Khanal Safal, Paudel Nabin, Joshi Mahesh Raj
School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Centre for Eye Research Ireland, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Clin Exp Optom. 2022 Jan;105(1):80-83. doi: 10.1080/08164622.2021.1916388. Epub 2021 Apr 29.
Optometry education in Nepal began in 1998 in collaboration with the University of Auckland, New Zealand, with the primary objective of addressing the unmet needs of eye health and vision care. Over the last two decades, the development of optometry education has seen significant progress, including a shift from a three-year to a four-year curriculum, an increase in the uptake of students, and recent launches of two additional bachelor's degree and a master's degree programmes. Complementary to the educational progress, several professional advances have occurred in the intervening years. These include the formation of the Nepalese Association of Optometrists that oversees the professional development and the rights, welfare, security, and protection of Optometrists, memberships into the World Council of optometry and the Asia Pacific Council of optometry, integration of the profession into the governmental regulatory body Nepal Health Professional Council, and formulation of the code of ethics and minimum requirements for a Bachelor's level University degree in optometry. This article briefly presents the historical events leading to the establishment of optometry in Nepal and the evolution of the program in the intervening years.
尼泊尔的验光配镜教育始于1998年，与新西兰奥克兰大学合作开展，其主要目标是满足眼部健康和视力保健方面未得到满足的需求。在过去二十年中，验光配镜教育取得了显著进展，包括从三年制课程转变为四年制课程、学生入学人数增加，以及最近新增了两个学士学位课程和一个硕士学位课程。与教育进展相辅相成的是，在此期间还取得了多项专业进展。这些进展包括成立了尼泊尔验光师协会，该协会负责监督验光师的专业发展以及他们的权利、福利、安全和保护；加入了世界验光师理事会和亚太验光师理事会；该专业纳入了政府监管机构尼泊尔卫生专业人员理事会；以及制定了验光配镜专业的道德准则和本科学位的最低要求。本文简要介绍了尼泊尔验光配镜专业建立的历史事件以及在此期间该专业的发展历程。
