An optometrist is a doctor who examines eyes, diagnoses minor eye disorders or diseases, and treats them with non-surgical treatments. Optometry is the study of the eyes, vision, and all related human processes optometrists. Optometrists are allied health professionals who specialize in vision. This means they don’t have a medical degree but are critical to the health-care system’s operation. Those interested in becoming optometrists must first obtain a Doctor of Optometry degree, followed a license to practice optometry.
If you want to be an optometrist, the first step is to enroll in college and take optometry prep classes at an accredited college or university. Pre-optometry classes vary from one school to the next. These classes typically include a mix of biology and chemistry classes, as well as physics and calculus classes. Optometry preparation classes are not limited to a single field of study. In fact, some optometry schools only require you to finish the prerequisite classes and not earn a bachelor’s degree.
The next step for anyone interested in becoming an optometrist is to enroll in an accredited optometry school. To be admitted to optometry school, students must pass the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). After that, the student applies to the optometry school of his or her choice. Although admissions criteria vary school, most use OAT scores, undergraduate grades, and interviews to make their decisions.
A student must complete four years of study at an accredited optometry school to become an optometrist. They will complete their intensive optometry studies there. The student will receive a Doctor of Optometry degree after graduating from optometry school. Despite the fact that the student is already an optometrist, he must pass a state board exam before he can legally practice. Once the student has received his or her state license, he or she can begin practicing optometry.
Optometrists and ophthalmologists are not the same thing. While both professions study optometry, optometrists spend the majority of their time examining patients’ eyes and prescribing corrective lenses. They may also be able to detect certain eye diseases and treat them without the use of surgery. The work of an ophthalmologist is much broader, including the diagnosis, management, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. A full medical degree is required for ophthalmologists, but it is not required for optometrists.
An optometrist, for example, could issue a contact lens or eyeglass prescription to a patient. The optometrist would be unable to perform a cornea replacement if that same patient required it. For surgery, he’d have to refer the patient to an ophthalmologist.