How to Become an Optometrist
An optometrist holds a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree, which takes seven years of study to complete. O.D.s diagnose vision problems, diseases of the eye and related diseases. They are also responsible for prescribing corrective eyeglasses and contact lenses.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Academic Counselings
- College Catalogs
- School Of Optometry Catalogs
- Computers
- Online Career Search
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1
Take numerous science and biology courses in high school.
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2
Go to a college where you can take three years of pre-optometry courses. Consult your guidance counselor during your junior year about colleges that offer such a program.
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3
Find and visit optometry Web sites with the help of a major search engine like Google or Yahoo. Look for information on optometry schools and their admission requirements.
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4
Take the Optometry Admissions Test during your second or third year in college. The test will measure your academic and scientific knowledge.
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Apply for admission to optometry schools accredited by the Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association. Keep in mind that competition is great.
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Complete your optometry school's four-year course of study and pass a written and clinical state board exam.
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Apply for your state license after receiving your O.D. degree. You should ask your state's Board of Optometry well beforehand about its licensing procedure.
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Consider a one-year postgraduate program if you want to become a specialist.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that it is ophthalmologists, not optometrists, who perform eye surgery.
Note that your license will need to be renewed every one to three years, depending on your state. Continuing education is necessary for renewal.
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Comments
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You're not going to be an Optometrist with that attitude. You need to be nice to your customers.
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fight me pusc ;
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Nope, you need a 150% in all your classes.
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I am currently going into grade 11 and I am looking at future professions. I am interested in optometry, and am wondering how much or how great of a challenge it is to get into optometry school. I had a 81 average in grade 10, and I did not apply myself at all. I am going to strive to achieve a 85-88 average this year. I am giving you this knowledge because I am wondering if you think this profession is atainable for me. Please let me know, thanks.
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No, you can't. The Optometry degree puts you unfortunately in the situation that you can work only in the US and Canada and even there it can be a pain to move from one state to the other because of different licenses.
