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Optometry is a health care profession that provides comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes the diagnosis and management of eye diseases.
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Optometry is a health care profession that provides comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes the diagnosis and management of eye diseases.
In Singapore, optometrists undergo a three-year Diploma in Optometry program. Graduates of this program are able to register with the Optometrists and Opticians Board. They are considered pre-registered and will have to complete a one-year provisional registration, under the supervision of a fully registered optometrist, before being fully registered and able to individually practice optometry in Singapore. Provisionally registered optometrists have to complete a logbook for submission to the Optometrists & Opticians Board.
Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic offer the three-year Diploma in Optometry program, with an average yearly intake of 80 and 40 students respectively. The course intake requirement is 5 GCE 'O' Levels with L1R2B2 aggregates of between 10 and 14, variable each year. International students with the equivalent of the local GCE 'O' Levels may also apply to study for this course. This three-year course provides optometry students with the relevant skills and knowledge of vision testing, diagnosis, and management of eye disorders and diseases, fitting and dispensing of glasses and contact lenses, as well as the business aspect of optometry.
In 2002, the Singapore Optometric Association tied up with the Salus University – formerly known as Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) – to provide a 3-year part-time course. This course awards the Bachelor of Science in Optometry / Master of Science in Clinical Optometry dual degree. This course is only open to Singapore qualified optometrists with the Diploma in Optometry, and graduates of overseas institution with bachelor's degrees in Optometry. This course is held in Singapore and is fully taught by the faculty from Salus University. The professors and lecturers from Salus University fly down each month, to provide intensive lectures on a particular topic for a stretch of days. Students are also required to go to Salus University Campus twice during the course, for three weeks each, to practice patient care, attend lectures, as well as present cases. This course is recognised as an additional qualification by the Optometrists and Opticians Board. [3] [4]
In 2005, Singapore Polytechnic started the Advance Diploma in Optometry program. This is a part-time course, whereby graduates of the Diploma in Optometry program 2 years of learning to upgrade their knowledge and skills in optometry. This course teaches advance diagnostic techniques and ocular diseases. The course is partly taught by the faculty in Singapore Polytechnic's Optometry faculty, and partly by the ophthalmologists from Singapore National Eye Centre. The Advanced Diploma in Optometry is also recognised by the Optometrists and Opticians Board as an additional qualification.
In 2008, the University of Manchester began offering a Bachelor of Science in Optometry honours degree programme under the Foreign Specialised Institution (FSI) initiative at Singapore Polytechnic. [7] [8] The course admitted Diploma in Optometry graduates from Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The two-year full-time programme is delivered by optometry lecturers from the Singapore campus, as well as from the United Kingdom. In 2013, SP and the University of Manchester announced the closing of the optometry degree programme, citing inadequate enrolment and difficulties in recruiting qualified lecturers. [9]
The Contact Lens Practitioner's Act was enacted in 1995. This was the first-ever optometry-related legislation in Singapore. This Act was enacted in response to the surge of contact lens-related complications from the rising popularity of wearing contact lenses then. After the Act was enacted, only registered Contact Lens Practitioners can practice contact lens. Qualified optometrists were also able to register to practice contact lens in Singapore.
Before the Optometrists and Opticians Act (2007), there was no legislation for optometry in Singapore. All optometrists register under the Contact Lens Practitioners Board and practice as contact lens practitioners. However, they can call themselves optometrists. The profession of optometry was not protected by law. There was no legislation that stops contact lens practitioners (who are not optometrists) or even opticians from calling themselves optometrists. Anyone could practice primary eye care, even if the person is not adequately trained or academically qualified in optometry. Due to the Contact Lens Practitioners Act, most if not all practices hire an optometrist so that they could sell contact lenses. Therefore, most optical/optometric practice would at least for a registered contact lens practitioner or an optometrist.
In 2007, the Ministry of Health reviewed the state of Optometry and Opticianry in Singapore and formed the Optometry and Opticianry Board (OOB). and all optometrists and opticians will have to register to practice their profession in the future. The Optometry and Opticianry Act took effect in January 2008, when Optometrists and Opticians are required to register with the OOB to continue to practice.
Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive eye care.
The British Optical Association (BOA) was founded in February 1895 as the first professional body for ophthalmic opticians (optometrists) in the world. The British Optical Association Museum and Library was founded in 1901; it retains the BOA name but is now part of the College of Optometrists, located in Craven Street, Charing Cross, central London.
An optician is an individual who fits eyeglasses or contact lenses by filling a refractive prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They are able to translate and adapt ophthalmic prescriptions, dispense products, and work with accessories. There are several specialties within the field.
