What is Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine which deals with the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases pertaining to the eye and the visual system as a whole. The eye is the most crucial organ in the visual system and is sensitive to many different clinical conditions. Doctors who specialise in ophthalmology are known as ophthalmologists, and their work revolves around the therapy of these conditions.
As the population ages, eye care becomes more important with the higher risks of age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. The field of ophthalmology is dedicated to extensive study and research of these conditions and incorporating relevant technologies to treat them efficiently. More than 500 colleges in India offer Ophthalmology courses.
Ophthalmology Highlights
Particulars | Values |
Branch Name | Ophthalmology |
Degree | |
Duration | UG: 3-4 years PG: 2 years |
Eligibility | UG: 10+2 with a minimum 50 per cent aggregate with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology subjects. PG: Bachelor’s degree in related disciplines |
Admission Process | Entrance Examination |
Entrance Exam | CUET UG, NEET PG, GATE, INI CET |
Course Fees | Rs. 4,600 to Rs. 135 lakh for the entire duration |
Top Colleges | PGIMER,JIPMER, JSS Medical College, SRM Institute of Technology |
Career Options | Ophthalmologists, ENT Specialists, Ophthalmology Surgeons, Clinical Assistants, Medical Consultants, Professors |
Average Salary | Rs. 12 LPA (Ophthalmologist) |
Recruiting Companies | AIIMS, Fortis Healthcare Ltd., SIMS Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Rotary Narayana Eye Hospital, Violet rays, Bangalore |
Top Private Ophthalmology Colleges in India
More than 300 private colleges across India offer admission to Ophthalmology courses. Some of the top private colleges that offer these courses are mentioned below:
Top Colleges | Fees |
Rs. 79.2 Lakhs | |
Rs. 36.53 Lakhs | |
Rs. 79.2 Lakhs | |
Rs. 64.5 Lakhs | |
Rs. 22.16 Lakhs | |
Rs. 96 Lakhs | |
Rs. 3.25 Lakhs | |
Rs. 3.23 Lakhs | |
Rs. 24,130 | |
Rs. 3.67 Lakhs |
Note:The fee structure provided above can be for any particular Ophthalmology (Diploma/ Degree/PGD).
Top Government Ophthalmology Colleges in India
Around 210 government-funded medical institutes are the top choices for students who are interested in pursuing Ophthalmology courses. These government colleges not only offer high-class academic curricula but also high placement offers. Some of the top government colleges are mentioned below:
Top Colleges | Fees |
Rs. 5,730 | |
Rs. 12,410 | |
Rs. 43,580 | |
Rs. 1.12 Lakhs | |
Rs. 5,730 | |
Rs. 5,730 | |
Rs. 5,730 | |
Rs. 38,000 | |
Rs. 57,370 | |
Rs. 1.08 Lakhs |
Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of Ophthalmology
Aspirants who wish to specialise in Ophthalmology will first have to complete a UG course like MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery), followed by a postgraduate degree in Ophthalmology like MD (Doctor of Medicine), and MS (Master of Surgery), depending on what practice they would like to build a career in.
For Undergraduates:
- Aspiring candidates must have passed their 12th Board examination with a minimum aggregate of 50 per cent.
- The core subjects in the said examination must be Physics, Chemistry, andBiology.
Top Entrance Exams for UG Courses
In India, there are limited examinations conducted to get admission toOphthalmology. A well-known entrance examinations forophthalmologyis mentioned below:
Exam Name | Level | Conducting Body | Exam Schedule |
National | NTA |
For Postgraduates:
- Aspiring candidates must possess an MBBS or other related degree.
- They must sit for PG-level entrance examinations and procure a good score in the same.
Top Entrance Exams for PG Courses
For Ophthalmology PG courses, there are following entrance exams.
