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Optometry Today
Optometrists provide a wide range of care, including:
 | Detect and diagnose eye diseases such as glaucoma,
cataracts, retinal disorders, lid disorders, and infections such as
conjunctivitis.
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| Prescribe medication to treat eye diseases.
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| Evaluate and treat vision conditions such as
nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia.
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| Perform minor surgical procedures such as removing
foreign objects from the eye.
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| Provide pre- and post-operative care, especially for
glaucoma, laser, refractive, and cataract patients.
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| In some instances and states, perform laser, refractive or glaucoma surgeries.
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Advancing Eye Care
Doctors of optometry are on the forefront of advanced research into the
development of new treatments for eye diseases and disorders.
| The research dollars awarded by the government through the National Eye
Institute to optometrists has quadrupled in less than 10 years.
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| Optometric researchers are using these funds to advance solutions in areas
such as glaucoma, vision therapy and preschoolers' access to vision care.
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Doctors of Optometry and their
Education
Doctors of optometry are the nation's largest eye care
profession, serving patients in nearly 6,500 communities across the country,
where in more than 3,500 of these communities, they are the only eye doctors.
| Doctors of optometry are trained to examine, diagnose, treat and
manage disorders that affect the eye or vision.
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| After attending a university or college for their undergraduate education,
optometry students concentrate specifically on the structure, function
and disorders of the eye for 4 additional years during their graduate
education to earn their doctoral degree.
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| While concentrating on the eye and visual system, optometrists also
study general health in courses such as human anatomy,
biochemistry and physiology.
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| In addition to their formal, doctoral-level training, all optometrists
participate in ongoing continuing education courses to stay
current on the latest standards of care and to maintain their licenses to
practice. Optometry is one of the only doctoral-level health care professions
to require continuing education in every state for license renewal.
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As primary eye care providers, doctors of optometry are an integral part of
the health care team, earning their doctoral degree just as dentists,
podiatrists and other doctors do.
| Prior to admittance into optometry school, optometrists typically complete
four years of undergraduate study, culminating in a bachelor's degree.
Required undergraduate coursework for pre-optometry students is extensive and
covers a wide variety of advanced health, science and mathematics courses.
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| Optometry school consists of four years of post-graduate, doctoral-level
study concentrating on the eye, vision and associated systemic disease. In
addition to profession-specific courses, optometrists are required to take
systemic health courses that focus on a patient's overall medical condition as
it relates to the eyes.
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| Upon completion of optometry school, candidates graduate from their
accredited college of optometry and hold the doctor of optometry (OD) degree.
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| Some optometrists participate in residency programs following optometry
school. This experience offers doctors of optometry training in an optometric
sub-specialty such as pediatric optometry, low vision care, or geriatrics.
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Optometric Education in Practice
| Optometrists must pass a rigorous national examination administered by the
National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO). The three-part exam includes
basic science, clinical science and patient care.
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| All optometrists are required to participate in ongoing continuing
education courses to stay current on the latest standards of care.
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| Curriculums and continuing education are updated on an ongoing basis to
reflect technological advances, including surgery techniques, prescriptive
medications and other medical treatments related to eye diseases and
disorders.
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| In addition to being the experts on eye and vision diseases and disorders,
doctors of optometry have the education and training to diagnose the ocular
manifestations of diseases that affect the entire body, such as diabetes and
hypertension. They also are qualified to evaluate their patients for surgery
when appropriate and often manage their patients' care pre- and
post-operatively. |
*Adapted from American Optometric Association at
www.aoa.org
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