BSc Optometry

BSc Optometry is a field of study which deals with the study of the human eye. In BSc Optometry course, one studies the eyes and all the other information such as structure, abnormalities, etc subjects related to the human eye. Along with studying about the eye, the candidate also learns about how to use various kinds of tools and equipment related to the eye treatment.

BSc Optometry is an undergraduate course offered by various reputed colleges in India. The course duration is three years. Along with the three year degree program, candidates also need to do a one year internship program as well. Hence, the total duration of the BSc Optometry course is four year. The internship is a compulsory program without which a BSc degree in Optometry would not be complete. 

Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Candidates who pursue this course and make a career in this field are known as Optometrists. The main work of an optometrist is to deal with various tools and equipment related to the human eye. According to the  World Council of Optometry, World Health Organization and about 75 optometry organizations, optometry and optometrist are defined as follows:

“Optometry is a healthcare profession that is autonomous, educated, and regulated (licensed/registered), and optometrists are the primary healthcare practitioners of the eye and visual system who provide comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes refraction and dispensing, detection/diagnosis and management of disease in the eye, and the rehabilitation of conditions of the visual system”.

The course highlights for BSc Optometry are mentioned below:

BSc Optometry is a total four year undergraduate course. The course duration is a three year and one year compulsory internship program after the completion of the three year degree program. Any candidate who has completed class 12th degree from any recognized board is eligible for taking admission in BSc Optometry course. BSc optometry course admission is based on the entrance examination basis. There are various BSc Optometry colleges in India which provide the best training and internship in this particular course. Below are some of the important highlights related to the BSc Optometry course.

Candidates need to qualify entrance exams in order to get BSc Optometry admission in various colleges in India. Below mentioned are some of the important exams that are conducted in order to provide BSc Optometry admission to the eligible candidates:

AIIMS: All India Institute of Medical Sciences is one of the reputed institutes for medical science in India. AIIMS conducts its entrance exam at the national level.AIIMS provides a very limited number of seats for BSc optometry course and hence is one of the toughest exams in the field of BSc Optometry. Know more about AIIMS MBBS Admissions 2022

NEET: National Eligibility cum Entrance Test is conducted at an undergraduate level for all medical students. Formerly it was known as  the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT). NEET is an all India pre-medical entrance test for students who wish to pursue a career in the medical field. It is one of the challenging exams for the students. Candidates who wish to get admission in BSc Optometry must clear the entrance exam in order to find a seat in a good BSc optometry college in India. Know more about NEET 2022 Exam

Jain University Entrance Test: Jain University is a private university which is located in Bangalore, Karnataka. Jain University conducts entrance exam in order to provide BSc Optometry admission. Candidates must have secured minimum 60% in order to apply for admission in this university. The official website of Jain University is www.jainuniversity.ac.in.

CMC Entrance Exam: Christian Medical College, Vellore, also known as CMC, Vellore, is a private, Christian community-run medical school, hospital and research institute. In order to take admission in Christian medical college, candidates need to qualify the entrance exam which is conducted by the college authorities every year. The official website of CMC college is www.cmch-vellore.edu.

CUET:The Common University Entrance Test (CUET), earlier known as Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) is an all-India test being organized by National Testing Agency for admission to various Undergraduate, Integrated, Postgraduate, Diploma, Certification courses and Research Programmes in 45 Central Universities of India. In order to take admission in BSc Optometry course, candidates need to qualify the CUET entrance test. Know more about Common University Entrance Test (CUET)

BSc Optometry course eligibility criteria is as follows:

• Candidates need to have done class 12th from any recognized board in India.
• Candidates must have scored minimum aggregate marks in any stream ie. Arts and Humanities, Commerce or Science stream. 
• Different colleges have different eligibility criteria but it is compulsory to have scored at least 45% marks in class 12th board exams.
• There are various BSc optometry colleges which conduct entrance exams also in order to provide admission to the candidates in BSc Optometry course.
• Candidates are selected on the basis of merit list that is issued by the different colleges after the culmination of entrance examination.
• Candidates who have qualified the entrance examination are then called for the counseling process by BSc Optometry colleges.

BSc optometry admission process has been discussed in the following section in detail.

• Candidates who wish to pursue BSc Optometry firstly need to fill BSc Optometry eligibility criteria as has been provided in the above section.
• As has been mentioned above, BSc optometry admission is provided on the basis of entrance exam by various institutions in India. Hence, candidates need to qualify the entrance exam in order to get admission in BSc optometry colleges in India.
• Candidates also need to notice one thing that different BSc optometry colleges have different eligibility criteria for providing admission in that particular course. Hence, it is important for the candidates to first check BSc optometry admission process followed by different universities and colleges.
• In the era of the Internet, it has become easy for the candidates to apply for admission in any course. Candidates can apply online by visiting the official website of a particular BSc optometry college and fill the application form there.
• In case candidates face any problems in filling the application form online, then the candidates can consult that particular BSc optometry college through phone or mail. Candidates can also go for an offline process for BSc optometry admission in different colleges in India.
• BSc optometry admission process comprises an entrance exam which is conducted by the college authorities. 
• Admission in BSc optometry college is then provided on the basis of merit list issued by the college.
• Those candidates who qualify the entrance exam are then called for counseling and are offered BSc optometry admission on the basis of their performance in the entrance exam.

BSc Optometry Admission Process - Merit Based Process

• After applying, based on the admission guidelines of the respective colleges, candidates will be asked to participate in the selection processes.
• The selection of various colleges may include Personal Interviews and/or Group Discussion.
• Based on the overall performance of the candidate in the different selection parameters such as the past academic record and the performance in the personal interview and/or group discussion, the colleges/universities will offer admissions to the prospective candidates.

BSc Optometry Admission Process- Counseling Based Process

• A common selection process opted by colleges and universities across India is the counseling-based admissions. This mode of selection is usually opted by Universities with many affiliated or constituent institutions offering the same course.
• This mode of selection can be found under both entrance-based admissions and merit-based admissions for BSc Optometry courses.
• The universities who have opted for the counseling based, they will release merit lists containing the name of the candidates in order to their merit, which will either be calculated using their scores in the qualifying exam or entrance test.
• Under counseling-based admissions, candidates will be asked to select and choose their preferred choice of course and college.
• Based on the performance of the candidates in the entrance exam/qualifying exam, their rank/score in the merit list, the preferred choice of college and course and availability of seats in the selected choices, the universities will offer admissions to the prospective candidate.

Note: Each college will specify its own admission processes and eligibility criteria for offering admissions to the BSc Optometry course. Therefore, candidates must check out each individual college's admission guidelines prior to applying for admissions.

Following are the documents that are required for BSc Optometry admission in different colleges:

• Birth certificate of the candidate
• Marksheet of the latest degree ie. Class 12 marksheet is required
• School leaving certificate which needs to be obtained from the respective schools only.
• Transfer Certificate
• Migration Certificate
• Bonafide Certificate or Domicile Certificate
• Reserved Category Certificate ie. Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other Backward Caste certificate
• Character Certificate
• Certificate for Disability (if any)
• Provisional Certificate

In the following table, top BSc Optometry colleges list have been provided:

One of the most crucial ways to clear the BSc Optometry entrance exam is to dedicate time each day and stick to the BSc Optometry exam pattern and syllabus. Students planning to appear for the entrance exams for the BSc Optometry program have to focus on and study four core subjects i.e., Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

Some things to remember in order to prepare well for the BSc Optometry Entrance Exam:

• Aspiring students need to dedicate a minimum of 2-3 hours every day to perform their best on the exam day.
• The students must practice with the help of the latest BSc Optometry test papers and solve questions asked in previous years' question papers, as this will enable them to understand the exam content and the latest pattern of the entrance exam.
• A great way to boost exam performance is by attempting mock test papers. This will help students figure out their mistakes, strengths, and weaknesses a lot better.
• Divide and allocate time wisely to each subject and emphasize revising as well.
• Avoid focusing entirely on the stronger sections only and don’t the weaker sections. This can be very detrimental to exam performance.

BSc Optometry is a three year course which is covered in a format of six semesters. Given below is the detailed syllabus for all the three semesters. It must be noted that this is the general outline of the syllabus which is followed in most of the colleges. Various colleges may have different BSc optometry course syllabus. 

