Speaking about the importance of the curriculum in preventing vision related medical problems in India, Neharika Vohra, Vice Chancellor, Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) says, “The latest figures show that 80% of eye diseases are preventable in nature and this makes efforts to provide primary eye care all the more important.”
About 30% of Indians face the risk of blindness. Vohra says, “Optometrists are trained in both academic and clinical aspects to use a variety of technical tools to image, study and treat various disorders of the retina, including diabetic retinopathy and hypertensive retinopathy. Therefore, Taking optometry course has huge job prospects for students with good skills in ophthalmic techniques.”
admission process
Class XII passed students are eligible to appear in the Optometry entrance examinations and will be admitted on the basis of their merit, rank. Some high-profile exams include:
AIIMS (Paramedical) is conducted every year to offer admission in AIIMS Delhi and Rishikesh campuses.
JIPMER (BSc in Optometry) selects students for its Puducherry campus.
Candidates can also fill the application form for these exams: BVP EYECET, JNU CET, AFMC. The list of government universities is long, however, these can also be important choices for applying to Government Medical College and Hospital (Chandigarh), Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (Patna), Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University. (Kanpur), King George’s Medical University (Lucknow), Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (Nashik), Jamia Hamdard, Christian Medical College (Vellore), Sikkim Skill University, ITM Institute of Health Sciences (Mumbai), DSEU.
This list of private universities as a backup plan will also help in expanding college options. SRM University (Chennai), Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences (Dehradun), Manipal Academy of Higher Education, NIMS University, DY Patil University, Christ University, Delhi Paramedical and Management Institute.
educational trip
The undergraduate course is of 4 years duration. In the first three years, students acquire knowledge on these core topics: human anatomy and physiology, basic biochemistry, ophthalmic optics, ophthalmic microbiology, optic distribution, visual optics, optometric instruments, mechanical optics, geriatric optometry, and Pediatric Ophthalmology.
The final year is earmarked for an internship only, in which the students are prepared for industry by providing complete practical exposure. Vohra believes that internship courses are advancement modules. Elaborating on the same, Vohra says, “With the advent of Artificial Intelligence in the healthcare sector, internships that expose students to handling techno-innovative vision screening and diagnostic machines are crucial, so the workforce of the future is effective and efficient. can work with.”
career path
A fresher is hired by an ophthalmologist to assist with various tasks performed in eye care clinics, eye care departments, optical showrooms and lens manufacturing units. With good work experience of 2-3 years, can start working as optometrist and can also prescribe glasses and contact lenses.
Recruiters like Indian Red Cross Society, Eye Hospitals, Eye departments of government hospitals and eye lens manufacturers offer salary packages between 3-5 lakhs per year for these roles.
With a PG degree in Optometry and 10 years of strong work experience in the field, seize career opportunities. They may work as optometrist researchers or independent eye care consultants.