<p>I am seriously considering attending optometry school instead of medical school for various reasons. Both of my parents are general family physicians but I am not satisfied with their hours, stressful situations and exhaustion. I have really been researching the field and have a genuine interest in optometry. I feel no need to truly perform surgery so I would much rather focus on one-on-one patient interaction. However, with all the firms and companies that have eye centers nowadays, I 'm wondering if there truly is an oversaturation of the market... I do want to live a comfortable life with options without living paycheck to paycheck..Any adults have any views on this field? Or simple advice?
Sincerely,
Abby!</p>
<p>An optometrist can live a comfortable life. The salary will differ in different regions of the country and the type of practice. As you know, it requires four years of graduate school, but unlike an MD, there isn't the additional years of residency. Unlike an MD, an optometrist can work regular job hours and not be on call at all hours of the day, night and weekend. </p>
<p>While optometrists DO work in different settings nowadays than in the past, there are a variety of practices with advantages and disadvantages for each type. You can have a private practice or a private one with partners. Your private practice can also offer goods (eyewear and contacts), not just services. You can be employed by someone else too. You can have a private practice in a commercial setting or eye center, where you are still self employed and only offer professional services and are not the one that sells products. Or you can be employed by such commercial enterprises. There is a lot of variation. It can be a good profession for you to go into and make a comfortable living. You can research the average salaries of optometrists and remember that it will vary by region/location, type of practice, if employed or self employed, and years out of optometry school. The hours and stress that your parents have as MDs is not quite like what it is like for optometrists and so if you want regular working hours in a health practice with patients, this may be a field you might like. Why don't you shadow an optometrist and get some idea that way?</p>
<p>I just looked up the MEDIAN salary which is $100,435. Another source gave $122,147 as the median for self employed optometrists. Many factors affect salary but that gives you some inkling.</p>
<p>Another source:</p>
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According to the American Optometric Association, median net annual income for all optometrists, including the self-employed, was $114,000 in 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $84,000 and $166,000.
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<p>Most doctors do not get free choice of any type of practice. Private practices are expensive to start. Medical services are becomming centralized. Insurance networks are complex and MDs must often march to the tune of the insurance companies today. That goes for optometrists too.</p>
<p>While the demand may be going up pay may well be going down as eyeglass chains keep care competitive. Most optometrists of your generation will not work for themselves. It will be a comfortable (in most places) but not a lavish living.</p>
<p>I do not have a crystal ball, but I would be concerned about the long term trend away from glasses towards laser corrective surgery.</p>
<p>There is a big mark up in the glasses that you could sell in a private practice by hiring a optician. This is how our optometrist cleans up. BTW, eye exams for glasses have not been covered under our medical insurance for years.</p>
<p>Have you thought about dermatology? JK, please any dermatologists out there don't take offense. There are jokes out there about nobody ever getting cured (rashes keep coming back). The emergencies appear to be limited, and there is a not so funny sharp increase in skin cancers. I think that it might be a growing field of medicine.</p>
<p>To get into dermatology, which is popular because of how much they are able to make, you need to be at the top of your med school class in general. Forget the rashes, it's the botox.</p>
<p>UCGradMary,
You mention eyeglass chains. However, many optometrists have PRIVATE practices associated with eyeglass chains and other commmercial businesses. </p>
<p>Not all optometrists feel that insurance companies affect their practices. It isn't quite the same as an MD practice with many procedures. </p>
<p>EDad, while laser surgery is popular, there are many patients who are not candidates for that procedure and will always have to use contacts or eyeglasses. For example, while my husband has had laser eye correction, I have not because I am fearful of scarring since I develop keloid scars when I have had other surgeries. Also, even those who have had laser surgery, may still need reading glasses. Further, optometrists do other things besides corrective vision and so there is still need for eyecare even if one has had laser vision correction. </p>
<p>Also with regard to laser correction, many optometrists co-manage laser eye surgery with opthamologists and do the initial screenings and follow up examinations, but just not the procedure. </p>
<p>Northeastmom, you mention selling glasses in private practice and hiring an optician. An optometrist in private practice can definitely earn income by selling products such as glasses. They can do so without hiring an optician as well. </p>
<p>While there are medical practices like dermatology, those require a medical degree and residency, which is a different avenue of education and licensure than to become a doctor of optometry.</p>
<p>Soozie, what you describe is unusual accept in small markets these days.</p>
<p>UCgradmary, there are a number of practices in my area like what Soozievt described. It is not a particulary small market.</p>
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Soozie, what you describe is unusual accept in small markets these days.
