Vision of the Bachelor of Science in Optometry

To provide a sustainable solution to the problem of avoidable blindness in Uganda by addressing the significant barrier of local human resource capacity development through optometric education thereby contributing to the elimination of avoidable blindness and impaired vision mainly but not exclusively caused by URE in Uganda by the year 2020.

Mission of the Bachelor of Science in Optometry

The Bachelor of Science in Optometry is dedicated to improving the ocular and visual welfare of the people of Uganda and beyond, promoting health equity by providing quality education, research and comprehensive services in the area of eye care. This is respectively achieved by building capacity, by sustaining relevance and progress, and by strengthening health care systems.

Recognition of the Cadre

The optometry cadre has been recognised by both Ministry of Health and the Health Service Commission. The profession will be regulated by the Allied Health Professionals’ Council.

Program Objective

To train competent Optometrists who are capable of providing refraction and dispensing, detection /diagnosis and management of disease in the eye, and rehabilitation of conditions of visual system.

The Specific Objectives of the Optometry Program are

• To equip the graduates with the necessary scientific and professional knowledge; skills and attitudes to deal with the eye health care needs and problems of individual, families, urban and rural communities, in Uganda and elsewhere
• To equip the graduates with the necessary skills and attitudes that will enable work in both urban and rural primary health care settings in Uganda.
• To enable graduates work collaboratively in health care teams to benefit individual, families and communities.
• To provide knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for graduates to conduct patient education in order to promote eye health, personal responsibility for ocular, visual and related physical health.
• To equip the graduates with critical and scientific inquiry skills that will enable them creatively to deal with eye health care problems of individuals, families and communities.
• To equip the graduates with self-directed and lifelong learning skills that will enable them to adapt to changing eye disease burden and disabilities in Uganda.
• To enable graduates to apply the different aspects of knowledge, skills and attitudes gained in the program to generate new knowledge and practices in the eye care field.

Source * https://chs.mak.ac.ug/content/optometry-programme-makchs