Optometry is as a career option which is fast catching up in India and the rewards are more satisfying. If you are considering medical and healthcare is an option for your career, this is just right for you. Optometry is growing in India and the opportunities are vast but trained manpower is less.Optometry is basically involved in diagnosing, treating and preventing problems relating to optimal vision. It also imparts health education besides rectifying vision related problems.
However there is a basic difference between Opthalmology and Optometry. The job of Optometrists are limited to diagnosing and rectifying vision related problems whereas Ophthalmologists are licensed to prescribe medicine and perform eye related surgery. Optometrists may prescribe eye glasses and contact lenses after diagnosing problems but they can not perform surgery, only can refer to eye specialists. In India there is no regulation or restriction on their ability to prescribe medicine to eye patients but they generally don't do so.
At Sankara Netralaya, Chennai, The Elite School of Optometry (ESO) was the first college to start a course in Optometry in 1985. Slowly other institutions also started giving course in Optometry as part of their curriculum. The well known institutes are Bausch & Lomb School of Optometry, Hyderabad; All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; College of Allied Health Science, Manipal; Elite School of Optometry, Chennai; Lotus School of Optometry, Mumbai; Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College, Pune. The number of seats in most of these colleges are limited. Around 40 premium colleges across India are offering Optometry course.
The eligibility criteria is a combination of Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Mathamatics with atleast 50% marks to apply for Optometry. Students needs to appear in admission tests and interviews to get admission in most of the colleges. It is a four year course and at the end students get B. Sc. degree in optometry. Some colleges offer Masters degree also apart from MPhil and PhD.
Job prospects are immense in this field since it is relatively new in India. Optometrists can start private practice if they don't want a regular job. At multinational companies (MNC) the job prospects are more bright. MNCs like Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson and Lawrence & Mayo, fresh graduates can earn 12,000 to 15,000 monthly as startup package. There is no limit for those who wants to start their own business.
It is a career with immense job satisfaction. What can make you bring more satisfaction than being able to make a person see this colorful world clearly.
However there is a basic difference between Opthalmology and Optometry. The job of Optometrists are limited to diagnosing and rectifying vision related problems whereas Ophthalmologists are licensed to prescribe medicine and perform eye related surgery. Optometrists may prescribe eye glasses and contact lenses after diagnosing problems but they can not perform surgery, only can refer to eye specialists. In India there is no regulation or restriction on their ability to prescribe medicine to eye patients but they generally don't do so.
At Sankara Netralaya, Chennai, The Elite School of Optometry (ESO) was the first college to start a course in Optometry in 1985. Slowly other institutions also started giving course in Optometry as part of their curriculum. The well known institutes are Bausch & Lomb School of Optometry, Hyderabad; All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; College of Allied Health Science, Manipal; Elite School of Optometry, Chennai; Lotus School of Optometry, Mumbai; Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College, Pune. The number of seats in most of these colleges are limited. Around 40 premium colleges across India are offering Optometry course.
The eligibility criteria is a combination of Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Mathamatics with atleast 50% marks to apply for Optometry. Students needs to appear in admission tests and interviews to get admission in most of the colleges. It is a four year course and at the end students get B. Sc. degree in optometry. Some colleges offer Masters degree also apart from MPhil and PhD.
Job prospects are immense in this field since it is relatively new in India. Optometrists can start private practice if they don't want a regular job. At multinational companies (MNC) the job prospects are more bright. MNCs like Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson and Lawrence & Mayo, fresh graduates can earn 12,000 to 15,000 monthly as startup package. There is no limit for those who wants to start their own business.
It is a career with immense job satisfaction. What can make you bring more satisfaction than being able to make a person see this colorful world clearly.
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