darkphoenix1247
To Chi: Welcome! I actually have thought about optometry before, but I don't know much about it. Would I have to do lots of eye surgery?
There is a common confusion among people about what an optometrist does as opposed to an optician and an opthamologist:
Optician: Sells glasses, fits frames, some can make lenses themselves. This is sort of the sales side of eyeglasses. Some states require a liscensed professional (2 yr degree), while others do not.
Optometrist: Gives general eye exam, treats ocular disease with eyedrops and (in most states) oral medications, checks the health of the eye, can specialize for certain ocular dysfunctions. This is really like the general practitioner of the eyes, and like GPs they can specialize in certain types of people (pediatrics, glaucoma specialists, vision therapy, etc.). This is a 4 year degree with an optional but reccommended 1 yr residency, and you do become a certified Dr. afterward (O.D., D.O. is a doc of osteopathic medicine). The first two years are just like med school. In fact, half of my profs teach at NYU most days. The second two years are spent with hands on work in the clinic, or offsite at nearby satillite clinics.
Opthamologist : Surgeon specialized for the eyes. Removes cataracts, performs LASIK and other vision correction, fixes other ocular issues that require microsurgery. Opthamologists can also give eye exams, but most of them like surgery and are more skilled at it, so they hire an optometrist to do consultation work under them. Opthamology requires 4 yrs medical school and a 4 year residency, and you go to a normal med school. It is just like becoming a surgeon, but in the last year or so, you specialize. At least, that is my understanding. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
One of the downsides to optometry is that there are only 16 schools in the country. The one in Missouri is in St. Louis, and most of the schools are in big cities (Boston, NYC, Chicago, Houston, etc.). The plus side is that it is a very rewarding field with one of the highest job satisfaction ratings, the competition is still high but not as ridiculous, and most of the schools have small class sizes so you really get close to your collegues. You can become an optometrist and also have a life too, which is something that sometimes cannot be said about some medical professions. It all just depends on what you want out of a career.
...plus, on a Jewish sidenote, the chances of you encountering a dead Jewish body while being an eye doctor are very, very slim, so you can easily become an eye doctor as a Kohen without any halakhic issues. In fact, my prof for optics is a Kohen and that was one of the reasons he went into optometry.
smile _________________________
*looks in the intro thread*
You're still in high school, right? My suggestion is to start a major in biology once you get into college, although biochem will work for an undergrad degree. If your school has a pre-med tract, that would be good too. Talk to your advisor about your options for med school and otherwise, and realize that you really don't need to make a decision about it until your junior year of undergrad. Until then, all of the bio classes you took already count toward any med school, so there is no need to freak out. I would also suggest looking into observing some people when you are in college if you can.
I'm so long winded. I was supposed to go a half-hour ago...
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