Optometry is a health
science, which deals with diagnosis and treatment of visual problems,
detection of ocular and related systemic diseases requiring special
care. There are two different professional groups that provide vision
care to the community:
1. Optometrists
are not-medical primary health care professionals specifically educated
and clinically trained to examine the eye and visual systems and to
solve the visual problems by prescribing spectacles, contact lenses
and other opthalmic aids. In countries where optometry is well established,
the majority of the patients with visual problems are taken care of
by optometrists.
2. Opthalmologists are medical practitioners who provide medical and
surgical therapy for different ocular diseases.
It is considered
less expensive to have optometry as primary vision care unit, providing
screening services for eye patients and referring only those to opthalmologists
and medical practitioners who actually need special care.
Goals of the programme:
- To produce competent, compassionate and community-oriented optometrists
who are capable of providing vision care, identify ocular and related
systemic illness to be referred to medical practitioners;
- To ensure that s/he recognizes his/her limitations and maintains the
highest ethical standard of profession.
Course Objectives:
General
- To provide knowledge and develop practical skills in primary eye health
care in the field of visual and optical science for high school graduates.
Specific
To develop skills in
- History taking and physical examination.
- Measuring visual functions.
- General as well as specific eye examinations.
- Correlating different structures and functions of human body.
- Assessing the ocular health and recognizing ocular signs of systemic
diseases.
- Prescribing and fitting appropriate visual aids.
- Referring patients for medical and opthalmic consultations as appropriate.
- Undertaking independent scientific studies and critically analysing
scientific literatures.
- Updating his/her knowledge and skills in optometry.
- Planning and implementing community-based vision care services.
Competencies to be achieved:
By the end of this
course the students will be able to:
- elicit a general history and conduct related physical examination;
- elicit family, medical and ocular history;
- identify the presenting optometric complaint;
- examine the eyes and measure visual functions;
- correlate the structures and functions of human body'
- asses the ocular health and recongnize ocular signs of common systemic
diseases;
- prescribe and fit appropriate visual aids;
- refer patients for medical and opthalmic consultations as appropriate;
- undertake independent scientific studies and critically analyse scientific
literatures;
- update his/her knowledge and skills in optometry;
- plan and implement community-based vision care services.
Duration of Course:
The course is for
three academic years.
Eligibility Criteria:
