Optometry in india where do we stand small

Optometry in India-
where do we stand?

Optom. Rajesh Wadhwa
M.Optom
B.Ophth.Tech.(Hons.) AIIMS
B.Sc.(Hons.) DU
Fellow of International Association of Contact Lens Educators (Australia)
PGDHRM (IGNOU)

What do we see in a process....
 We see what the mind wards to appreciate
wishes
re
hasPublic health
try
ome
An Intellectual Corporate sees
Opt
sees professional opportunity

for all… sees
iety ties
Soc ersi
-
niv ry
--U unt
-- - Co orate
orp tals
---C ospi
-
H
--- Rajesh Wadhwa- New Delhi
Ph:09868010187 -- r_wadhwa@yahoo.com

When the knowledge of
profession and willfull effort of all
will flow in the country
In addition to
improving
quality of life
for many…..
…. Country will also save US$ 23 billion
per year through eye-care
Ph:09868010187 Rajesh Wadhwa- New Delhi r_wadhwa@yahoo.com

World has….
Poverty & blindness
encourage each other
 37 Million blind

 India owns 15million

 Visually impaired in
world=133million
 India owns 52 million


What is the cost to country?
 We can save here

 India: the loss of productivity &
economic burden of
maintenance is
over $23 billion per year


Monetary loss is not the
realkno ith oth
e
pain
w? .... er
 .... aboutD 85% e all g w impairment and
o wof rinvision g a
in at e
artn globally couldibe avoided,
do lim n ar
75% ofB p blindnesss is
P C or cured b to e by ye
prevented en cie jo
N ag ab l e ss ”
ne
nd lind
(need personnel, facilities)
me less b 0
 This m where optometry is eager to share
co is eed
“n 202
the he
t responsibility


India
 Main cause of visual impairment is
Who is an
“unoperated cataract” (72L) &
“uncorrected refractive error” (24L)
optometrist ?
 We have only about 6000 surgically active
ophthalmologists (general perception)
 We need another professional to do
non-surgical work in eye-care
 Answer is “Optometrist” (we are 40,000+)


WHO through
World Council of Optometry
 Classifies Optometry as an independent primary
health-care profession
 And defines optometrists as 'the primary
healthcare practitioners of the eye and visual
system who provide comprehensive eye and
vision care, which includes refraction and
dispensing, the detection/diagnosis and
management of diseases in the eye, and the
rehabilitation of conditions of the visual
system”

Questions regarding optometry
today
 What can optometry offer in eye care ?
 What can an optometrist do to relieve the
time of ophthalmologist ?
 Is optometrist different from optician ?
 Who represents optometry in India for any policy?
 How will society, universities, country,health care
Next slide is a busy-slide
system & corporate world benefit from growth of
optometry?

What can an optometrist do as an
independent practitioner
 Other fields include:
Refraction Contact Lenses  Spectacle dispensing
 Spread public awareness
about common eye
Low Vision Aids, conditions, their
Tonometry, assistive vision devices treatment and the need
fields, & rehabilitation for regular eye check-up
A-scan etc.  Timely referral of
patients where
Childhood blindness medical/surgical
Orthoptics ,
& pre/post op
intervention is required
co-management

An optometrist..
 ….is able to deliver
appropriate level of high
quality eye care from the
small clinic or practice in
remote region as a stand-
alone vision care and eye
health expert

e.g. in my small practice of 10 new cases a
day : We detect-by looking at eyes

 1/wk we detect a new hypertensive
 1/wk we detect a new diabetic
 1/mth we detect glaucoma
(3 suspect)
 1 in 2yrs we detect lesions at higher centers

Why is optometrist a health care
professional s in
a c le
stto systemic diseases
ob
 Diagnose conditions due
ing other health t point
and refer patients to ach
com needed. s firs ine
practitioners as utre
ver
O O ti tl
ris e firs s
et
 This integrates optometrist or rest of s
op tom eref with ndne
health-care system th
lly t & bli
cia tMalaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, US,
o Kong, ac nst
S
 Hong
gai
con Canada are some countries where the
ea
UK,Australia, ens
of
fd ef drugs is now permitted to
o
use of diagnostic
qualified optometrists

Organization of eye-care
 Ophthalmologist represents the
highest level of eye-care-
provider in India
 We have optometrist &
opticians also


India-in a process at this time
 Optician dispenses
Every one does almost spects….ALSO prescribes
everything spects & fits contact lenses
 Optometrist does
orthoptics, investigations,
Ophthalmologists prescribing spects, contact
Optici lenses etc, also manages
anist
rs
minor eye-ailments & runs
et optical outlets

p tom  Ophthalmologist
practices medicine & surgery
O ….AND does orthoptics,
refractions & runs optical
Ph:09868010187 outlets r_wadhwa@yahoo.com
Rajesh Wadhwa- New Delhi

In countries with mature
eye-care system
A & pp ro x
US a, a
In i ar e
us t r al ey ec
A of all
70 % i de d by
pr o v i s ts
is e tr
op to m

InIn countries with mature
India when quality
eye-care system some
students qualify,
tend to move to

Ind led
countries where

ca pto
ia oph is

“O t t h
l

n h
o thalm
optometry is a

“ In
op dia
In
me eve
tha t”

is
tr l of p tan
recognized profession

l
lm is s ess
ic om ional

ic
ass e
(in USA this is 4 most
as
th
ist tim .

rof t” is
sis
ant es

preferred profession)
in


As optometry professionals
 Our primary public health responsibility
is to eliminate uncorrected refractive
error (URE).
 In national interest: It costs so much
less time, money & resource to train an
optometrist than to train an
ophthalmologist for non-medicinal
work (e.g. Refraction, contact lens,
orthoptics etc)
2