The State University of New York College of Optometry is a public school of optometry in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and was established in 1971 as result of a legislative mandate of New York. It is located in midtown Manhattan in what was originally the Aeolian Building, which was built in 1912 for the Aeolian Company, a piano manufacturer. It is a center for research on vision and the only school of optometry in New York.
Vision therapy (VT), or behavioral optometry, is an umbrella term for alternative medicine treatments using eye exercises, based around the pseudoscientific claim that vision problems are the true underlying cause of learning difficulties, particularly in children. Vision therapy has not been shown to be effective using scientific studies, except for helping with convergence insufficiency. Most claims—for example that the therapy can address neurological, educational, and spatial difficulties—lack supporting evidence. Neither the American Academy of Pediatrics nor the American Academy of Ophthalmology support the use of vision therapy.
The General Optical Council (GOC) is an organisation in the United Kingdom which maintains a register of opticians and regulates the services provided by dispensing opticians and optometrists. The stated function of the GOC is "to protect the public and promote high standards of professional conduct and education amongst opticians".
An optometrist is an individual who provides a service related to the eyes or vision. It is any healthcare worker involved in eye care, from one with a small amount of post-secondary training to practitioners with a doctoral level of education.
The School of Optometry and Vision Science is one of the professional schools at the University of Waterloo. It is a school within the university's Faculty of Science and is the larger of the two optometry schools in Canada. The School is the only English speaking Optometry School in the country; the Francophone Université de Montréal program operates in Quebec.
Marshall B. Ketchum University is a private university focused on graduate programs in healthcare and located in Fullerton, California. MBKU expanded from the Southern California College of Optometry which was founded in 1904. The university was officially established as a multidisciplinary university with the addition of School of PA Studies in 2011 and College of Pharmacy in 2013. Along with Hope International University, the campus bookends the north and south sides of the Cal State Fullerton campus respectively.
The Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science at the University of California, Berkeley is an optometry school at the University of California, Berkeley. It offers a graduate-level, four-year professional program leading to the Doctor of Optometry degree (OD), and a one-year, ACOE-accredited residency program in clinical optometry specialties. It is also the home department for the multidisciplinary Vision Science Group at UC Berkeley, whose graduate students earn either MS or PhD degrees.
The eye care system in Ghana can be said to be one in its infant or growing stages. Today there are less than 300 eye care professionals taking care of the eye needs of over 23 million Ghanaians.
Optometry is a relatively new field in eye care in Ghana.
Norman Rex Ghormley was an American optometrist who held leadership roles with the American Academy of Optometry and served as an optometrist for collegiate and professional sports teams.
Konrad Pesudovs is an Australian optometrist and outcomes researcher in ophthalmology; recognised as the leading optometrist researcher worldwide in terms of H-Index and total citations. He is SHARP Professor of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of New South Wales (2020-). He was the Foundation Chair of Optometry and Vision Science at Flinders University from 2009 to 2017.
The Optical Confederation is a British trade association launched in April 2010. It is said to help the optometric profession to "punch well above its weight". Lobbying is one of its key activities. It agrees on advice to opticians with the Department of Health about the administration of NHS sight tests and what fees practitioners can claim. It also issues guidance on professional issues which apply to the entire optical sector, such as the prevention of abuse of vulnerable patients.
Dean Evan Hart, O.D., M.A., M.S., B.S., A.A.S., F.A.A.O. is an American scientist, clinical optometrist, professor, and the founder of Woodbury Ophthalmic Group and Woodbury Optical Studio. Dean ran for Nassau County Legislature in 2015. He was a candidate for the New York State Assembly in the 15th Assembly District of the 2016 election. Hart also ran for town office in 2017.
Uchenna Ikonne was a Nigerian professor of optometry. In December 2015, he became the 7th Substantive Vice-Chancellor of Abia State University. having previously served as the Rector, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba – 2014–2015.
Bachelor of Optometry is a four-year degree programme in the field of Optometry, awarded upon graduation from an optometry school under a recognised university. Its curriculum is designed to impart knowledge related to eye and it's connected organs, the correction of refractive errors, and the treatment and management of eye diseases. This degree comprises four years of education including one year of clinical internship at a tertiary eye care center. This degree is the minimum required qualification to be called as an optometrist, and to practice optometry in several countries of the world.
The Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN) is a government agency responsible for regulating the practice of optometry and dispensing opticianry in Nigeria. It was established by the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (Registration, etc.) decree of 1989, now cap 09 laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. The Board evaluates training quality to ensure practitioners acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for their practice, while also ensuring that practitioners conduct themselves lawfully and professionally in their daily activities.
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