Joint Director Optometry Research

Vishakh Nair, B.Optom, M.Optom, FIACLE, is an optometrist, academic and clinical educator associated with the Doctor of Optometry programme at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. His career spans higher education, clinical optometry and research, with particular involvement in contact lens education and practice. His academic publications identify his affiliation with the Department of Optometry, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah.

Nair completed his Bachelor of Optometry in 2003 at Bharati Vidyapeeth University Medical College, Pune, India, followed by his Master of Optometry in 2005 at the same institution. After completing his postgraduate studies, he served at his alma mater for approximately five years. During this period, he was also associated with The Vision Care Institute and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. These early appointments formed part of his professional development before his move to Saudi Arabia to join the Doctor of Optometry programme.

His professional credentials include recognition as a Senior Specialist Optometrist by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and Fellowship of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators. He is also listed as a senior advisor to Vision Science Academy, connecting his university work with a wider professional network concerned with optometry and vision science education.

Contact lenses are a recurring theme in Nair’s scholarly work. His publications include contributions to International Contact Lens Prescribing in 2018, research on opportunities and threats to contact lens practice, and an investigation of how practitioner experience, practice setting and profession relate to attitudes towards developing contact lens services. His publication record also includes research on intraocular pressure variation associated with the use of large corneal rigid gas-permeable lenses. Together, these studies address both clinical questions and the professional factors that influence contact lens practice.

His research extends to anterior segment assessment and ocular responses to diagnostic agents. He co-authored the study Effects of Cyclopentolate Hydrochloride Dosage on Anterior Segment Parameters in Young Adults (Measured with Pentacam), published in Clinical Ophthalmology in 2021. The investigation compared the effects of two cyclopentolate concentrations on anterior segment measurements and intraocular pressure in young adults with myopia or hyperopia.

Nair has also contributed to literature on the role of optometrists in detecting sight-threatening disease. He co-authored Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy: The Optometrist’s Perspective, published in Clinical Optometry in 2015. This work examined diabetic retinopathy screening in the context of optometric practice, reflecting an interest in the contribution of primary eye care professionals to timely disease detection and referral.

Through his faculty appointment, professional advisory role and collaborative publications, Vishakh Nair’s career brings together optometric education and clinical research. His work encompasses the preparation of future optometrists, contact lens practice, ocular assessment and the broader role of optometry in eye health services.