Optometry as a career?
829114
My brother went to the New England College of Optometry! Hmm...I know I'm not as good of a source of info as my brother, but I have worked at his practice as a secretary, I regularly talk to him, and I'm also interested in becoming an optometrist, so I'll tell you what I know. \n\nHe graduated at UCLA with a double major in biology and psychology (he stayed for 5 years instead of 4) and scored in the top 5% on the OAT nationally. He did not get into Berkeley's optometry program, but he got into NECO. I just asked him about NECO yesterday...besides from taking the required prereqs needed for optometry school, you need to have at least one professor who will sponsor you and write you a letter of reccomendation. If given an interview (which he was given at NECO), you also want to do well at your interview.\n\nNECO is pretty expensive. I believe when he was attending (1999-2003), he was paying around $40k each year (for tuition and plus apartment housing). He was there for four years, then did a year of supervised practice in Arizona. \n\nSo, for schooling, he did 5 years bachelors, plus 4 years optometry school, plus 1 year pre-reg practice...it took him 10 years. And that's if you're already on the bio/chem track. If you're doing something completely different (like me!) it'll take an extra 2 years or so to get your prereqs done for optometry school.\n\nThe pay can vary. If you work for someone (i.e. LensCrafters), you get paid less. If you start out your own private practice, it'll take a few years to really rake in the dough. The first few years will be about $80-90k and will steadily increase...after he graduated from NECO, he was fortunate enough to find a practice of an established optometrist who was retiring, and took over his business...my brother currently makes over  $200k a year.\n\nHe's well-liked! Very pretigious title...lots of Hello Dr. Pham's when he's out and about! His fiance is a dentist, funny enough! She doesn't like dentistry...in the words of my brother, "She only went to dentistry school because she scored in the top 1% on the dentistry extrance exam nationally...that's her only reason for picking it over other optometry or med school!" Haha.\n\nI hope this helps! Good luck!
272889
You should talk to people in different fields to get their take on what its like.  Most people will give an honest answer.  \n\nIf thats not possible, try to contact a career center in the medical school or medical facility..
187474
an Optometrist!!! cuz i want to be a doctor and that's the only one i could think of where i won't have to deal with blood on a daily basis!!! LOL! but i think it's gonna be fun!
1098430
I am an Optician. You will love the surgery if it all goes well. Personally, I would not due to a few reasons. First is the Opthamoligist do not beleive in it. If they did they would not have you sign a waiver saying they do not guarntee that it will work and there is a possibility you would be in stronger glasses. If you purchased glasses and they said that you may not be able to see out of them, would you pay for them? Also, depending on the type of surgery, they cut a layer of your cornea off. to make your eye flatter. When they cut this off, your eye is now thinner. If you develop Glacoma in the future, you run the risk of your eye rupturing. I dont think its worth the risk. I would suggest getting contacts called Paragon CRT lenses. They are amazing. You wear the contacts wile you sleep. You take them out in the morning and you can see! They way it works is it molds your cornea to the shape it needs to be to see without any cutting! The lenses are expensive but as long as you dont lose them, they last for several years.The only downside is the first week or so, you will wear the lenses and the next morning you will see great for about 4 hours. then it will go back to bad. After wearing them for a few weeks you can go all day. Some people have said they wear them on the weekends and can see for several days. I have included a link to explain and you can look up people in your area that do this.
1069808
I'm not an optometrist ... but I'll take a stab at answering the question ... I think by squinting, you are narrowing your field of vision and therefore sharpening your view.  In a sense, it's targeted vision.
701103
if you mean ophthalmology you'll need to go to medical school.  ophthalmology is a specialty in the medical field.
586805
yes go to an optometrist
876649
Not weird at all!  I've been home since 2002.  Started off, the birth of my last child, and now ended off being medical, had a cornea transplant last december and now about to have the other eye done next month.  I am excited that I should have perfect eyesight beginning next summer, but I am estatic that I may be able to go out and get a job.  Mind you, not a career, my family is my career and I had my own graphic design business, but I mean a J.O.B.  As most career women like yourself, we began working so early and for so long that we don't know how to do nothing.  Alright, so find something to do.  What do you do as a hobby now?  Make it your own career.  Do you know, this million dollar 'make a bear' business started as a hobby?  I'm sure there is something that you like to do everyday that people just know its Your knack.  Take it a parlay it into your new career move.  I'm sure making some money on the side wont hurt either! smile, good luck.
873226
This website includes a list of colleges offering opticianary programs:\n\nhttp://www.uscollegesearch.org/opticianry--dispensing-optician-colleges.html
755352
The truth is you have a really good start on that career if you should try to enter the field.  If you like what you have seen so far and enjoy working with people and pleasing them, then maybe it is a good choice for you.
64706
Check out http://www.opted.org/ and get in touch with your local optometrist.  They're usually very willing to help/answer any questions you have about optometry.  See if you can shadow them for a day, too.  Good luck!  :)
352902
My aunt had a friend in law school who was visually impaired.  She went to work for a civil rights group, of course.\n\nYou can take your bar and practice law, you can take it or not and work in consulting, you can take it or not and teach.  Either way you could do wonders with doing low pay or pro bono work for civil rights and discrimination cases.\n\nI plan to work for a non-profit group and maybe for DSS helping protect the Innocent and prosecute the deserving.  (Yeah, at least I am going to try my darnedest)\n\nYour being visually impaired is really not a factor in your possible career choices.  Choose whatever you want to do.
540554
ultimatley u would like to be in a profession of something u enjoyed doing...
783890
Besides the usual teaching/medical route, you could also consider careers in: \n\nPublic Health Genetics\nPharmacogenomics\nEpidemiology\nNanotechnology\nHealth Law\nBioethics\nMolecular Anthropology\nForensics
571015
Your best bet is to check with an opthalmologist.  He or she's the one with the letters "M.D." behind his/her name.  Niether an optician or optometrist is an M.D. and niether is fully qualified to answer your question.\n\nFor a great many people, laser surgery provides near-miraculous results.  There are some horror stories, told by people who don't know what they're talking about.  Don't listen to 'em.  Laser surgery corrects quite nicely when it's appropriate, and ONLY that M.D. opthalmologist is qualified to tell you whether it's right for you.\n\nAs for eyeglasses vs contacts - ideally, you try 'em both and decide for yourself, 'cause each person's needs are unique to that person.  What works for me may well not work for you.  \n\nGo see the Opthalmologist.  I'm sure you'll find the results much more satisfactory.
265938
Careers with a high technology component require money: 1) get the latest equipment and, 2) get the proper technical skills to use it.\n\nWill you be paying the costs of such technology? are you financially stable to do so? if not, do you know where to get financial aid? what are the conditions of the financial institution?\n\nAnd of course, have you thought about the market? do you know any other optometrist? how fierce is the competition in your area? how well are they doing?\n\nI can only give you insight on money and related, i'm not familiar with the field, but my sister is a dentist and had problems with all the above. I hope i've helped
873656
yes but it depends on your prescription and your refractive and defractive go talk to a recruiter he can show you the REGS