What is B.Sc Optometry all about?

Wanted to become an Eye Doctor? But facing challenges for getting MBBS seats?

Are you still interested in entering the field of eye medicine without MBBS?

Are you curious to know about Optometry?

Just read this article to know more about the opportunities in the field of eye medicine!

“Optometry is the healthcare profession of measuring vision, prescribing the right spectacles
and lenses that improve vision and also detecting and diagnosing the eye disorders”

What is B.Sc Optometry?

The B.Sc Optometry course is a 3-year undergraduate programme that can be joined after the completion of the PUC/12th or equivalent from the recognised board. The students seeking admission to B.Sc optometry should have studied any of the following three subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology/ Chemistry, Zoology, Botany in their PUC/12th or equivalent from the recognised central or any state board of India and abroad.

The B.Sc Optometry course has been designed to offer eligible candidates a wide range of clinical skills and knowledge to examine, diagnose, treat and manage diseases and disorders related to eyes and visual systems of the human body. The B.Sc Optometry course aims to educate the students about the various professional methods of visual screening, diagnosis of eye problems, orthodontics, vision training, optometric consulting, etc.

The B.Sc Optometry students are trained to design the spectacles, lenses and many other optical aids. The B.Sc optometry students will be learning about various skills like vision power checking, diagnosing the problems of vision using equipment, performing minor eye corrections etc. The B.Sc Optometry students are trained to apply the correct eye drops for the patients to perform the diagnosis. They are also given training to handle and maintain the sophisticated optical instruments. They are also given training to calibrate the equipment under the guidance of the certified eye physician.

Skills required to make a career in optometry

The field of optometry is very challenging and demands certain qualities and skills from the students.

Some of the skills required to become an optometrist are:

• The students should have good manual dexterity (excellent coordination between the hands and fingers to manipulate)
• The students should possess good confidence levels
• The students should have high patience levels
• The students should be dedicated and hardworking
• The students should possess excellent vision
• The students should have excellent mechanical aptitude
• The students should be self-disciplined
• The students should possess the ability to handle the patients tactfully and with complete care
• The students should have good coordination skills and should be team players
• The students should have an excellent eye to detail
• The students should possess inter-dependable skills
• The students should have excellent judgement capacities
• The students should possess the compassionate and empathetic qualities
• The students should have sharp vision and should be well versed with keen observations

Tasks Performed by the B.Sc Optometry students

The B.Sc Optometry students are trained to perform multiple tasks that are related to the eyes and vision of the patients. They are usually hired in eye hospitals, eye clinics, optical shops, spectacle and lens manufacturing companies etc.

Some of the roles and responsibilities performed by the B.Sc optometry students are:

• They are required to perform eye tests of the patients with vision problems
• They are required to prescribe the power of the spectacle lenses, contact lenses according to the eye power of the patients
• They are required to provide solutions for the patients suffering from partial disorders
• They are required to diagnose eye problems in the patients based on hereditary vision defects
• They are required to diagnose vision disorders in the patients and inform them immediately to the physician in case of emergency
• They are required to assist the eye surgeons in eye surgeries in hospitals
• They are also required to maintain and handle the optical instruments and optical machinery in the hospitals and eye clinics
• They also required to administer the anaesthesia to the patients who are undergoing eye surgery
• They are also required to set up the eye operation theatre for the surgeries.
• The B.Sc optometry students will be assigned to perform preliminary tests like vision checking, prescribing the power of spectacles and lenses for the patients
• They are required to calibrate the optical equipments according to the patient’s condition

Job opportunities in the field of Optometry

Optometry is the branch of medicine that is solely dedicated to the field of ophthalmology and vision disorders. Optometric students have numerous job opportunities in the field. They are hired in eye hospitals, eye clinics, multi-speciality hospitals, optical shops, optical instrument manufacturing companies, spectacle and lens manufacturing companies etc. The B.Sc optometry has gained importance in these days and the demand for the skilled B.Sc optometric students has increased many fold. They can land in excellent careers with good career growth prospects.

Salary Package

The average salary for the B.Sc optometry students ranges from 4 lakhs to 8 lakhs per annum. The average fresher B.Sc optometry student will be earning around 3.5 lakhs per annum. The salary increases exponentially according to the experience and skills gained during the career.

Placement Opportunities

The B.Sc optometry students can find ample job opportunities in the field of optometry and ophthalmology. They are mainly hired in eye hospitals, eye clinics, optical centres, optics shops, optical instruments companies etc. They are also hired in lens making companies across the globe.

Some of the top recruiters for B.Sc Optometry students are:

• Narayana Netralaya
• Shankara Netralaya
• Nethradhama
• Vasan Eye Care
• Lenskart
• Specsmakers
• Ben Franklin
• Tata Eye+
• John Jacobs Glasses
• Ray-Ban glasses
• Carl Zeus Lenses
• Crizal Lenses

Conclusion

Optometry has gained a lot of importance in recent years. The demand for optometrists has increased in the last decade. Today the technology has resulted in developing many eye disorders in the people. The dependency on the television, mobiles, laptops has increased eye disorders in the people. The eye disorder has no age limit as we can witness that even a small child is wearing glasses. The increase in eye clinics and eye hospitals has resulted in creating ample job opportunities in the field. The increase in the usage of spectacles and lenses has also created a demand for the B.Sc optometry students. The students who are interested to join the ophthalmology branch of medicine without an MBBS degree can take up B.Sc optometry programme.