is optometry school do-able?

Question

hey im an undergrade at BC and i would like to go into optometry but as i do more research on the proffesion im a little hesitant about the course work. If anyone is an optometrist or an optometry student would you please tell me about your experience in optometry school

Answer 1

I wouldn't have said that it was that difficult.
it was tedious in parts, as there a fair stack of information to absorb, especially on the biological side.
When I was studying 30 years ago in the UK we were worked appreciably harder in terms of the volume of lectures and coursework than many of the other students at university. But none of the material was terribly difficult.

As a career, it has good and bad points.
It's fairly well-paid, but repetitive.
It has a flat career structure: the day you qualify you're sitting in a little dark room looking at eyeballs, the day you retire you're...
But it's an easy profession to return to after a break, and a good one to work at part-time, which can be a real plus for women expecting to have families.
Unless you get into management and running businesses, work can be left behind at 5:30.
On the plus side you're working with people, and often helping them significantly.
On the minus side you're working with people, with all the hassles that can bring.
"Did you bring your old glasses?"
"No"
"Would you go to your dentist without your teeth?"
(you''re only allowed to *think* that last line)
"No, I can see to drive, I just can't see the television."
... and many, many other similar mind boggling utterances.

I've done 27 years as an optometrist, and I'm taking a career break, at the least. It was good, but between the patients and the bureaucracy, I felt I'd had enough.
It may just be a mid-life crisis, but I know several other optometrists just locally who feel the profession isn't what it was.

Answer 2

I'm an optician with no desire to go to optometry school. But why are you hesitant about the course work?

These days, optometrists study to be optometric physicians, basically treating medical conditions of the eye without the worry of performing surgery. I would delve a little deeper and visit one or two area optoms and get their opinions.