Exam Name | Level | Conducting Body | Exam Schedule |
National | NBE | ||
National | AIIMS |
College Predictors VIEW ALL
Scope of Ophthalmology in India and Abroad
A career in ophthalmology requires multiple special skills such as patient care, surgery, and medicine because the discipline has many sub-fields. There are many good reasons to opt to study Ophthalmology after an MBBS, one of them being that the discipline maintains a good balance between medical and surgical practice, giving aspirants the choice to focus on either.
With the right training on either track combined with basic eye-hand coordination, one can adapt easily to this field. The demand for Ophthalmologists is high in both the private and public sectors. Railways-run departmental hospitals and hospitals run by PSUs provide fantastic work opportunities to ophthalmologists.
NGOs, charitable hospitals, and missionary hospitals options are also explored by many, and there is plenty of scope for ophthalmologists to set up their clinics as well. Ophthalmologists have plenty of career scope and scope for career growth in India as well as in foreign countries, particularly the UK, USA, Australia, and the Gulf countries.
Course Fees Ophthalmology
| Minimum Fees | Maximum Fees | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | Government | Private | Government | |
| UG | 50.00 K B.Sc. in Ophthalmology at Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai | 16.50 K B.Sc. in Ophthalmology at Dr YSR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada | 35.11 Lakhs M.S. in Ophthalmology at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal | 45.00 K M.S. in Ophthalmology at University of Delhi, Delhi |
| PG | 20.00 K P.G.D in Ophthalmology at Singhania University, Jhunjhunu | 4.63 K M.S. in Ophthalmology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences Mangalagiri | 1.35 Crores M.S. in Ophthalmology at Pacific Institute of Medical Sciences, Udaipur | 29.40 Lakhs M.S. in Ophthalmology at Government Cuddalore Medical College, Annamalainagar |
| DOCTORAL | 90.00 K Ph.D in Ophthalmology at NIMS University, Jaipur | 67.92 K Ph.D in Ophthalmology at University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad | 33.00 Lakhs Ph.D in Ophthalmology at BLDE University, Bijapur | 67.92 K Ph.D in Ophthalmology at University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad |
| DIPLOMA | 5.00 K Diploma in Ophthalmology at Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Karad | 1.50 K Diploma in Ophthalmology at Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya | 75.00 Lakhs Diploma in Ophthalmology at MGM Medical College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai | 11.94 Lakhs Diploma in Ophthalmology at Government Cuddalore Medical College, Annamalainagar |
Course Subjects
For UG Courses
The candidate can pursue Ophthalmology course at undergraduate level. The syllabus of B. Optometry at MAKAUT Kolkata is mentioned below:
Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
Geometrical Optics (Optics I) | Physical Optics (Optics II) |
Physiology (General) | Physiology (Ocular) |
Anatomy (General) | Anatomy (Ocular) |
Biochemistry (General & Ocular) | Environment & Ecology |
Professional Communication in English | Computer Fundamentals & Programming |
Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
Visual Optics (Optics III) | Visual Optics (Optics IV) |
Lighting & the Eye | Ophthalmic & Optical Instrumentation & Procedure II |
Medical pathology & Microbiology | Clinical Refraction I |
Pharmacology | Ocular Disease I (Anterior Segment Disease) |
Ophthalmic & Optical Instrumentation & Procedure I | Ophthalmic Lens & Dispensing Optics |
Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
Binocular Vision & Ocular Motility | Systemic Condition & the eye |
Contact Lens I | Public Health & Community Optometry |
Clinical Refraction II | Biostatistics |
Ocular Disease II (Posterior & Neuro-eye Disease) | Contact Lens II |
Low Vision Aids & Visual Rehabilitation | Professional Practice Management |
- | Applied Optometry & Orthoptics |
For PG Courses
For candidate’s reference we have mentioned the semester wise MAKAUT Kolkata’s syllabus of MOptom below:
Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
Applied Optometric Optics | Applied clinical optometry |
Advanced ophthalmic diagnostic procedures & instrumentation | Advanced contact lens practice -I |
Epidemiology and Community optometry | Geriatric optometry & Low vision rehabilitation -I |
Research Methodology & Biostatistics | Ocular diseases & Therapeutics |
Business aspects in optometry | Paediatric Optometry and binocular Vision I |
Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
Recent advances in Optometry | Speciality Clinics |
Occupational optometry | Dissertation |
Geriatric optometry and low vision rehabilitation II | - |
Paediatric optometry & binocular vision II | - |
Advance contact lens practice II | - |
Careers in Ophthalmology
The fear of losing eyesight to blindness is tremendous among people. Nothing seems to be more terrifying than the idea of going about life without the ability to see. We know that as people enter old age, their chances of suffering from eye diseases or other visual system problems increase exponentially. Today, this isn’t true only of the elderly.
