visual disorders by prescribing spectacles, contact lenses, low visual devices, and eye exercises. A detailed eye examination can also reveal systemic conditions like high blood pressure, anaemia , or diabetes. Optometrists make a diagnosis and refer the patients to the respective specialists for further care and management. They also co-manage conditions with ophthalmologists and other health care professionals.

Need for Optometry in India

Recent estimates for need for Optometrists in India indicate that India for a population of 1.2 billion requires 1, 15,000 optometrists. At present the country has 40,000 registered optometrists both diploma and degree holders. The World Health organization (WHO), estimates that globally 269 US dollars are lost every year due to impaired vision and one of the reasons estimated are lack of human resources to deliver eye care services. WHO calls upon all youngsters, looking for a career in medicine to choose optometry as a career and contribute to eradication of preventable blindness.