Optometry in Nigeria

I have witnessed several incidence were optometrists are referred to as opticians and when some ask “who are they?” others reply “they are those people that gives glasses”. Yes optometry in Nigeria is still at its growing stage in terms of general awareness and acceptance but the work of an optometrist goes far beyond
prescription of glasses. In addition to glass prescription, they examine the eyes for abnormalities, diagnose and provide treatment or management options that will be of great benefit to the patent.

Optometry is a noble eye care profession and to become an optometrist one have to spend a pain-staking four years with additional two years clinical classes (total of six years). On graduation, they are inducted into the national body (Nigeria Optometric Association; NOA) and awarded with Doctor of Optometry (OD) after which they go for one year internship in any recommended hospital or eye clinic.

During their internship, they are supervised by qualified and licensed optometrists or ophthalmologists, a situation whereby they work, earn and learn at the same time. After internship, they serve their father’s land (NYSC) for another one year during which they spend three weeks in camp and the rest in hospital or eye clinic where they work with little supervision. Passing out from NYSC transforms them into diversified and confident optometrists, hence they are now ready to seek employment.

Other eye care professions such as ophthalmologists, opticians, ophthalmic nurses, etc have their own way of training. For instance, for one to become an ophthalmologist, he must have studied medicine first before specializing on ophthalmology. So ophthalmology is a branch of medicine and different from optometry because they provide deep and complicated surgical treatments in addition to what optometrists provide. Opticians provide and dispense already prescribed optical aids by optometrists or ophthalmologists while ophthalmic nurses assist optometrists and ophthalmologists to carry out their work.

All these professions render eye care services in their own unique ways and research have shown that about 70-85 percent of eye conditions can be handled by optometrists and ophthalmologists without surgical intervention.

Optometrists are very important in the health sector and in the society at large because of the medical services they provide to mankind. They provide the first line of defense because patients first seek their medical treatment and advice before going to the ophthalmologists if their cases require deep surgery.

Optometrists pass through thick and thin in addition to the rigorous and pain-staking clinical and non-clinical training they undergo in order to learn the optometric procedures that will enable practice efficiently. As a student clinician (5^th and 6^th year in school), they are allowed to see patients, examine them, carry out proper diagnosis and present the results to the doctor in charge of the school clinic for proper review before prescription in form of drugs, optical aids and or glasses are given.

Most of these student clinicians after graduating are already proficient in handling most of the debilitating eye conditions without supervision but because every strong and noble profession has its ethics, they are not allowed to practice without supervision.

Optometry has come to stay and optometrists are ready to provide the services that are required of them in the society. Some of the threatening  eye conditions that lead to blindness are asymptomatic in nature and are reviewed by optometrists when they carry out some vital tests on your eyes. Every individual needs to examine his or her eyes for at least twice a year for young adults and as often as possible when one ages.

Your eyes are the window of your body and soul, save yourself from blindness. Visit an optometrist today!