I am very interested in pursuing Opthalmology as a career and before I make any final decisions I have a few questions for anybody that can help me. What are the hours usually for an Opthalmologist in private practice? How is the money? Is this branch of medicine fun? Is it rewarding. Thanks in advance.

Roddy:

My bro is an optometrist who works with an Opthalmologist, and I just got back from shadowing them all day. Got to talk quite a bit to the MD, and learned a lot about his job and lifestyle.

He seemed very happy and interested in what he did. He worked from 9am to 3pm, and billed out $12,000 for that day alone! (he is a retina specialist in a big city) So, it can be very lucrative. And, the call in a big city is cake. 3-4 days/month call, and rarely get called even when on call. As far as lifestyle is concerned, opthalmology is definitely worth looking into. I know I am when I get out of med school.

Thanks a bunch!

Please tell what procedures the doctor did that day. How long each one took. And what was unique about them?

Thank you.