Page 104 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition March-April 2021
P. 104
4. There will be 10 professional councils to be together to sign the Delhi Declaration in
established under this Act July 2010, which brought both the Indian
Optometry Association (IOA) and the National
5. State councils will be formed within 6 months Ophthalmic Association (NOA) together. The
after the Act is established.
declaration was formulated with inputs from
6. Each state will maintain a live register for all the profession, by Dr GN Rao, Dr Tulsiraj and
three categories under ‘Ophthalmic Science’ various other experts in eye care. Prof Brien
also helped to form the Indian Optometry
7. Optometry: Minimum 4 years, 3600 hours of
Federation (IOF) in 2010 and the self-regulatory
education; ophthalmic assistants and vision
Optometry Council of India (OCI) in 2012.
technicians: Diplomas, minimum 2 years,
2000 hours of education All the above contributed greatly to the
process of achieving regulation through this
8. The Act aims to maintain the standards of
Act. There are many other milestones that the
education, and achieve equal standard of
profession achieved thanks to the efforts of
graduates all over India through a common
professionals who worked tirelessly and on an
entrance and EXIT exam. It also aims at
honorary basis. A few of them are:
maintaining the standard of faculty through a
national teacher’s eligibility test z Drafting of the Common Minimum
Optometry Curriculum in 2002, which was
9. The Ophthalmic Science Council will have not
further updated, modified and ratified by the
less than 4 members and not more than 24
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
members
z Drafting of the competency standards
10. The state councils will also have 4
required of students of optometry on
autonomous bodies under their ambit that graduation: IELOCS (Indian entry level
will help in maintaining the standard of optometry competencies) document in 2012
education and practice.
z The “Best Practices Standard” document
EARLY STALWARTS AND MANY
MILESTONES by the Optometry Council of India which
guides optometrists on comprehensive
As news of the Act spread, there was eye examination and maintaining medical
jubilation among all in the field. The eye care records
profession dedicates this major milestone to the z Formulating a continuing education credit
many stalwarts who took the early and crucial
point-based system
steps to what has finally become an Act: Prof J
Enoch, Prof Brien Holden, Dr SS Badrinath, Dr z Regular national and international
GN Rao, Dr E Vaithialingam, Mr Naval Balliwala, conferences such as the Elite School’s
Mr Rajni Turakhia, Dr Tulsiraj and Ms Darshini International Vision Science & Optometry
Desai, among many others. conference, the Indian Optometry Association
annual conference and Masterclass
Dr SS Badrinath instituted good quality Optometry conferences
four-year optometry education in India by
establishing the Elite School of Optometry in z The prefix of Optom for all graduate
1985. Prof J Enoch put forth his ideas when he optometrists, put forth by Optom Rajesh
delivered the Palkhiwala Memorial Oration in Wadhwa
2008 on the topic “Optometry Regulation and
While it has taken a long time for the
Standardization of Education in India” which was
Bill to be presented in Parliament and to be
compiled into a 20-page booklet and published
passed as an Act, this is a major milestone of
in Optometry Today later.
recognition and regulation for members of
Prof Brien Holden was instrumental in 56 allied and healthcare professions in India,
bringing institutions and organisations including optometry.
| MAR-APR 2021 | 100 FEATURE
Mar-Apr 2021 SK.indd 48 26-04-2021 12:52
