Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, Medical College School of Optometry, Pune

College of Optometry was the first Institute in India to get affiliate membership of World Council of Optometry. Optometry is a health care profession. Optometrists care for their patients' vision in the same way that medical practitioners care for their patient's general health. An optometrist is a primary eye care professional, institutionally educated and clinically trained to examine, diagnose and correct the refractive optical errors of the visual system by prescribing spectacles, contact lenses, low vision devices and vision therapy eye exercises to patients complaining of vision related problems. The optometrist then performs a series of tests, some of which are carried out routinely and others when indicated by the patient's case history. The consultation concludes with the optometrist's diagnosis of the patient's problem, explaining the diagnosis to the patient and deciding on appropriate treatment. Treatment can range from prescribing spectacles, contact lenses or orthoptics treatment required for squint, to simply giving advice on lighting or visual habits. An important part of an optometrist's work is the detection of eye disease. When an optometrist uncovers a visual complaint which requires medical or surgical treatment the patient is often referred to a general medical practitioner or an ophthalmologist.