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<p>UCGradMary....I am not sure which thing in my post you are referring to. Do you mean the part about many optometrists having private practices associated with eyeglass chains and commercial businesses? If so, please look at places such as WalMart, Costco, Sears, Pearl Vision, Lenscrafters, and other commercial eye glass places or general stores with optical departments, and you will see that many of the optometrists in those businesses are INDEPENDENT optometrists who lease space at the business and have a private practice in association with the business but are NOT employees of that business. Often there is a sign to that affect at the practice or business. Many times, the optometrist does only the medical part such as exams and such and the business is the one that sells eyewear and contacts and employs opticians. I don't think that is just in small markets.</p>
<p>The problem is, the chains no longer want to share. They are taking things "in house" as fast as they can. It's really not very different from how MDs are being squeezed, just different players. Medicine has become big business and I'm hopng those considering it understand it's not easy.</p>
<p>Afterall, Sam Walton didn't put all those pharmacists and grocers out of business just to give his money to optometrists!!</p>
<p>If you google Sears and optometrists, you will find: "Eye exams are available from licensed Independent Doctors of Optometry at or next to Sears Optical. Doctors in some states are employed by Sears Optical. Doctors in California practice independently and are not employed by Sears or Sears Optical. In California, Sears Optical is a service of Western States Optical, Inc., Registered Dispensing Opticians." </p>
<p>If you google WalMart and optometrists, you can see that the majority of their optometrists are independent practioners but in some areas, are employed by WalMart. It states: "The majority of our Doctors are Independent Doctors of Optometry; however, we do offer Optometrists the opportunity to become employed with Wal-Mart depending upon the availability and state in which they practice."</p>
<p>If you google Costco Optical, you will see that their optometrists are ALL INDEPENDENT, and they do not work for Costco. They are in private practice and lease space at Costco. They do not sell eyewear. Costco sells eyewear and contacts. Costco is located in most states and in many BIG markets. Costco's site states: "Most Costco Optical locations have an Independent Doctor of Optometry in or near the optical department. "</p>
<p>If you google Pearle Vision and optometrists, you can read: "Eye exams available by independent Doctors of Optometry at or next to Pearle Vision, Inc. in most states. Doctors in some states are employed by Pearle Vision, Inc. Pearle Vision, Inc. does not employ Doctors of Optometry and does not provide eye exams in California. Pearle VisionCare, Inc., a licensed vision health care service plan, provides eye exams in California."</p>
<p>If you google LensCrafters and optomestrists, you will find: "Eye exams available from Independent Doctors of Optometry next to LensCraftersSM. Most doctors next to LensCrafters® are independent. Doctors may be employed in some locations."</p>
<p>To my knowledge, WalMart, Sears, Costco, Pearle Vision, and LensCrafters, which all have independent Doctors of Optometry in private practice associated with them either in store or next store at all or many of their locations, are commercial businesses located in most states and in many very populated markets of the country, as well as in smaller markets.</p>
<p>You can still do well as an optometrist in private practice. You can offer services that chains do not offer. For example, you can offer high end frames/designer frames in larger selection (special coatings, lots of bells and whistles on the lenses can quickly run up a near 1k bill per pair of glasses if you take all the options and you wear trifocals). Also, you can offer services like eye muscle therapies like vision therapy. You can offer much more individual attention on the exam and especially the selling end of product than a chain may offer.</p>
<p>UCGradMary...I cross posted with you but you are mistaken. At WalMart, most of the optometrists do NOT work for WalMart. Walmart doesn't receive money from the eye exams. The independent Dr. of Optometry leases office space and sometimes equipment from WalMart. Where WalMart makes money is that the fact that the private services by an OD are on the premises, the patients then usually buy the contacts and glasses by the optical department within WalMart. The money is made on the products sold by Walmart, not on the services provided by the independent Doctor of Optometry. Their businesses may be intertwined in the sense that if one is busy, it is good fo rthe other, but the income generated by the OD belongs to the OD as the OD is in PRIVATE practice on the premise and is NOT an employee of WalMart in MOST locations, but not all.</p>
<p>What I'm Soozie is that while is was the way a lot of chains began, they quickly realized that they want to own the practice, not let the optomertst. When existing contracts are over, the chain takes back the practice and hires an optometrist that works for them. Happened to dear friends f ours.</p>
<p>I cross posted with Northeastmom and agree with her points as well. An optometrist in private practice (not associated with a chain or big box store) is not necessarily competing with the chains because the products are different such as designer or higher end eyewear that is not available at the warehouse type operations or big commercial chains. Also, optometrists do more than eye exams. There are things like vision therapy. These is co- management with laser eye surgery. Besides vision correction, there is diagnosis of diseases and therapeutic drugs. There are specialty practices for children or the elderly. There are jobs for optometrists that are not private practice too such as research, college teaching, public health, work in hospitals or government agencies, consulting, working for the eye care manufacturing industry, etc. Employment for optometrists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014.</p>
<p>UCGradMary....I don't know which chain you mean and that may be so for your dear friend. But for example, at Costco, ALL the doctors are independent and same with Sears and at most WalMarts, though some WalMarts employ doctors. So there are numerous optometrists in private independent practices who lease space at these large commercial stores. They do not sell any products, just services. The commercial/retail store earns money by selling products, not health services. </p>
<p>At Pearl Vision, it is a franchise and many of those are owned by optometrists. </p>
<p>So, I don't know which place you are referring to but the places I am referring to have independent doctors in private practice who are not employees.</p>
<p>I would ask an optometrist what he or she feels is the future of the field. If they say that the field won't be particularly lucrative in the future as compared to now, that would give me pause.</p>
<p>Have you considered becoming a physicians assistant? My nephew who looked to be med school bound decided that he didn't want the years of schooling and the lack of family time and went to PA school (2 years non-stop?) instead. He is a recent graduate and is now happily making a salary in the $90K range and his workday stops at 5 pm.</p>
<p>The MDs are the ones called for the post-5 pm headaches.</p>