Is Becoming An Optometrist Worth It?

Optometry can certainly be a rewarding career as it helps people

improve their eyesight and maintain eye health

. And along with this eye care career an OD can earn a nice living. … Even though incomes have leveled off, the cost of optometry school continues to rise.

Is an optometrist a good career choice?

Optometry is a great career choice for many reasons—including

work-life balance, the ability to help others and opportunities for growth

. … Optometry is a great career choice for many reasons—including work-life balance, the ability to help others and opportunities for growth.

Is becoming an optometrist hard?

Becoming an optometrist

takes hard work, diligence and dedication

. … To become an optometrist, you must complete a doctor of optometry, as well as other educational tasks. Overall, the optometry school length is quite long. It usually takes 8-9 years to become an optometrist (after high school).

What are the disadvantages of being an optometrist?

• Over-saturation in certain US cities. …
• High tuition costs. …
• Relatively lower pay compared to other doctorate professions. …
• Competition from big corporations and online retailers. …
• Pressure from telemedicine. …
• Patients may sometimes dismiss you and prefer seeing an ophthalmologist. …
• Patients can sometimes be difficult.

Do optometrists make good money?

The national

average annual wage

of an optometrist is $119,980, according to the BLS, well above the e average annual salary for all occupations, $51,960. … In the best-paying state for optometrists, the average salary is $55,110 more than the national average.

Is optometry a dying field?

But

optometry isn’t dying

. Indeed, the need for optometrists is going to be greater than ever in the coming decade. Our current population of 315 million will swell to almost 350 million by 2025. … That’s another 700 patients for every licensed optometrist.

Is optometry a boring career?

It is a very repetitive job

. In university, you may hear about lots of rare conditions but in reality a lot of your day is routine eye exams and recommending lenses/glasses. A lot of your day is spent working on your own.

Is it worth it to be an optometrist in 2020?

Optometry can certainly be a rewarding career as it helps people improve their

eyesight

and maintain eye health. And along with this eye care career an OD can earn a nice living. … Even though incomes have leveled off, the cost of optometry school continues to rise.

Are optometrist happy?

Optometrists are below average when it

comes to happiness. At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, optometrists rate their career happiness 3.0 out of 5 stars which puts them in the bottom 30% of careers.

Do optometrists have a PhD?

A PhD in Optometry, sometimes referred to as a Doctor of Optometry (OD), is a course of study that focuses on vision science. … With a PhD in Optometry you can become a

licensed optometrist

.

Is an optometrist a real doctor?

An

optometrist is not a medical doctor

. An optometrist receives a doctor of optometry (OD) degree after completing four years of optometry school, preceded by three years or more years of college.

Is optometry school harder than medical school?

In terms of schooling,

the medical cirriculum is much more demanding

, as it should be. The depth of the material can not even compare to optometry. However, that is not to say that the optometric cirriculum is not easy, because it was also very demanding.

Are Optometrists in demand?

Employment of optometrists is projected to grow 4 percent from 2019 to 2029, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Because vision problems tend to occur more frequently later in life,

an aging population will lead to demand

for more optometrists.

Will optometrists be replaced by robots?

“Optometrists” will almost certainly not be replaced by robots

. This job is ranked #188 out of #702. A higher ranking (i.e., a lower number) means the job is less likely to be replaced.

What are the most pressing issues in optometry today?

The single biggest issue facing optometry today is

the continued discrimination against ODs

by significant numbers of medical insurers in significant parts of the country. Everything else is extremely minor, IMHO.

What optometry school is the easiest to get into?

1. University of Alabama At Birmingham School of Optometry. …
2. University of Houston College of Optometry. …
3. Michigan College of Optometry. …
4. Oklahoma College of Optometry. …
5. Indiana University School of Optometry.