The Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences was established at King Saud University about 30 years ago with the aim of fulfilling the needs of the health sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the optometry. The department has been working since its established to keep up with development of the continuous development in education. In the year 1430/1431 AH, the department launched the Master's program by courses and research paths to contribute to advancing specialization and supporting the scientific research. The Master of Science in optometry at the College of Applied Medical Sciences is the first optometry master in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East region.

In the year 1432/1433 AH, the department began to receive the first batch of students of the Optometry Doctor program, because of the belief in the scientific quality of this program on the one hand and in line with the international standards of universities that grant a bachelor’s degree in the optometry specialty on the other hand. The importance of specialization stems from the fact that optometrists are the first line of defence for the eye and are qualified to provide primary care and periodic examination of the eye and correct the refractive error for the adults and children, which contributes to maintaining eye health and safety in society and reduce the complications that may occur as a result of the lack of early diagnosis of eye diseases. The Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences is concerned with qualifying professional and high quality cadres to provide primary eye care service, and aims to be a pioneer and distinguished in the field of academic education and scientific research.

In conclusion, the department makes permanent efforts to develop the educational process and train students in the latest systems and technologies, and sets its sights on the emblem of high quality in every step in line with the goals of the university and the Kingdom's vision 2030.

Dr. Raied Ahmad Fagehi

Chairman, Optometry & Vision Sciences Dep.