Eye Care

What does an optometrist means?

Optometrists are qualified practitioners to check the health of your eyes. A lot of people want to know the difference between optometrist and ophthalmologist. Ophthalmologists actually learn how to do surgery, and do things like cataract surgery (or) glaucoma surgery, anything that’s going to cut off or cut into, but optometrists are quite different. An optometrist perform preliminary eye and vision care, they can treat eye diseases like red eyes, eye infection, all of these sorts of things that don’t require any kind of surgery.

Employment of optometrists is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2008 in increases of population. As adults or teenage kids,there is more need to visit optometrists as the age increases eye problems also increases in the later ages, for instance computer-related vision problems.

Optometrists in Singapore:

In optometrist singapore need to study 3 years of Diploma in Optometry school.In 2005 Singapore started the Advanced Diploma in Optometry program. Universities provide courses like Bachelor of Science in Optometry and other degree courses at Singapore Polytechnic.Before the Optometrists and Opticians Act (2007), there was no legislation for optometry in Singapore. All students must register under the Contact Lens Practitioners Board in order to practice there.The profession of optometry was not protected by law. Contact lens technicians can call themselves as optometrists and there is no such law to stop them to say so. There is access to everyone to practice even if the person is not adequately trained or academically qualified in optometry. In order to sell contact lens every practitioner should hire an optometrist because of the Contact Lens Practitioners Act.

Duties performed by optometrist:

-They undergo eye checkups and vision tests.

-Perform minor surgeries and provide pre and post operative counselling for the patients.

-Helps in providing prescription of spectacles or contact lenses and explaining us how to maintain them properly.

-provide diagnosis in case of short or long eyesight problems or some eye related diseases.

-General examination to overrule diseases like diabetes or hypertension.

-Optometrists who work for paediatric specialists examines infants and children related diseases and eye problems.

 Many optometrists are practising on their own and some are working in hospitals, super specialities and educational institutions, some will do research and projects rendering their services for overall general and eye care for the people.