Optician India

Just 6/6 N6 is not enough. Sanjay Mehta from Tower Optics talks about why it’s important to care of our eyes. He shares stories and explains how using new tools can help keep our vision healthy.

India's population is projected to reach approximately 1.46 billion people by the end of 2025 with around 67,385 babies being added daily in the population. India is estimated to have around 12 million people with visual impairment, representing a significant 25 % of the global blind population being handled by around 30000 Ophthalmologist & 42000 Optometrists.

A recent study estimated that 6.11% of the population had visual impairment, and 9.91% had blindness, using recent and previous definitions of blindness in India, suggesting a potential loss of productivity of around 646 billion INR.

Globally the first place anyone goes for an eye check-up is an optical store because of its convenience in accessing the problem making it the primary place to detect many eye conditions and diseases like Cataracts, Diabetic Retinopathy, Age- Related Macular Degeneration, which often develop early signs and symptoms.

Most opticians employ an optometrist just to detect refractive errors like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia to dispense the spectacles and contact lenses. The common question from an optician is why should I improve the eye testing standards in my practice? The answer is why not.

There are around 100000 Optical Stores in our country & the numbers continue to increase. A 42-year-old patient came to my clinic with a common complaint of not being able to see objects clearly. On examination, she had very negligible distance correction with visual acuity of 6/6 and with normal presbyopic correction of around 1.25 addition, making her see N6 clearly.

In normal circumstances, the patient’s eye examination and purpose would have ended by prescribing and dispensing the spectacles, but not in my practice. The patient’s anterior segment was checked with 5 Step Slit Lamp which showed a shallow anterior chamber, intraocular pressure was checked with a standard applanation tonometer which showed very high intraocular pressure in both eyes with a wide difference between the two and her retina showed a high cup disc ratio. Her visual field tests showed early glaucoma changes. The patient was immediately referred to an ophthalmologist and her eyes were saved. The above case clearly indicates that there is an urgent need among the optical stores across our country to bring about drastic changes in their attitude towards what an eye check-up is all about.

In today's digital age, where screen time has become a significant part of daily life, individuals are increasingly prone to digital eye strain and other related issues. Comprehensive eye checkups can assess the impact of prolonged screen use on vision and provide guidance on mitigating potential problems. Additionally, these examinations can lead to recommendations for specialized eyewear or vision therapy to alleviate digital eye strain symptoms.

Different age groups have varying eye care needs. Children may need vision screenings to detect and address issues like Myopia, Squint, and Amblyopia early in their development, while adults may require examinations to monitor changes in vision due to age-related conditions like Cataract, Diabetic Retinopathy, Hypertensive Retinopathy, Age-Related Macular Degeneration, etc.

Regular eye checkups are essential at every stage of life to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to preserve and enhance visual health. In this highly competitive field, the opticians are facing huge challenges both from organized chain stores and unorganized stores which makes it imperative for us to stand apart from the rest of the crowd.

Been practicing optometry from the year 1990 after graduating from the 2nd batch of Elite School of Optometry, I have seen the profession grow tremendously. Almost 10 years back, I felt the need to take my practice to the next level to give my patients a unique experience despite having sufficient instruments to do a comprehensive eye check-up.

Slowly but steadily from the year 2019, I started adding State-Of-The-Art Diagnostic Optometric Devices in my practice like Non- Mydriatic Fundus Camera, Non-Contact Tonometer, Portable Visual Field Analyzer and latest Optical Coherence Tomography, making my practice India’s only Optometric Practice to really give the patient a real comprehensive eye check-up in my Optical cum Optometry Clinic.

Also started practicing Myopia Control & Orthokeratology as a specialized area. This move has been rewarded amply, both professionally and financially. In fact, the icing on the cake was when almost 6 months back just by checking the retina in one of my patients, it detected a life- threatening arteriosclerotic cardiovascular systemic condition called ‘WIDOW MAKER’ in which one has sudden, instantaneous, non- revivable death and thus been instrumental in saving a human life.

Comprehensive eye checkups are a fundamental aspect of proactive healthcare and opticians can contribute significantly to the preservation of vision and the overall well- being of society at large. In an Optical Outlet, only a qualified optometrist should be doing a comprehensive eye check-up with the proper latest instruments in a differentiated clinic setup area of the store and thus benefit the patient and your store to stand apart in the crowd.

Optometrist Sanjay Mehta emphasizes the crucial role of advanced tools in comprehensive eye care, urging opticians to prioritize modernizing eye care practices with state-of-the- art diagnostic optometric tools.