Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Optometry
B.Sc. Optometry is a full-time 3-year undergraduate course, divided into six semesters, of six months each. It essentially involves an advanced study of the clinical skills involved in professionally measuring eyesight, prescribing corrective lenses, and detecting eye diseases.
Interested aspirants need to have qualified the Senior and Higher Secondary Examinations (classes 10th & 12th), as the minimum criteria of eligibility, for pursuing the course in India. The program can be pursued in India for an average course fee ranging between INR 2 and 6 Lacs, varying across institutes. Admission to the course is generally offered based on the candidate’s performance in a relevant entrance examination, and thereafter a round of counseling.
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Successful graduates of the program are lucratively employment across both private and government sectors, in areas such as eye clinics, optician showrooms, contact lens and ophthalmic lens industry, hospital eye department, optical shops, and such, with a monthly pay ranging around INR 15K and 30K at an initial level, varying with the candidate’s expertise in the field.
B.Sc. Optometry: Course Highlights
Some of the important highlights of the course are tabulated below.
| Course Level | Undergraduate |
| Duration | 3 Years |
| Minimum Qualification Required | 10th and 12th completed from a recognized educational Board. |
| Admission Procedure | Counseling after qualification of a relevant entrance examination. |
| Examination Type | Semester System |
| Major Entrance Exams | AIIMS, JNU, DU, CMC, etc. |
| Total Course Fee | INR 2 to 6 Lacs |
| Average Starting Salary | INR 2.5 to 8 Lacs (annually) |
| Top recruiting Areas/Fields | Contact lens & ophthalmic lens industry, eye clinics, health consultancies, hospital eyes departments, lens manufacturing units, optician showrooms, multinational companies dealing with eye care products, etc. |
| Job Positions | Optometrist, Optician, Sales Executive, Teacher, Eye Doctor, and such. |
B.Sc. Optometry: What is it About?
B.Sc. Optometry course has been designed to offer to eligible candidates a wide range of clinical skills and knowledge to examine, diagnose, treat and manage diseases and disorders of the visual system using lenses and other optical aids.Successful graduates of the course interested in pursuing higher studies in the discipline may go for higher courses such as M.Sc., Ph.D., and other research-related studies in the vision care science.
B.Sc. Optometry program aims to educate students about the various professional methods of visual screening, diagnosis of visual problems, orthotics and vision training, optometric counseling of patients with partial sight, color blindness and hereditary vision defects, and designing and fitting of spectacles, contact lens, and low vision aids.
One of the main objectives of the program is to prepare candidates for successfully operating in, and contributing to the department of vision care, as also for pursuing advanced research in the discipline. The B.Sc. Optometry curriculum blends theoretical and practical components of the study.
B.Sc. Optometry: Who should opt?
Aspiring eligible candidates would ideally possess:
- the ability to deal tactfully with patients
- managerial skills.
- good communication and interpersonal skills to deal with other professionals in the field
- work ethics characterized by dedication and persistence.
B.Sc. Optometry: Admission Procedure
Admission to B.Sc. Optometry course is provided to eligible candidates on the basis of performance in a relevant entrance examination, which is conducted either by the concerned institution or at the State or national level. A cut-off score is set for the examination and students clearing that are eligible for the counseling process.
The counseling process comprises two additional rounds of Group Discussion and Personal Interview, wherein the candidate’s general aptitude for the course is examined, and seats are allotted to qualifying students.
Although, there are some colleges in India that provide admission on the basis of marks scored in last qualifying examination (class 12th).
Mentioned below are some of the major entrance tests conducted in the country for admission to B.Sc. Optometry course.
- AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) Entrance Test
- JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) Combined Entrance Examination
- DU (University of Delhi) Biotechnology Entrance Examination
- CMC (Christian Medical College) Entrance Examination
- NEET-UG (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for Under Graduate)
B.Sc. Optometry: Syllabus and Course Description
Tabulated below is a semester-wise breakup of the course’s syllabus.
| Semester I | Semester II |
|---|---|
| Basic Accountancy | Contact Lens |
| Clinical Psychology | Functional English and Communication |
| Community and Occupational Optometry | Geriatric Optometry and Pediatric Optometry |
| Computer Basics | General Biochemistry & Ocular Biochemistry |
| Semester III | Semester IV |
| General Physiology and Ocular Physiology | Law and Optometry |
| General Anatomy and Ocular Anatomy | Low Vision Aids |
| Geometrical Optics | Mathematics |
| Hospital Procedures | Nutrition |
| Semester V | Semester VI |
| Ocular Diseases and Eye & Systemic Diseases | Physical Optics |
| Optometric and Dispensing Optics | Public Relations |
| Optometric Instruments and Clinical Examination of Visual System | Research Methodology and Statistics |
| Pathology & Microbiology | Squint and Binocular Vision |
| Pharmacology | Visual Optics |