BSc Optometry Course Syllabus for Semester 1

• General Anatomy
•  English & Communication
• General Physiology 
• Geometrical Optics – I
• General Biochemistry
• Physical Optics – I 
• General Pathology and Microbiology

BSc Optometry Course Syllabus for Semester 2

• Ocular Anatomy 
• Computers for Optometrists
• Ocular Physiology
• Hospital Procedure
• Ocular Biochemistry
• Geometrical Optics – II
• Nutrition
• Ocular Pathology and Microbiology

BSc Optometry Course Syllabus for Semester 3

• General Pharmacology
• Visual Optics – I
• Clinical Examination of Visual System
• Optometry Optics – I
• Ocular Disease – I
• Optometric Instruments

BSc Optometry Course Syllabus for Semester 4

• Visual Optics – II
• Medical Psychology
• Optometric Optics – II
• Ocular Pharmacology 
• Clinical Examination of Visual System – II
• Ocular Disease – II
• Clinical Examination of Visual System - Practical

BSc Optometry Course Syllabus for Semester 5

• Clinics – I
• Contact Lens – I
• Research Methodology and Biostatistics
• Low Vision Care
• Systemic Diseases and the eye
• Pediatric Optometry
•  Binocular Vision – I

BSc Optometry Course Syllabus for Semester 6

• Clinics – II
• Contact Lens – II
• Occupational Optometry
• Binocular Vision – II
•  Medical Law and Ethics
• Public Health and Community Optometry
•  Geriatric Optometry

In the following sections, BSc Optometry text books and reference books have been provided semester wise. Students can take an idea from the study material provided below as to what kind of books are taught in BSc Optometry course.

BSc Optometry Course Books for Semester 1

• Peter L. Williams and Roger Warmick: Gray’s Anatomy- Descriptive and Applied, 1980
• T.S. Ranganathan: Textbook of Human Anatomy, 1982
• G J Tortora, B Derrickson: Principles of anatomy & physiology
• S. Ramakrishnan, K G Prasannan and R Rajan: Textbook of Medical Biochemistry, 1990
• Pedrotti L. S, Pedrotti Sr. F. L, Optics and Vision, 1998
• Schwartz S. H. Geometrical and Visual Optics: A Clinical Introduction

BSc Optometry Course Books for Semester 2

• AK Khurana, Indu Khurana: Anatomy and Physiology of Eye, Second edition, 2006
• PL Kaufman, A Alm: Adler’s Physiology of the eye clinical application, 10th edition, 2002
• S. Ramakrishnan, K G Prasannan and R Rajan: Textbook of Medical Biochemistry, 1990
• Loshin D. S. The Geometric Optics Workbook, 1991
• Essentials of Medical Microbiology by Rajesh Bhatia, Rattan Lal Ichhpujani – Jaypee
• C Gopalan, BV Rama Sastri, SC Balasubramanian: Nutritive Value of Indian Foods, National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad,2004
• Lele, Ramchandra, Computer in Medicine – Progress in Medical Informatics

BSc Optometry Course Books for Semester 3

• M P Keating: Geometric, Physical and Visual optics, 2nd edition, 2002
• C V Brooks, IM Borish: System for Ophthalmic Dispensing, Second edition, 1996
•  P R Yoder: Mounting Optics in Optical Instruments, SPIE Society of Photo- Optical Instrumentation, 2002 
•  Jack J. Kanski Clinical Ophthalmology: A Systematic Approach, 6th edition, Butterworth - Heinemann, 2007
• D B. Elliott :Clinical Procedures in Primary Eye Care,3rd edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007
• K D Tripathi: Essentials of Medical Pharmacology. 5th edition, 2004

BSc Optometry Course Books for Semester 4

• Theodore Grosvenor: Primary Care Optometry, 5th edition, Butterworth – Heinemann, 2007
• Jalie MO: Ophthalmic lens and Dispensing, 3rd edition, Butterworth – Heinemann, 2008 
• Stephen J. Miller : Parsons Diseases of the Eye, 18th edition, Churchill Livingstone, 1990
• Pediatric Optometry & Binocular Vision by American Academy of Ophthalmology
• T J Zimmerman, K S Kooner : Text Book of Ocular Pharmacology, Lippincott-Raven, 1997
• Patricia Barkway. Psychology for health professionals, 2 nd edition, Elsevier, 2013

