Career in Optometry is a prominent field of the medical profession, it is the study of pathology and physiology of the eye. The word optometry comes from the word ophthalmic which relates to the study of the eye. They are eye specialists who diagnose eye-related problems, they can either work with an ophthalmologist or work as an individual. Optometrist works as front liner who can also counsel patients, about their main concern, and how to take care of their eyes.
In this article you will find, how you can become an optometrist and their responsibilities, what was the salary packages and the types of optometrists.
Who is an Optometrist?
Optometrists are trained eye specialists, which are used to diagnose problems in the eye. They also examine the eye vision and preferred the contact lens or glasses accordingly. There are various types of optometrists: Hospital optometrists, Domiciliary optometrists, Community optometrists, and Researchers. It’s a regular type of course which includes undergraduate and post-graduation courses.
How to become an optometrist?
- The candidate must pass out the 10+2 class with the science stream with a minimum of 50 per cent in Physics, Chemistry, and either Math or biology but physics is the main subject if you want to make a career as an optometrist.
- In fact, in United State, there is one more career option i.e OD- Doctor of optometry or student can also pursue diploma courses.
- Here are some of the University Entrance Examination for admission:
- BVP EYECET– Bharati Vidyapeeth University EYECET.
- CMC– Christian Medical College Examination
- Delhi University exam
- AIIMS Entrance Exam, etc
- Students can also chase scholarship programs as follows:
- AIMST-All India Meritorious Scholarship Test
- IVI– India Vision Institute- conducts a Fellowship program for optometrist graduates
- Gaurav Foundation Merit Scholarships
- The admission and scholarship selection is based on the cut-off, as per the guidelines.
- Then there is an interview round for the selected candidates.
- Then after the election, the counselling process will start.
Top Universities/Colleges of Optometry In India
| Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences | Manipal |
| Assam Medical College | Assam |
| Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College | Pune |
| Guwahati Medical College and Hospital | Guwahati |
| Grewal Eye Institute | Chandigarh |
| Goa Medical College | Panaji |
| Aligarh Muslim University | Aligarh |
| Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences | Dehradun |
| Patna Medical College | Patna |
| All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) | New Delhi |
International Optometry Universities
| David Geffen School of Medicine | Los Angeles |
| Perelman School of Medicine | USA |
| UC Berkeley- School of Optometry | USA |
| UW School of Medicine | Seattle |
| State University of New York (College of Optometry) | New York |
| Johns Hopkins School of Medicine | USA |
Career In Optometry
Optometry has a broad spectrum career if you want to do the job or do your own business both have broad opportunities some of the optometrist careers are mentioned below:
Hospital Optometrist
Hospital optometrists work in an Opthal department in the hospital and provide care to the out-patients. They work with an ophthalmologist and help them by checking the vision of the patients and sending the report directly to the ophthalmologist.
Counselling the patients about the relevant usage of contact lenses and glasses is also a part of the hospital optometrist’s job. They also participate in many programs related to Eyecare and also contribute to the promotion of the Hospital Eye Care facilities by running various campaigns.
Domiciliary Optometrist
A domiciliary optometrist is one who didn’t work in a cabin or a room, they provide service to the people in their own section of living, by going to their homes, in old age homes where aged people are unable to come for their check-ups, in such cases the Domiciliary optometrist help them a lot. It is one of the challenging roles of the optometrist because you need to manage most of the things together. Daily you have to see 7-8 patients in your own area of living, so it’s a very tiring job role as well.
Researcher
The research work usually does a Doctorate in Optometry, and they work as research strategy and projects in various eye diseases and research their cure, this increases the demand for researcher optometrists because nowadays there are lots of diseases which cause optic nerve damage. As in Diabetes most the people lost their sight in a continuous high sugar level, the contraction in the retina increase, firstly it leads to the blur vision and then blindness, but nowadays their a surgery called cataract surgery, after this surgery, there is a chance that there is a clear vision.
