Why You Should Choose a Career in Optometry

October 3, 2019

guest author Dr. Jeffrey Lewis OD featured in ASCO’s Optometry Gives Me Life campaign futureeyedoc.org

Whether you are 12, 18, 35, or 46, a career in Optometry is a great way to take your life in a new direction. Optometry is rewarding and provides excellent career opportunities for growth. In addition, most Doctors of Optometry have high job satisfaction and excellent quality of life. In terms of income, you won’t fall short either! The American Optometric Association has data showing the average net income is $140,013 for the primary practice of optometry to $172,356 for optometrists who own their practice. Let’s take a deeper dive.

Reasons to be an Optometrist

Career Opportunities

Doctors of Optometry are in high demand. We care for the aging population of Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers. Going forward, the need for this profession is only going to keep growing as the population of aging people increases. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, optometry will grow by about 27 percent, or 11,000 new jobs, from 2014 to 2024. This is higher than the average job growth expected across all industries.

In addition to need, there are other things that a career in optometry has to offer. First, you can participate in interdisciplinary care with other healthcare providers. This allows you to take part in a holistic care regime through the practice of primary optometry. Next, you don’t just have to treat patients.

Various Specialties

If you so choose, you can select the route of research. This will allow for the exploration of new diagnoses, treatments, and cures for eye conditions and diseases. Along the same direction, if you choose, you can also teach the next generation of optometrists while researching or just as a stand-alone career. There are 23 schools and colleges of optometry across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Finally, the opportunities for your specific practice are much more extensive than other types of medical professions. Within optometry, you have the option of pediatric, geriatric, low vision, contact lenses, vision rehabilitation, ocular disease, disabilities, and other special populations. Within each of these groups, you will be most likely guaranteed to find a job in any setting from cities and suburbs to rural areas and even internationally.

Job Satisfaction

Optometrists love their jobs, in general, due to their ability to make the lives of their patients better while maintaining a work-life balance. We can improve lives and see the immediate satisfaction when a patient puts on glasses for the first time. In addition, most optometrists can choose a flexible work schedule based on their needs while receiving minimal emergency care requests.

If you are thinking about a career in optometry, then learn more about what optometrists do and how you can get started with the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. Our doctors will show you what you can expect and how they have improved their lives and the lives of their patients by choosing optometry.

Jeffrey Lewis, O.D.