Doctors of optometry (optometrists) provide most primary vision care to patients, including:
- Examine patient’s eyes to diagnose vision problems and eye diseases
- Test patients’ visual acuity, depth and color perception, and ability to focus and coordinate the eyes
- Prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses
- Provide vision therapy and low-vision rehabilitation
- Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan
- Administer drugs to patients to aid in the diagnosis of vision problems and prescribe drugs to treat some eye diseases
- Provide preoperative and postoperative care to cataract patients
- Record keeping
- Often handle the business aspects of running an office
Licensing
In order to be licensed, candidates must have a Doctor of Optometry degree from an accredited optometry school and pass both a written National Board examination and a National, regional, or State clinical board examination. Many States also require applicants to pass an examination on relevant State laws.
Personal qualifications
- Excellent judgment, dependability, conscientious performance
- Close attention to detail, scrupulous recordkeeping
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High ethical standards, integrity
- Dependability
- Commitment to patient’s welfare
- Business ability, self-discipline
- Manual dexterity
Employment opportunities
- Excellent, ranking among the fastest growing occupations according to the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Employment of doctors of optometry is expected to grow much faster than average (Increase 27 percent or more) through the year 2014
Salary
Median annual earnings of salaried optometrists: $88,410 (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, May 2004)
Progression
Optometrists may choose to specialize:
- Work with the elderly
- Work with children
- Work with partially sighted persons who need specialized visual devices
- Work in industry to develop ways to protect workers’ eyes from on-the-job strain or injury
- Specialize in contact lenses, sports vision, or vision therapy
Optometrists wishing to teach or conduct research may study for a master’s or Ph.D. degree. Postgraduate clinical residency programs are available for optometrists who wish to obtain advanced clinical competence.
Getting there: Your degree program at MCPHS
- Doctor of Optometry
A joint, seven-year program enables students to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in premedical and health studies from MCPHS and a Doctor of Optometry degree (OD) from the New England College of Optometry (NECO) in Boston