About the Department

What is Optometry?

Vision is arguably the most important sense in the human body, and the eye is one of its most complex organs.

Visual impairment is one of the most common phenomenae encountered, yet today there exists a plethora of treatments and visual aids designed to treat and improve visual dysfunction. This in itself justifies the vast amount of research and development devoted to the visual system and treatment of various visual conditions and ailments.

Optometry is a multi-faceted profession which combines optics, physics,and  chemistry alongside biology, anatomy, pharmacology , psychology and medical ethics.

Some history of the Department:

Optometric studies in Bar-Ilan University originated as a joint venture with the Israel College of Optometry . The College of Optometry was founded in 1975 under the auspices of the Israel Optometric Association. In 1999, the program completed the requirements of the Council of Higher Education necessary to confer a degree in Optometry to its students. In 1993 the program was officially recognized as the Department of Optometry in the University under the umbrella of both the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Faculty of Exact Sciences.

Bar-Ilan is the only university based program conferring a fegree in Optometry in Israel, making its graduates attractive to all avenues of employment in the profession.

The faculty members in the Department of Optometry include the highest caliber lecturers in the field with Doctoral degrees in Optometry,and include prominent lecturers from the biological and exact science disciplines.

At the School of Optometry and Vision Science, learning goes beyond the classroom. Students gain hands-on clinical experience in advanced labs and university clinics, providing real eye examinations under the guidance of senior optometrists with Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degrees.
Through the School’s Mobile Optometry Clinic initiative, this expertise reaches far beyond campus—bringing professional eye care to underserved communities across the country and making a meaningful difference where it matters most.