Job Outlook Optometrist
The projection of an optometrist job role from 2020-2029 will grow by four per cent. According to the World Health Report, there are many diseases that cause eye damage, and one of the most prominent is Diabetes, which causes the contraction or the blur vision of the eye, and many chronic diseases, which leads to rising in demand for an optometrist, who can also counsel them how to taking care of the eye.
Optometrists are the front liners who work in an ophthalmology center, pediatrics ophthalmology in various tertiary hospitals and clinics. They can work as:
Biometrist
Biometrist calculates the patient’s Intraocular Lens power & measures the curvature and the axial length of the corneal and suggests whether contract surgery is needed or not. These contract surgeries have mostly seen in aged patients or having diabetics. Biometrist also works in intraocular lenses.
Practitioner of Contact Lens
As a practitioner, an optometrist can work as a Low vision care practitioner or an Occupational optometrist. They can not only check the vision but also correct the refractive errors by proving a perfect contact lens. Low vision care practitioners provide a significant role in low sight care, by using various devices and educate people whereas Occupational optometrist provides a pre-employment, which provides effective suggestion how to take care of the eye at workplaces.
Advantages or Disadvantages to Become an Optometrist
| Advantages | Disadvantage |
| A balanced worked life, you don’t need to do any rotational shift | The salary will be quite low as compare to the ophthalmic doctor. |
| Less stressful profession, you will work with an Ophthalmologist, all you need to do is check the patient’s vision. | Sometimes patients won’t listen to you, as they generally preferred an Ophthalmologist instead of an optometrist. It will be quite difficult to make them understand. |
| The work environment will be good and less pressure. | You don’t have the right to prescribe a medicine, only an Ophthalmologist can do that. |
| The growth rate is quite good, you will get good career opportunities in your path. | It is a costly course, as compared to its growth rate. |
What are the Responsibilities of an Optometrist?
- Diagnosis: Optometrists diagnosis the problem in the sight whether it’s myopic or myopia or any eye disease.
- Counselling: They promote the awareness of how to care for the eye and what are precautions should be taken to protect the eye from the effect of diseases.
- Surgery: They can help the ophthalmologist in pre and post-operative surgeries.
- Test analysis: They can also perform various eye tests if needed.
- Evaluation of patient and family medical history: The optometrist analysis the patient’s and family’s medical history because some of the eye diseases are either based on the patient’s past medical history or his family history.
- Prescription: They can also prescribe medication and contact lenses and glasses.
What are the Salary Packages of optometrists?
The optometrist has a handsome salary as compared to the other professions in the medical field except for doctors. They have a good amount of salary after gaining at least five to six years of experience. From the given data you can analyze the salary packages.
The salary package for freshers can be around 2 to 3 lakhs per annum, after getting experience in this field you will get a handsome salary, which can be around 6 to 7 lakhs getting 5 to 6 years of experience and when you get 22 plus years of experience your salary will be around 10 to 12lakhs per annum.
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Optometry – Frequently Asked Questions
Optometry is a prominent field of the medical profession, it is the study of pathology and physiology of the eye. The word optometry comes from the word ophthalmic which relates to the study of the eye.
You can work as a vision consultant, researcher, trainee, Customer care association, as professor in any university, counselling,
Yes, all the hospitals whether private or government have an Eye centre they all prefer Optometrists in their hospitals.
The optometrist has a handsome salary as compared to the other professions in the medical field except for doctors.
Yes, you can do courses from outside, even in United State, there is one more career option i.e OD- Doctor of optometry or the student can also pursue the diploma courses.
Yes, there are some of universities that conduct their university-based exam.
Yes, there is a mandatory internship program for all the students, and after that internship, you can submit your thesis of the project.
There are some of the colleges that offered an optometry course: Manipal College of Allied Health Sciences, Grewal Eye Institute, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College, etc.
Yes, there are some of Scholarship programs which is as follows:
1. AIMST-All India Meritorious Scholarship Test
2. IVI- India Vision Institute- conducts a Fellowship program for optometrist graduates
3. Gaurav Foundation Merit Scholarships
