OPTOMETRY

Optometry is the third largest independent health care profession in the United States. Today there are 34,515 optometrists in America involved in direct patient care. Optometrists examine the eyes and vision system, diagnose vision problems, prescribe and provide treatment. Treatments include glasses, contact lenses, vision therapy, aids for low vision, and therapeutic drugs for specific diseases.  Optometrists are licensed to use and prescribe diagnostic and therapeutic drugs in all 50 states; they perform the majority of pre- and post-operative care for ocular surgical cases. Optometrists work with ophthalmologists, who are physicians specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and defects, including surgery. They also work with opticians, who fit, supply and adjust eyewear according to prescriptions written by optometrists or ophthalmologists.

Over 120 million persons in the United States wear some form of eyewear; it is estimated that half of the remaining population has need for visual attention. 86% of children in the Unites States under the age of 6 years have never had an eye exam; about 1 in 20 of them suffers from amblyopia (the early stage of blindness caused by disease of the optic nerve).  Over 90% of people over 45 years old need a visual correction; thus, aging of the American population bodes well for the future of the profession of optometry.  In 2003, $ 32.1 billion were sent on the total optometric market in the U.S.  About 550 optometrists leave the field each year due to retirement, disability or death; this number is expected to increase to about 800 by 2015 and will generate a significant deficit in the optometric profession. The United States Department of Labor estimates that over the next ten years, employment opportunities for optometrists will grow faster than the average of all other occupations.

Doctors of Optometry work under conditions that are clean, pleasant and quiet. They are never called upon to cut the skin which makes the profession very appealing to some individuals. Children and adults alike enjoy their visits to the optometrist's office because pain is not inflicted upon them yet improvements in vision or comfort are the usual result. Very limited emergency care is required, and the optometrist's evenings and weekends are free and unencumbered with patient problems. Thus, the profession offers normal family life, and has one of the lowest substance abuse and suicide rates of any of the health professions. Malpractice insurance premiums are very low compared to other health professions.  According to the 2002 American Optometric Association Economic Survey, the mean net income for optometrists in self-employed practice was $ 132,813 and was $ 111,025 for those in employed practice.  Median net income for all optometrists in in all practice types in 2002 was $ 110,000. 

There are sixteen colleges of optometry in the United States, one in Puerto Rico and two in Canada; each year, they admit 1400 new students; 2226 applicants submitted a total of 5599 applications to the colleges for the first year positions in 2004.  Sixty percent of the students currently enrolled in optometry schools are women; approximately 28% of practicing optometrists are female. African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans are underrepresented in optometry. Ten percent of the students currently enrolled in optometry schools are minorities; nearly 13% of optometrists 25 to 40 years old are members of minority groups, compared to 6% of those aged 41 to 50 and only 4% of optometrists over age 50.

Additional information can be obtained from the American Optometric Association, 243 N. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63141-7881; phone 314-991-4100  (http://www.aoanet.org

 

and the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry, 6110 Executive Boulevard - Suite 510, Rockville, MD 20852; phone 301-231-5944  (http://www.opted.org).   

Admission to a college of optometry requires a minimum of three years of undergraduate work in prerequisite courses (typically in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, English and psychology).  Optometry school requires four years to complete; the first two years emphasize classroom and laboratory work in the basic medical sciences; the remaining two years are composed primarily of supervised patient care in hospitals, private practices and clinics.  Upon completion of the program, the new Doctor of Optometry is qualified to seek appropriate state licensure prior to practicing optometry.  Although a residency is not required, about ten percent of all graduates choose to complete additional training in a specialty area.

Admission to a college of optometry requires a minimum of three years of undergraduate work in prerequisite courses (typically in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, English and psychology) all of which are available at Oglethorpe University. Optometry school requires four years to complete; the first two years emphasize classroom and laboratory work in the basic medical sciences; the remaining two years are composed primarily of supervised patient care in hospitals, private practices and clinics.  Upon completion of the program, the new Doctor of Optometry is qualified to seek appropriate state licensure prior to practicing optometry.  Although a residency is not required, about 10 percent of all graduates choose to complete additional training in a specialty area.