BSc Optometry Course Books for Semester 5

• E S. Bennett ,V A Henry :Clinical manual of Contact Lenses, 3rd edition, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2008
• Anthony J. Phillips : Contact Lenses, 5thedition, Butterworth- Heinemann, 2006 
• Elisabeth A. W. Millis: Medical Contact Lens Practice, ButterworthHeinemann, 2004 
• A J Jackson, J S Wolffsohn: Low Vision Manual, Butterworth Heinnemann, 2007
• Helen Farral: optometric Management of Visual Handicap, Blackwell Scientific publications, 1991
• Mitchell Scheiman; Bruce Wick: Clinical Management of Binocular Vision Heterophoria, Accommodative, and Eye Movement Disorders, 2008, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins publishers
• Basic and clinical Science course: Update on General Medicine, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Section 1, 1999

BSc Optometry Course Books for Semester 6

• GVS Murthy, S K Gupta, D Bachani: The principles and practice of community Ophthalmology, National programme for control of blindness, 2002
• MC Gupta, Mahajan BK, Murthy GVS, 3rd edition. TextBook of Community Medicine, 2002
• K Park: Park’s TextBook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 19th edition
• G W Good: Occupational Vision Manual available in the following website: www.aoa.org.
• G Carson, S Doshi, W Harvey: Eye Essentials: Environmental & Occupational Optometry, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2008
• N.A. Smith: Lighting for Occupational Optometry, HHSC Handbook Series, Safechem Services, 1999

Candidates with a BSc Optometry degree have a great scope on successful completion of their degree as Optometrists are constantly in demand. A large number of people need eye care including children, adults and the old. This course enables aspirants to cater to the needs of those who need vision and eye care. This is one field where private ventures flourish at an excellent rate.

There are several employment opportunities for BSc Optometry graduates in India, in both the private and government sector. Each sector and employment opportunity will offer different opportunities. Here are some of the BSc Optometry employment opportunities in India.

• Corporate sector
• Basic research and integrated professional areas
• Private practice
• Public health
• Industries/ companies
• Work for an optical chain or under an optical store
• Eye care hospitals & institutions
• Scientific research
• Education sector

Apart from pursuing a career right after BSc Optometry  course, many graduates also opt for pursuing higher education after BSc Optometry course. Pursuing higher education or Masters degree after BSc Optometry will help in improving the career scope of the graduates. Some of the higher education prospects for BSc Optometry graduates include:

• Master of Optometry
• MSc in Optometry
• PD Diploma in Ophthalmic Technology
• MBA
• PGDM

Also Read: 

• MSc Optometry Colleges in India
• Diploma in Optometry and Ophthalmic Technology Colleges in India

An optometrist can earn a monthly wage of Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 40,000 at the beginning of their career. Experience and reputation are the two major factors that play an essential role in the career of an optometrist. A good reputation can get you more clients to look after. Graduates can also earn up to Rs. 5 lakh per annum, depending on their knowledge and the city they plan to work in. An experienced optometrist can also earn up to Rs. 10 lakh per year or more.

BSc Optometry promises a future with high-paying jobs where graduates also get to help people see the world. Considering a job as an optometrist can be one of the best decisions for any student’s career. Here is why:

• The need for licensed optometrists is projected to surge significantly in the coming years.
• Graduates of BSc Optometry get to help out the community by contributing to the healthcare industry.
• Optometrists have a high earning potential and possess a skill set that is useful for many industries outside of the healthcare industry. 
• Striking a work-life balance in this line of career is fairly easier in comparison to a career in nursing and medicine.
• A career in the field of optometry offers job stability and a healthy work environment to its employees. 

From owning a private clinic to working in an international chain of hospitals to finding a high-paying job in the eyewear industry, there is a multitude of job options BSc optometry graduates can select to build a thriving optometry career. BSc optometry ensures a successful future with high regard in society, well-paying jobs, job stability, and work-life balance.