The Bachelor of Optometry is a four-year undergraduate program specifically designed to help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to examine, diagnose, and treat a variety of eye-related ailments.
The word optometry comes from ‘Opis’, which means ‘view’, and ‘Metron’, which basically means something that can be used to measure. Traditionally, the understanding of optometry revolves around measuring visual acuity, prescribing contact lenses, and detecting eye disease.
Today, optometry is a far cry from traditional understanding and has become a revolutionary field involving early diagnosis and painless surgery using technology. This degree is preferred in the medical field because it is dynamic and also focuses on specializations at the undergraduate level.
Upon successfully completing a bachelor’s degree in optometry program, students are ready to land a job at the end of the semester, and most colleges offer placements in some of the top clinics, production facilities, and even other companies.
In times like these, there are many career options that the field of optometry holds. Let’s take a look at them below.
Career Options Available After Optometry:
After completing an optometry, some of the top career options available are optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians. Let’s take a look at the duties included in each of these career options. They are listed below.
- Optometrist: An optometrist is an independent health care provider who specializes in eye care and visual health. Although he is a medical professional, he is not a doctor and is responsible for devoting himself to regular vision care while prescribing glasses or contacts. .
- Ophthalmologist: Doctors who specialize in eye and visual system medicine are called ophthalmologists. This professional provides a complete eye care service that includes vision services, medical eye care, surgical eye care, diagnostics, and ophthalmic treatments including plastic surgery.
- Optician: Opticians are an important part of the eye care team, but they are not ophthalmologists. An optician uses a prescription written by an optometrist, who is often an ophthalmologist. They are trained technicians who verify the design and fit of eyeglass lenses and frames, contact lenses, and other vision correction devices.
It should be noted that career opportunities in all these fields are quite wide in terms of demand in India and abroad.
Optometrists can work as post-secondary teachers, occupational safety and industrial safety programs, and consultants in the eye care industry while conducting university studies. They can also set up private clinics and work independently. They can choose careers in sports vision, public health, government service, or community health centers.
An ophthalmologist, on the other hand, may choose to establish or even work as a private practitioner while being part of a medical group. Being an ophthalmologist can also work as a public health employee, university professor, military doctor, and as an employee in a clinic, hospital, or government agency.
Employment Opportunities:
Bachelor of Optometry students can find many opportunities in the fields of eye and vision care. They are mainly employed in government eye hospitals, super-specialty hospitals, eye clinics and nursing clinics. They may also be employed by opticians, opticians, and manufacturing companies related to eye and vision care.
Top recruiters with a bachelor’s degree in Optometry include Lenskart, Tata Eye+ and Ray Ban glasses.
Conclusion:
The demand for a bachelor’s degree in optometry has gained widespread importance over the past decade or so. Due to the constant changes in people’s lifestyles and prolonged exposure to gadgets, many people have started suffering from eye problems. Therefore, the demand for professionals who can treat eye problems is also increasing.
Completing a Bachelor of Optometry program is a great career choice. It can help you find lucrative jobs in the eye care field and related sectors.
