Bifocal contact lenses are now available in India but few know about them and doctors do not prescribe them, says a leading contact lens specialist.

Amod Shriram Gogate, head of the School of Optometry at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Medical College in Pune, said the high-technology bifocal contact lens gives intermediate vision in a single lens - for those who need separate reading and seeing glasses.

There are also contact lenses to protect the eyes from ultra-violet (UV) rays. But these again are not very well known in India.

Gogate is here to conduct a technology updating camp among eye experts from 20 institutions in the region. The Bharati Vidyapeeth is affiliated to the World Council of Optometry.

"Ultraviolet radiation levels increase nearer the Equator," said Gogate, adding that the eyes of Indians are more at risk than of people living in countries away from the equator.

The simplest way to protect against UV radiation is to stay out of the sun.
According to some US studies, UV radiation may increase the chance of developing eye problems later in life, including cataracts, eye ulcers and age-related degeneration.

"Most people in India walk into shops to buy sun glasses, spectacles and contact lenses without knowing whether those selling the equipment are qualified," he said.

Gogate qualified as an optometrist from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, in August 1987.

"Even today, only 12 students get admission in this degree course in this institution, which means only 11 Indians and a foreigner qualify every year as optometrists," Gogate said.

The Shankara Nethralaya in Chennai and the Bharati Vidyapeeth in Pune are the two other institutions offering degree courses.

Gogate is an executive member of the Indian Optometric Association and Indian Contact Lens Society and national coordinator for the Indian Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (IASCO).

"If India has to meet the WHO deadline of 2020, of stabilizing its population of the visually impaired, India will need to have more qualified optometrists who can advise on proper eye care from the school-going level," Gogate said.