In lifestyles where we spend between 50-90 per cent of our days looking at screens, the risks of eye problems are high for people of all ages. It starts from preteens who have just begun to understand the technology and receive their first smartphones. And goes to working professionals whose jobs are majorly contained within a laptop/monitor screen.
With this growing fear of the risk of losing one’s eyesight spreading through the population, the need for ophthalmology is at its peak. A career in ophthalmology means taking on immense responsibility. As a good ophthalmologist, one can probably never run out of patients. The field is highly lucrative and can be extremely rewarding to those who take pleasure in helping others.
Upcoming trends
The current trends in Ophthalmology focus on key areas such as lens implantation and cataract surgery; corneal and external eye disorders; oculoplastic and orbital surgery; glaucoma; neuro-ophthalmology; and refractive surgery.Some of the upcoming trends are as follows:
- Artificial Intelligence andMachine Learning
- Teleophthalmology
- Gene Therapy
- Minimally Invasive Surgeries
- Regenerative Medicine
- Smart Contact Lenses
Job Profiles and Top Recruiters
After completing studies in any field of study, the very next question posed to every candidate is, what comes next? Upon completing a degree in Ophthalmology, while the most intuitive course of action would be to work as an Ophthalmologist, a few other job profiles that candidates may explore are:
Job Profiles | Description |
Ophthalmologists diagnose and treat all eye diseases, prescription contact lenses and spectacles as well as medicines for eye-related problems. | |
ENT Specialists provide treatment of a wide range of head and neck conditions, they can treat problems in nerves that control vision, among other problems. | |
Ophthalmology Surgeon | Ophthalmology Surgeon performs surgery to treat glaucoma and cataracts and correct refractive errors. Diagnosis of medical conditions impacting the eye. |
Clinical Assistant | Clinical Assistant performs the role of assisting doctors with patient management, record keeping, and basic diagnostic tests |
Medical Consultant | Medical Consultant is involved in research, managing resources and practising development, training junior doctors and other healthcare professionals, and leading members of the ophthalmology team. |
Professor/Lecturer | The Professor performs the role of teaching Ophthalmology in various colleges and universities. They provide in-depth knowledge to candidates about various subjects covered under Ophthalmology. |
Top Recruiters in Ophthalmology
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, multiple cities
- Fortis Healthcare Ltd.
- SIMS Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
- Rotary Narayana Eye Hospital
- Violet rays, Bangalore
- Sri Ganesh Vinayak Eye Hospital, Dehradun
- Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya
Average Salary
While salaries may vary widely considering factors such as level of seniority, experience, and profession type; the average annual salaries of the different job roles in Ophthalmology are approximated as given below:
Job Profiles | Average Annual Salary |
Ophthalmologist | Rs. 12 LPA |
ENT Specialist | Rs. 16.3 LPA |
Ophthalmology Surgeon | Rs. 10.24 LPA |
Clinical Assistant | Rs. 9 LPA |
Medical Consultant | Rs. 8.7 LPA |
Professor | Rs. 15.8 LPA |
Source: Payscale, Ambition Box, Glassdoor
Note: Salary may vary depending on various circ*mstances.