As optometrists- we are a major
component of solution
 We stand united in strength of
40,000+ to fight the problem by
getting involved in national policies
 NO CONFUSION: the earlier
confusion of who represents
“optometry” & who represents
“education in optometry” is resolved

With help of several agencies
“Delhi declaration” was signed
in Jul.2010……

DELHI DECLARATION ON OPTOMETRY
AND BLINDNESS PREVENTIONr_wadhwa@yahoo.com
Ph:09868010187 Rajesh Wadhwa- New Delhi
IN INDIA

Example of commitments
(out of 11)
 Assisting in the development and provision of
accessible, affordable and excellent vision care
services to all people of India – regardless of
their geographical location or socio-economic
status (public:priv=10:90)
 Developing competent human resources in
Optometry to meet the current and future eye
care needs and reduce the burden of vision
impairment and blindness in India (mango tree)

We have created the base
 Any agency now needs to talk only to one
organization regarding “optometry” in India
 Indian Optometry Federation
(IOF)
 Education in optometry
ASCO
(Association Of Schools & Colleges Of Optometry)


 Is a registered body
 Has membership of VISION 2020

 Is voice of all (40000+ optometrist)

 Is working towards partnership with Govt.,
NGOs and international agencies to
standardize & regulate optometry
 Is committed to Delhi Declaration


NPCB
At IOF we have adopted
In India A National
oneofsingle nomenclature
Programme for
control Blindness
“Optometrist” for all 2
was started in 1975
with the motto that

years or higher (4,6,11 yr)
‘One of the basic
Human rights is
the right to see,
……” qualifications

Public health contribution of
optometry can not be overlooked
 As
Next 2 slides show an
individual practitioners

example of success
 institutional professionals
with optometry
 schools of optometry
involvement in
 Also done work in
 schoolnational programs screening,
vision screening, cataract
special children screening, etc.


OPTOMETRISTS to
OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
 Countries Optometrists Ophthalmologists
 Australia 12.5 3.3
 Canada 10.26 3.3
 U.K 13.27 1.06
 New Zealand 10 2
 USA 10.99 5.7
 India 0.65 2
 Ratio for 100000 people (per 0.1mill)
 (source Dr.Hofstetter in WCO monthly bulletin)

OPTOMETRISTS to
OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
 Blindness
 New Zealand= blind: popu= 0.003 per mill
 India= blind: popu =0.012 per mill

 India has 4 times more blind per mill.

 Countries Optometrists Ophthalmologists

 New Zealand (Pop 4.4mil) 10 2
 India (Pop 1210mil) 0.65 2
Ratio for 100000 people (per 0.1mill)

Universities: Time line (IOF)
 Our internal timeline target=No university
will offer less than 4 year course in
optometry by 2020 (grandfather clause till then)
 Draft Common-minimum optometry
curriculum & bridge courses to upgrade 2
year diploma to 4 year degree is ready
 Several universities are now accepting lateral
entry


The IVI project
 India Vision Institute (IVI)
inaugurated on oct.18,2011
 Task force set up to look into
optimizing existing human
resources and developing new
professionals
2

What will IVI do ?
 An enthusiastic plan for the
development of optometry & vision
industry over 5 years
 Develop human resources

 Ensure fundamental infrastructure is in place

 Establishing professional and regulatory
framework for optometry


IVI
 PhD scholarship available within India
 On our agenda specialties like
 Contact lenses

 Low & assistive vision devices

 Rehabilitation

 Paediatric optometry

2

Opportunity for the industry
 The global vision and eye care industry is worth
approximately $89 billion in retail product sales
 $180 billion including professional fees
 India’s vision industry sits at a modest 1% of the
world’s consumption and is valued at $5 billion
at the retail level
 Yet India has 17% of the world’s population


Opportunity for all
 Partnership between Educational
institutions + optometry +
corporate world will lead to a win-
win situation for all three & also
for the country,hospitals & society


Availability of optometry
education in India
 119 recognized universities/ institutions
offer optometry courses
 65 Offer 3 or 4 year graduate level
program
 16 offer M.Optom
 4 offer Ph.D. program
 4 Optometrists in India are at
“Professor” level

Indian optometrists are no less
of
on international standards
w
 44 out of 253 FIACLE s in n o areas
k world t h here
dy n(esp. out
 Lot of international research t
bo io ha
ny ess donewitIndian.?
s a rof
h
CCLRU/BHVI, LVPE) is
oe p l by ovt
ve y G
D e
optometrists r le b
ot his ze a
h hastreceived d Padmasree
 Our optometrist
n
a wn to gni
o reco
 We hold a national/international conference
gr g
every year in
be foreign universities……
 As faculty in


Regulation through a council

 We require support from the
Government to form a Council.
 Meanwhile, in the interim period, we
are in the process of creating a
self-regulatory body
that will act as a council.

2

Our wish-list..
 We wish to serve the people
“Freely and fully”
 We need a council

 Actually, now India needs a council of

optometry
 We request the government to make use of
existing professionals &
avoid re-inventing the wheel

The day is not far..
 When optometry in India will have similar
place as in developed countries like
Australia & USA


The country needs Optometry
&

Optometrists stand
ready & motivated to
meet the challenge of
Right to Sight
in India by 2020

My contact details:

Rajesh Wadhwa
r_wadhwa@yahoo.com
9868010187
www.indianoptometryfederation.org

Thank You!

Optometry in india where do we stand small

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