The Elite School of Optometry, popularly known as ESO in the optometry field, is the first and leading college of optometry in India offering a four year professional degree (B.S.Optometry).

The college is run by Sankara Nethralaya, a tertiary eye care hospital, Chennai, in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, (BITS) Pilani, India. Located at close proximity to the Anna International Airport, Chennai, ESO has a diverse student community coming from various States across the country. ESO is considered the IIT of optometry in India. The college gives its students a strong academic foundation and excellent clinical training.

Optometry is a health care profession, and optometrists are primary health care practitioners of the eye, who provide comprehensive eye and vision care, which includes:

• Measuring refractive errors
• Prescribing glasses, contact lenses and low vision aids
• Early detection/diagnosis, management and rehabilitation of conditions of the visual system
• Providing non-surgical intervention for specific binocular vision problems like squint

Optometrists offer counseling services on preventive eye and vision care and collaborate with other health disciplines including ophthalmology, neurology, internal medicine and other health sciences.