Required Skillset for Ophthalmology
To build a successful career in Ophthalmology, a postgraduate degree is only one of many pillars necessary. For specialists in surgery, precision and plenty of practice are required, whereas in medicine, having a broad base of knowledge is necessary. Some of the other essential skills in Ophthalmology include:
- Good eye-hand coordination.
- Significant proficiency inMathematics and Physics.
- Excellent knowledge of medicine.
- Working knowledge of all the visual system-related diseases, the anatomy of the eye, and all its functions.
- Up-to-date knowledge of ongoing research topics in the field.
- Strong decision-making,organisation,analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong communication skills.
- Ability to perform administrative and managerial functions well.
Course Curriculum for Ophthalmology
After acquiring the undergraduate degree, students can opt to pursue a postgraduate course in Ophthalmology, typically in either the Master of Surgery / Doctor of Medicine domain. Usually, either of these courses has some common curriculum which is aimed at equipping the student with knowledge and skills such as:
- Basic knowledge of the human body structure and functions related to the visual system, along with factors that may disrupt/cause harm to these mechanisms
- Ability to handle day-to-day ophthalmology problems independently, with full recognition of the limitations of one’s clinical knowledge
- Understanding of environmental effects on health and familiarity with the epidemiology of common diseases in the ophthalmology field.
- Ability to integrate promotive and preventive methods with curative and rehabilitation measures in disease treatment
- Familiarity with and understanding of common eye-related problems occurring in rural areas where facilities are limited
- Familiarity with current developments and research topics in the field.
Popular Ophthalmology Entrance Exams in India
Popular Ophthalmology Colleges in IndiaVIEW ALL
SGT University
- Fees: ₹ 412,500
AIIMS Jodhpur
- Exams: INI CET
PGIMER Chandigarh
- Fees: ₹ 12,410
- Exams: INI CET
AIIMS Bhopal
- Fees: ₹ 5,731
- Exams: INI CET
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: What to expect during the Ophthalmology Residency?
Answer :
60 percent of resident training for Ophthalmology in India is done under government organisations, while the remaining are private organisations. Training imparted during this period is in various settings, mostly medical colleges and private institutes. The training does not follow a coherent system, as a result, the quality of training can vary enormously from institute to institute.
Question: How are Internship, Residency, and Fellowship different?
Answer :
Residency in any medical discipline is a training programme, typically lasting about three years. The first year of training immediately after medical school is known as the internship or postgraduate year one. After completing a residency, the training that students undergo in a subfield or sub-specialty is known as the fellowship.
Question: What is the scope of Ophthalmology?
Answer :
As long as people have eyes, the scope of Ophthalmology is indeed great and a necessity that should be explored to ensure a better, healthier life.
Question: Why is ophthalmology so important?
Answer :
Ophthalmologists are important and a necessity because human eyes face a lot of strain due to constantly seeing light which causes the human eye to have more strain.
Question: What are the subspecialties in Ophthalmology for which I can do a fellowship?
Answer :
Some of the fellowship programmes offered by top institutes are Cornea and Ocular Surface, Cataract, Medical Retinal, Vitreo Retina, Retinopathy of Prematurity, Glaucoma, Oculoplasty, and Pediatric Ophthalmology.
Questions related to Ophthalmology
Showing 130 out of 130 Questions
6 Views
what is the cutoff of air in 2023 for dnb ophthalmology h v desai pune
Abhishek 27th Aug, 2024
Hi there,
Hope you are doing well.
The cutoff for the DNB Ophthalmology program at H.V. Desai Eye Hospital, Pune in 2023 is influenced by several factors including the number of applicants, the overall difficulty of the entrance exams, and the number of seats available for that year. Generally DNB cutoff ranks can vary significantly from year to year based on these factors.
To get the most accurate and specific cutoff information for the DNB Ophthalmology program at H.V. Desai Eye Hospital for 2023, you can refer to the official DNB website or visit H.V. Desai Eye Hospital directly.
