Optometry

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Optometry

• Aurora Denial O.D., FAAO
• Associate Professor of Optometry
• Chair Admissions Committee

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US News and World Report January 5, 2006

• Excellent careers for 2006

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• Optometry was ranked as the second best
  profession
• -US News and World Report
• Optometrist. A one-on-one helping career that
  will serve the massive numbers of boomers.
  Careers in which you help people, one-on-one, are
  rewarding, and the work environment is usually
  pleasant.

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• Optometry is the nations third largest
  independent healthcare profession.
• With favorable working conditions, regular hours
  and a minimum of emergency calls, it offers many
  practice options and great freedom in choosing a
  location to live and practice.
• Optometrists provide the majority of primary
  vision care administered. Over half the
  population in the United States wear glasses or
  contact lenses. People who may not require
  corrective eyewear still need regular eye care to
  prevent, detect and manage eye disease.
• ASCO

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Optometry

• Doctors of optometry (ODs) are the primary
  health care professionals for the eye.
  Optometrists examine, diagnose, treat, and manage
  diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual
  system, the eye, and associated structures as
  well as identify related systemic conditions
  affecting the eye. American Optometric
  Association (AOA), 2005.

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Conditions typically cared for by Doctors of
Optometry

• corneal abrasions, ulcers, or infections
  glaucoma and other eye diseases that require
  treatment with pharmaceutical agents, management
  and referral when necessary
• visual skill problems such as the inability to
  move, align, fixate and focus the ocular
  mechanism in such tasks as reading, driving,
  computer use, and in tasks related to hobbies and
  employment
• the inability to properly process and interpret
  information requiring perception, visualization,
  and retention, such as that needed for most
  learning tasks
• poor vision-body coordination as one interacts
  with the environment as in sports, occupations,
  and other everyday activities requiring spatial
  judgments and clarity problems such as simple
  near- or far-sightedness or complications due to
  the
• aging process, disease, accident or malfunction.
• ASCO

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Doctors of Optometry also work to

• diagnose, manage, and refer systemic diseases
  such as hypertension, diabetes, and others that
  are often first detected in the eye.
• provide pre- and post- surgical care of
  cataracts, refractive laser treatment, retinal
  problems, and other conditions that require pre-
  and post-surgical care.
• encourage preventative measures such as
  monitoring infants' and childrens visual
  development, evaluating job/school/hobby related
  tasks, and promoting nutrition and hygiene
  education.
• ASCO

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Requirements For Application to Optometry School

• A properly completed application for admission,
  including a personal essay
• Official transcripts from all colleges attended
• Official Optometry Admission Test (OAT) scores
• Letters of recommendation
• Optometry experience/exposure
• Personal interview

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Prerequisite Courses

• Listed below are the common prerequisite courses
  for most optometry schools
• General Biology w/labs
• General Chemistry w/labs
• Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry w/labs
• General Physics w/labs
• Microbiology w/lab
• Calculus
• Psychology
• Statistics
• English
• Social Science
• Other Humanities

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Optometric Education

• Optometry programs include classroom and
  laboratory study of health and visual sciences,
  as well as clinical training in the diagnosis and
  treatment of eye disorders. Courses in
  pharmacology, optics, vision science,
  biochemistry, and systemic disease are included.
• One-year postgraduate clinical residency programs
  are available for optometrists who wish to obtain
  advanced clinical competence. Specialty areas for
  residency programs include family practice
  optometry, pediatric optometry, geriatric
  optometry, vision therapy and rehabilitation,
  low-vision rehabilitation, cornea and contact
  lenses, refractive and ocular surgery, primary
  eye care optometry, and ocular disease.

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Licensure

• OD degree
• Satisfactory completion of National Boards
• Individual state requirements

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Modes of Practice

• Solo Private Practice
• Partnership or Group Practice
• Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
• Retail/Optical Settings
• Optometric/Ophthalmologic Professional Settings
• Military/Public Health
• Interdisciplinary Care
• Academic/Research
• Corporate/Industrial
• Consultants

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Earnings

• Median annual earnings of salaried optometrists
  were 88,410 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent
  earned between 63,840 and 118,320. Median
  annual earnings of salaried optometrists in May
  2004 were 87,430 in offices of optometrists.
  Salaried optometrists tend to earn more initially
  than do optometrists who set up their own
  practices. In the long run, however, those in
  private practice usually earn more.
• According to the American Optometric Association,
  median net annual income for all optometrists,
  including the self-employed, was 114,000 in
  2004. The middle 50 percent earned between
  84,000 and 166,000.

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Personal Satisfaction

• Practicing Doctors of Optometry experience keen
  satisfaction in their profession. The fact that
  many optometrists choose to practice on a
  part-time basis well into their retirement speaks
  highly of the rewards of the profession.
• Adding to optometrists satisfaction is the fact
  that increases in their incomes have outpaced
  inflation for the past 10 years.
• As managed care plans have lowered reimbursement
  levels for all healthcare providers, optometrists
  have responded by expanding their services to
  include more eye-health-related procedures, which
  assists their patients and has enabled their
  practices to grow.

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Projected Need

• Employment of optometrists is expected to grow
  faster than average for all occupations through
  2014, in response to the vision care needs of a
  growing and aging population. The demand for
  optometric services will increase because of
  growth in the oldest age group, with its
  increased likelihood of cataracts, glaucoma,
  diabetes, and hypertension. Greater recognition
  of the importance of vision care, along with
  rising personal incomes and growth in employee
  vision care plans, also will spur job growth.
• In addition to growth, the need to replace
  optometrists who retire or leave the occupation
  for another reason will create employment
  opportunities.
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of
  Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07
  Edition, Optometrists, on the Internet at
  http//www.bls.gov/oco/ocos073.htm (visited May
  17, 2006).