Chandigarh 23rd March 2022
Technical experts dwell on the importance of Optometrists in Eye Care on World Optometry Day held by Chandigarh University in Collaboration with the Strategic Institute for Public Health Education & Research (SIPHER). More than 50 Faculty members and Students of Chandigarh University attended the deliberations.
Dr. Himanshu Tripathi, Addl Director UIAHS Chandigarh University, and Ms. Bhagyashree were the principal organizers and welcomed the participant.
Prof Sonu Goel, DCM SOPH PGIMER Chandigarh talked about the importance of Optometrists in Public Health and also the importance of Tobacco Cessation as many eye diseases like Cataract and Macular Degeneration are related to tobacco use.
Dr. Rakesh Gupta M.D. President & Director of Public Health, Strategic Institute for Public Health Education & Research (SIPHER) and Faculty, University Institute of Applied Health Sciences (UIAHS), Chandigarh University was the Keynote Speaker. He talked about the Role of Optometrists in Eye Hospitals. He said that Optometrists are important members of the eyecare team in an eye hospital. The role of the optometrist in the hospital setup has expanded since its inception. In the early 1980s, the principal role of the optometrist in the hospital set-up was the performance of clinical refraction, while the ophthalmologist would prescribe the glasses. The period from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s saw the evolution of optometry education into a degree program that looked beyond basic refraction into other aspects of outpatient management. Today, optometrists play a complementary role to ophthalmologists in the tertiary eye care setup. With the addition of many more dimensions, it has developed into a multi-faceted role with ever-increasing scope and responsibility. He concluded by saying that the role of optometrists in tertiary eye care hospitals ranges from predominant clinical roles in refraction, low vision care, and binocular vision care, to extended roles in various clinics, education, research, training, and administration and furthermore up to changing the scenario of tertiary eye care services in the country. This integrated role of optometrists catering to the vision care needs and ophthalmologists attending to medical needs of the patient within a tertiary eye care set-up establishes a healthy foundation for the expansion and development of the eye care profession for the betterment of the needy at large.
