The Delhi government has decided to set up an optometry training wing at the Guru Nanak Eye Care Centre in the National Capital. The wing will run a four-year bachelor’s degree programme in optometry for medical students.
The objective of the institute is to provide quality eye care services to the people of Delhi by training students and providing support to carry out screening activities for community programmes, as well as national programmes.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said, “Eyes are a very delicate & crucial part of the human anatomy. In the digital era, many people are suffering from chronic eye diseases due to the excessive use of electronic devices such as TVs, laptops and cellular devices. Under such conditions, there is a demand for Optometry experts in the country as well as across the world. Keeping this in mind, the Kejriwal Government is setting up an Optometry training wing to provide basic eye care services by trained optometrists to the citizens of Delhi.”
The four-year Bachelors of Optometry degree will be offered by the Optometry Training Wing, he said.
The Guru Nanak Eye Centre is a training institute for graduate programmes, affiliated with the Maulana Azad Medical College and Delhi University, with an intake of 15 students every year.
Sisodia informed that the degree is a graduate course in Optometry, which includes a one-year internship as part of a 4-year course programme with a focus on eye care services.
At present, Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmology in Delhi is the only Government Institute besides the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Government Medical College, Chandigarh to offer a four-year degree course in Optometry.
Students who have studied and graduated from the Science stream in class 12th can apply for admission to the Bachelors of Optometry course.
For admission to Guru Nanak Eye Care Centre, students have to pass the entrance test. It takes four years to complete the Bachelors of Optometry degree. Out of these four years, three years are devoted to academic training, while the last year is dedicated to an internship for practical learning. In this course, all subjects related to the eyes are taught in detail. Admissions will take place for 20 seats in the first batch at the Guru Nanak Eye Care Centre.