Optometrist Career Information

An Optometrist, or eye Doctor, provides primary vision care. Your daily routine varies depending on where you work and whether you have your own practice. But it can include anything from administering routine examinations, to identifying specialized problems, which you then refer out to another health practitioner.

On a daily basis as the Optometrist, you examine patients’ eyes for any vision problems or diseases. You also test visual acuity, depth, and color perception, as well as the ability to focus and coordinate the eyes. And when a patient’s test results show less than perfect vision, you, the Optometrist, are in the business of prescribing eyeglasses or contact lenses to them. If vision therapy and rehab are needed, you provide those as well.

In cases where someone else administers the tests, you may still be the one that analyzes the results and develops the treatment plan. You also have the authority to prescribe and administer drugs. Patients who plan to undergo or who have undergone cataract surgery, laser eye surgery, or any other eye surgery may come to you for pre- or post-operative care.

As you can see, yours is a multifaceted job that involves so much more than the stereotypical “read the top line.”