Optometrists, who were at a time, referred to as opticians, are specialists in checking the eyes to spot abnormalities in a patient’s vision. They also check for visual infections, injuries in the eyes, and other health-related issues that surround the Human Eye. Optometrists provide health tips, recommend contact lenses, suggest ideal spectacles, and even advice patients to get further medical assessments if needed.
Roles of an Optometrist
The duties of an optometrist include:
- Diagnosing patients with eyesight issues.
- Improving the health of patients’ eyes through valuable advice.
- Testing eyesight and vision in a lab and writing report on outcomes.
- Suggesting medications and visual aid tools.
- Checking for other diseases and infections which may have resulted in poor eyesight.
- Assisting patients before and after eye surgeries.
- Administering vision therapies.
Optometrists sometimes work in a group, or with other healthcare professionals. When they do, they usually have strict specific duties. Some groups may even demand that some experts attend to adults, some to children and others having to provide counseling and cautioning duties to patients.
A good number of Optometrists teach at postsecondary colleges, while some others are simply researchers in the field.
It is however important not to take optometrists as ophthalmologists or regular opticians. Ophthalmologists are those who perform complex surgeries on the eye, while an optician’s task is to create fitting eyeglasses as recommended by an optometrist.
Education for Optometrists
If a career in optometry is ideal for you, there are a few processes you must successfully go through. At first, you will need to obtain a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from a recognized post-secondary school. Then, proceed to complete a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from an accredited University or institution (check the list below). It takes four years to run the program. You will equally have to obtain a license to practice from a regulatory body in the country you desire to start your professional career.
Job-specific skills for Optometrists
Income
Optometrists are not so easy to come by. Little wonder their paycheck is quite attractive. A low-income earner in the field has an accumulation of $53,000 in earnings at the end of the year. Optometrists at the top of wages rankings usually rake in a total of $192,000 annually. This leaves the median annual income for these experts at $107,000. Not so bad at all.
Best schools to Study Optometry
- University of Waterloo, Canada. ( Extensive research culture)
- Université de Montréal, Canada (Topnotch facilities)
- The Ohio State University College of Optometry. (Home to International students)
- UC Berkeley School of Optometry ( Good mastery of everything optometry)
Do not forget to send us a message if you need to know how to start studying in these schools. We’ll be glad to help!
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