Apart from eye hospitals/hospitals where can an ophthalmologist find employment?
Most of the ophthalmologists are either attached to a medical institution or are self-employed. Apart from these an ophthalmologist may seek employment in a pharmaceutical company dedicated to manufacturing products for eye disorders.

How important is the role of an ophthalmologist in the medical set-up that is there in India?
An ophthalmologist is the caregiver to the population affected by various eye disorders. Different eye disorders are prevalent amongst various age groups, for example congenital eye disorders and tumors in children, refractive errors and squint in the young, and cataract, presbyopia, glaucoma and retinal disorders in elderly people. The eyes are one of the most exposed organs of our body, and an ophthalmologist is also associated with management of patients with eye damage due to trauma and accidents.

The human eye is also commonly affected by various systemic conditions, both genetic and acquired, that affect other parts of the body. The ophthalmologist works hand in hand with the general physician for management of these patients. Prevention of blindness is the most cost-effective public health intervention worldwide.

Are Indians aware of the importance of eye care to the extent it is needed?
Awareness and education play a vital role in the cure of numerous conditions such as glaucoma (a condition that causes silent and gradually progressive blindness), childhood corneal blindness (which can be effectively prevented by adequate dietary intake of vitamin A), retinoblastoma (a potentially lethal eye tumor occurring in children), and many more. The awareness of the Indian population about common eye disorders has dramatically improved over the last decade. Awareness about communicable eye diseases like trachoma and common eye flu, has improved the general sanitation and ocular hygiene measures taken by the Indian population, which has translated to a reduced frequency of such patients. But, there still is a lot of scope for improvement.

How is an ophthalmologist different from an optometrist?
Optometrists are qualified personnel who perform the basic checkup of the patients, which include history-taking, performing basic examination, and certain tests such as assessment of the spectacle power, measurement of the intra-ocular pressure etc. An optometrist takes care of the various equipment in an eye clinic. A good and reliable checkup by an optometrist is like winning half the battle.
The ophthalmologist confirms the optometrist’s findings and supplements them with certain procedures if need be. Prescription of medications and any surgical procedures are however performed by the ophthalmologist only.

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