Eyes

A poem in Hindi written sometime in 1990s.

Narendra Kumar OptometryToday@gmail.com

Use of suffix or prefix

Although an optometrist in the US enjoys excellent status and adds the prefix `Dr.’ with his name, there are many optometrists who rather than using this prefix make use of the suffix `OD’.

When I was a child, a social worker in my home town Rewari, Dharam Veer, always used the suffix `MA’; likewise another person used the suffix `Prabhakar’, denoting their respective educational qualifications.

After passing out from Gandhi Eye Hospital School of Optometry Aligarh in 1961, I joined Sir Ganga Ram Hospital as Refractionist, and at the time of the opening of a savings account at Bank of India Karol Bagh, insisted on using the suffix `DROpt’. Although later on on completing BAMS I started using the prefix `Dr.’, it was amusing to once receive a note from the bank manager addressed as `Mr. DROpt’!

Dr. Narendra Kumar, Editor Optometry Today, OptometryToday@gmail.com

Smile and the world smiles with you

It’s good to see smiling faces of BJP leaders Hema Malini (the dream girl) and Murli Manohar Joshi (the then Union Human Resource Minister, with whom I had the honour of sharing the dais on January 24, 1999 at the time of 30^th All India Optometry Conference at Manesar; he being the chief guest and I being the conference chairman)…Picture source: Times of India, May 25, 2012.

Ever since my involvement with the primary eye care profession starting 1959 (as a student at Gandhi Eye Hospital School of Optometry, Aligarh), my life has evolved around optometry, that has seen many ups and downs, served the society’s vision and eye care needs, and is now playing an important `co-management of eye diseases’ role hand-in-hand with ophthalmology.

But, since one also needs to look beyond optometry, I’m distressed to see the non-smiling faces of scores of citizens who don’t find life easy due to several social ills like ever-increasing inflation, adulteration, crimes, and corruption.

And, reverting back to the two leaders, I earnestly look upon Hema ji and Joshi ji to sincerely work towards finding ways (i) for the creation of an Optometric Council of India, so as to ensure efficient delivery of primary eye care services to the citizens in the hands of those qualified (say, by forcefully raising the issue in Parliament), and (ii) for the reduction (and possibly elimination) of inflation, adulteration, crimes, and corruption (say, by getting government measures introduced for strict rules and heavy penalties, as also speedy justice in courts of law), so as to ensure smiling faces all around!

Dr. Narendra Kumar

Editor, Optometry Today

OptometryToday@gmail.com

Dirty picture A girl collects drinking water from the toilet of a school at Sundarpalya in Karnataka’s Kolar district, while the government spends Rs.45 crore in providing drinking water and toilet facilities in schools across the state – News, Times of India, May 13, 2012. As to primary eye care, there’s no sign of the formation of the Optometric Council of India, to regulate the practice of optometry in the hands of those qualified, even though the discipline was introduced in the country (by the union government is association with state governments) way back in 1958, leaving the door wide open for the continued entry to the profession of any Tom, Dick and Harry irrespective of their educational background! Reverting back to the plight of students, now that ToI has highlighted the issue, will concerned authorities look into the matter urgently to set things right, and (since most of what one learns or does depends a great deal on efficient vision and healthy eyes), could someone sensitive enough towards their welfare see to it that school children receive periodic vision and eye care services as well? Dr. Narendra Kumar Editor, Optometry Today OptometryToday@gmail.com

What is your wish?

An optical salesman wishes to be a dispensing optician, a dispensing optician wishes to be an optometrist, an optometrist wishes to be an ophthalmologist, and an ophthalmologist wishes to be…what? I don’t know, but he must also be having a wish, as they say `the grass looks greener on other side of the fence’ (Professor S. Anderson). Well, as an optometrist, or for that matter any other member of the ophthalmic optical community, what is your wish? It may be wild, deserving, non-attainable or practical. Write to me, within a fortnight, at OptometryToday@gmail.com with your thoughts, mentioning your name, complete postal address and phone number, to receive a free surprise gift and a 20% discount coupon. Dr. Narendra Kumar Editor, Optometry Today

Rough road…

India’s Constitution guarantees the right to education, but for the underprivileged child it still remains an uphill task to get decent schooling. While the enrollment rate at age 6 has reached 96.7%, the dropout rate by class 5 is also high at 26%; and at some places it’s a tightrope walk for children to cross a channel as at Dobra Jagir, 15 km from Bhopal, to go to school (Input and picture source: Hindustan Times, April 18, 2012).

As to the field of vision and eye care, although optometry was introduced in the country way back in 1958, and has progressed well to bloom into over 100 instituions across the country imparting education up to PhD level, no Government legislation has so far been introduced to regulate its practice into the hands of those qualified, leaving (i) the unsuspecting public vulnerable to receiving vision and eye care services also by those not institutionally-qualified and (ii) optometrists traversing the rough road at the end of which lies their goad in the form of the creation of the Indian Council of Optometry!

Dr. Narendra Kumar
Editor, Optometry Today
OptometryToday@gmail.com

An evening with Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

I don’t believe in religious rituals; but do believe in a supreme power, in leading a simple life and in helping others especially in my chosen field of vocation – optometry.

On March 25, 2012, the spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji visited Janakpuri and blessed the gathering with the following counsel:

▪ Lead a simple life
▪ Believe in God in any form you like
▪ Shed superstition
▪ Going vegetarian and adopting ayurveda is healthy
▪ Let there be a smile on your face always
▪ Don’t get angry
▪ Indulge in bhakti-sangeet whenever you find time
▪ Donate 2 to 3% of your earning for a good cause and
▪ Do relaxation and meditation exercises

This surely was an evening well-spent with Guruji, the propagator of `The Art of Living’ courses for the welfare of mankind!

Dr. Narendra Kumar