What is Optometry?

“What is Optometry?”

Every time when I tell someone about the course that I study, everyone will just throw out the same question. Whoever reading this blog, congratulations as you are already one step ahead from others!

An optometrist is operating a phoropter.

Q1: What is optometry?

Optometry is a primary healthcare profession, dedicated to the improvement and preservation of eyesight. Optometric training includes diagnosis and management of ocular disease, dispensing of spectacles and contact lenses, and the management of people with special needs (children and those with low vision).

Q2: What does optometrist do?

The most common job that optometrists will do is to prescribe lenses. Optometrists will carry out a series of examinations and vision tests on patients in order to prescribe the correct lenses according to the test results. However, optometrists examine the eyes not only for vision problems, but also to recognise and diagnose eye diseases as well as other chronic health problems like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol levels since the eyes can give telltale signs of such conditions.

Q3: What’s the difference between optician, optometrist and ophthalmologist?

The table below will explain to you the differences ↓


Difference between optician, optometrist and ophthalmologist.

To know more about optometry, you can click on the links provided here to check it out→ Link 1 / Link 2

At UCSI University, we have our own optometry clinic located inside the campus at Ground floor, Block A. This purpose-built optometry clinic houses a lot of the latest eye equipment including slit lamps used to examine the eye health, fundus cameras to take photographs of the eye, ophthalmoscopes to examine the interior surface of the eye, as well as corneal topographer and phoropter used to determine a patient’s corneal contour and glasses prescription, respectively. Most of our lab session and practical examination were done in this clinic. 

For optometry programme, the emphasis is not only theoretically but also a matter for the students to be skilled in the practical session. During my year 1 of study, most of the subjects that I have taken are more towards the theoretical study and also some introduction to Optometry. However, the practical session will become more crucial from the beginning of year 2. This is because the internal marks will be distributed evenly between practical exam and theoretical exam (or more to practical exam). In year 2, you can’t just memorise the whole contents in the lecture notes or even textbook in order to score an A. When it comes to year 3 and year 4, optometry students are required to find a number of patients per semester to carry out a series of eye examination on them as an assignment. It is to train the students to familiarized themselves with the clinical work and deal with different types of patients with various conditions. During the final year of the study, students will need to do research and also the case studies. 

Now, let me share some tips in order to survive during the degree life. The most important hacks will be— get to know a senior. Senior is a key factor who can give you a lot of advice along your journey of study. Although lecturers have put 100% of their effort to teach you in the class, sometimes you just need a peer who can share some tips of learning to you. Besides, you can also get some old lecture notes from your senior as a reference. If the senior you know is a hardworking student who always writes down the notes, this will probably make your life easier.

If you have any problem with your lesson, you can always get help from the lecturers too. For optometry programme, a mentor-mentee session will be conducted between lecturers and students. You can share any of your doubts with your mentor, no matter whether it is related to the study or not. Our lecturers are ready to help you whenever you are facing any problems that you find difficult to handle it by yourself.

Now, let me share some tips in order to survive during the degree life. The most important hacks will be— get to know a senior. Senior is a key factor who can give you a lot of advice along your journey of study. Although lecturers have put 100% of their effort to teach you in the class, sometimes you just need a peer who can share some tips of learning to you. Besides, you can also get some old lecture notes from your senior as a reference. If the senior you know is a hardworking student who always writes down the notes, this will probably make your life easier. If you have any problem with your lesson, you can always get help from the lecturers too. For optometry programme, a mentor-mentee session will be conducted between lecturers and students. You can share any of your doubts with your mentor, no matter whether it is related to the study or not. Our lecturers are ready to help you whenever you are facing any problems that you find difficult to handle it by yourself.

That’s all for a small introduction about optometry. Next time, if someone else asked the same question again, just show this blog to him/her! 🤭

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