I'm a first year trying to investigate a bunch of different specialties. I know that optho is pretty competitive, and it certainly is an interesting field. But what about the reputation? Is it similar to derm in that generally people enjoy the lifestyle MORE THAN the field itself (let's face it...skin can't REALLY be a physician's life passion - or could it?), yet tend to be the ones that had done the best in med school?

thanks for the insight! And sorry in advance if i offend anybody with these broad generalizations about derm.

Ocular diseases are interesting and complex. Go visit the websites listed in my FAQ. You'll get some idea what types of medical and surgical problems we see in this field.