Hope this resolves your query.
Answer later18 Views
Hello,I have got 18k rank in Neet pg 2024. Which government college I can get if I would like it in GENERAL surgery /ophthalmology /psychiatry?
Shrutika Wahane 24th Aug, 2024
Hello aspirant,
Your rank is a very decent one that can get you into a government college. Every specialisation have different opening and closing rank. On the basis of the former statement, General Surgery usually have very low opening ranks, and closing ranks can go upto 20,000. So, you will have to wait a little bit. To know more about cutoffs of your favoured specialisation in various government colleges, kindly go through the given link.
https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/neet-pg-cut-off
I hope you will do good.
291 Views
can i do ophthalmology without any exam
Sajal Trivedi 20th Jun, 2022
Hello aspirant,
Ophthalmology is a medical specialty that has gotten a lot of attention in recent years. An ophthalmologist is a medical specialist who specialises in vision and eye care. Despite the fact that ophthalmology is a relatively new field of study, there are a plethora of ophthalmology courses available after 12th in India, with a diverse variety of career options for graduates.
For students interested in becoming doctors, the MBBS programme is a 5.5-year programme. All applicants must take the NEET UG exam. To become an ophthalmologist, you must first complete an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) programme, after which you must pursue an ophthalmology postgraduate degree, such as an MS (Master of Surgery) or an MD (Doctor of Medicine) (Doctor of Medicine).
For more information you can visit our site by clicking on link given below.
https://www.careers360.com/courses/articles/ophthalmology-courses-after-12th-counar
Thank you
Hope this information helps you.
435 Views
neetpg rank 17804 .i want to admit in ms ophthalmology
Piyush kesarwani 9th Jun, 2022
Hello aspirant,
Since you have not mentioned your category, i am considering you as a GENERAL Category Student. Looking at the previous year NEET PG Cutoff rank for general category student, you have good chances to get a seat in MD/MS Ophthalmology in most of the Government medical colleges in India. The last year's NEET PG Closing rank cutoff for MD/MS seat in government medical colleges was around 25k-29k.
Further, please note that the above prediction is totally based on the previous year NEET PG cutoff which vary every year as it depends on various factors.
THE NEET PG Cutoff marks and percentile score for various category students is mentioned below :
GENERAL >------------------- 50th Percentile >---------------- 275 Marks
SC/ST/OBC >------------------ 40th Percentile >---------------- 245 Marks
GENERAL -PH ------------------ 45th Percentile >---------------- 260 Marks
SC/ST/OBC - PH ------------------------ 40th Percentile >---------------- 245 Marks
The NEET PG Cutoff varies for every year and is different for different category student. The NEET PG Cutoff depends on various factors like :
Number of candidates appearing for the test
The difficulty level of the exam
Seat availability
Further, to know more about the NEET PG Cutoff you can follow the below mentioned link to know more about it in detail : https://medicine.careers360.com/articles/neet-pg-cut-off
Further, you can also know your admission chances in various colleges with the help of NEET PG College predictor tool by following the below mentioned link below : https://medicine.careers360.com/neet-pg-college-predictor?utm_source=qna&utm_medium=neet_pg_cp
I hope that this will help.
102 Views
how is ophthalmology n anesthesia in this clg n is it better than jjm davengere?
Sohamsengupta8 30th Jun, 2022
Hello Student
Jjm Medical College Debangere Karnataka established by Jagadguru Jaidev Muru ga rajendra in the year of 1965. There are 23 medicine right courses and in this courses ophthalmology and anaesthesia courses are also included.College is a renowned private medical college was set up by Jagadguru Jayadeva muruga Rajendra for imparting medical education to the future generation to provide them expert knowledge of medical education and is a rat subjects and to serve the nation in a social service related notion. College is better than it's contemporary medical colleges in every aspect of education, research and facilities.
Hope this will help.
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