Positives of Optometry profession: an honest look

cjensen20 said:

So I have been looking on the boards and there are plenty of 'negatives of Optometry' posts, but hardly any positives of optometry.

please tell me some positives about optometry...without overexagerating..
🙂

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KHE said:

If I decide I want to take Tuesday mornings off to play 18 holes, I can. (In fact, I just did! 👍)

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blackhole2 said:

Awesome. So when patients tried to make an appointment with you on Tuesday morning, did your receptionist just say something to the effect of "Dr. Elder is unavailable at that time?"

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blackhole2 said:

Awesome. So when patients tried to make an appointment with you on Tuesday morning, did your receptionist just say something to the effect of "Dr. Elder is unavailable at that time?"

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DILLIGAF said:

If I could give the original poster here a hug, I would....SDN paints a very negative picture of every profession it has set a forum up for (holy cow, go look at the vet or podiatry forum....pathetic)

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socal2014 said:

Yes, I have 3 positive things to say about Optometry.

1) The oversaturation isn't as bad as other professions. You only have to move a couple of thousand miles from your hometown to find a good paying job!

2) Coporate optometry like walmart lets you earn more than just the private practitioner. The best part about working for corporate is that you can get your grocery, auto-checkup, and blood-pressure done all at the same time! Oh did I mention, you get to see 50 personable patients per day!

c) Managed care works for you, not against optometry as many wise people believe! Ah, who would have thought that insurance companies, would pay professionals a premium for their services!

d) The AOA, unlike other professional associations, is indeed working for optometrists! So, when your doubting your $3000 yearly contribution, don't! It is obvious, that money gets put to good use, like new optometry schools!


Isn't Optometry just wonderful! I'll just leave it at that, but I am sure there are many more "positives" about Optometry!

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DILLIGAF said:

If I could give the original poster here a hug, I would....SDN paints a very negative picture of every profession it has set a forum up for (holy cow, go look at the vet or podiatry forum....pathetic), so it has become a very poor source of information for interested parties....so I thank you for allowing something positive for once. Well, here goes my positives:

1) With the advances made, there is a lot more variant places for an OD to put their craft to good use. I am only 40, but I have worked in a VA, a teaching hospital, a homeless shelter (still do that one), an OMD co-op, and now several years completely privately. Anytime you hear someone say "optometry is this", that is a give that they are ignorant. This profession is a lot of different things to different people, and I like that.

2) If you are willing to put up the money and take the risks, there is an opportunity for a lot of autonomy in this business...as KHE said, as a private practitioner I can setup and plan 100% of my schedule. I very commonly take Fridays off completely, and took 5 weeks off over the holiday season to take the family to Australia and NZ....and while it is true that my business makes no money without a doctor here, there is no stipulation that this doctor be ME! I have planned it this way, such that my new hires can build up a patient base of their own. I generally keep a patient with one particular doc (another thing people prefer to the local lens mills), and this keep my doctor morale high as well....plus gives me time to vacation. For most other fields, you must either retire or take a massive salary cut to achieve this kind of flexibility.

3) By far and away, nothing even coming close, the best thing about optometry is the satisfaction in the work. As most studies will tell you, OD's satisfy a larger percentage of their patients than most other docs. I basically spend my days (like this one for example, nice 90 min lunch!) helping people see better, and that is a very valuable thing. I have caught 8 brain tumors in my career, caught countless cases of proliferative diabetic retinopathy that had previously been unseen (for non-docs, this is a disease that blinds a good portion of those that develop it), caught neovasc glaucoma....the list goes on. The fact remains that for all of people's stupid garbage about this profession, there are people that are walking around New Hampshire, NY, and elsewhere that would be blind or severely debilitated if it were not for something I did. If that is not a positive, I don't know what is. Others can do or say whatever they want, but that gets me up in the morning.

I hope this helps....in case you didn't notice, I enjoy what I do. If you don't feel the same way, no one is holding a gun to your head. Tired of the pointless complaining....love your life and get on with it

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• I love the huge variety of every day. Ages 2-95. Pathology, contacts, routine, emergency. I see it every day. Rarely boring.
• I love problem-solving. It seems like the good OD's I know are great puzzle-solvers. Vague symptoms get narrowed down with a game of "20 questions" and some fun technology. Every day I'm an engineer, psychiatrist, and entreprenuer.
• I love the business side. Most medical careers are spent as the employee of another entity. I dictate every aspect of my job; when and how much I work, what insurance I take, etc. I've never missed a soccer game or school play-few MD's can claim this.
• $$$! Owning a private practice with several employed OD's working for me lets me live comfortably, travel the world, & spend 2 weeks each year on medical mission trips.
• Security. Can't be fired. Junior associates assure I'll have a buyer for my practice when I retire.

optsuker said:

I was accepted into med school as well and lifestyle issues are what made me pursue optometry instead.

I'll mention a few of the factors that stand out for me as well:

• I love the huge variety of every day. Ages 2-95. Pathology, contacts, routine, emergency. I see it every day. Rarely boring.

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eyestrain said:

Do we have a mod here who can ban this idiot (socal, obviously)?

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socal2014 said:

It is amusing to see how gullible people are.

Lets face it folks, my facts are not arguable, hence the constant chatter about "my" previous posts.

Someone tell me I am wrong, please?

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socal2014 said:

It is amusing to see how gullible people are.

Lets face it folks, my facts are not arguable, hence the constant chatter about "my" previous posts.

Someone tell me I am wrong, please?

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mintyjulep said:

Let's make a deal: we'll discuss the "merits" of your arguments if you tell us your employment/academic status. Are you an opto student? Pre-optometry and failed to get in? Working in an OD office? We're deeply curious. 😉

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socal2014 said:

It is amusing to see how gullible people are.

Lets face it folks, my facts are not arguable, hence the constant chatter about "my" previous posts.

Someone tell me I am wrong, please?

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Shnurek said:

Lol he/she will not divulge that info. Its the only little trinket of ego he/she has left. Socal I'm going to refer to you as "it" (the troll) from now on ok?

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nc2tarheels said:

Wrong? Many times. A-s-s-h-o-l-e? All the time

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Ryan_eyeball said:

There are numerous aspects that I enjoy about the profession.

1) I enjoy working with little children, and helping with early visual problems. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing that smile, that makes the day better. I prefer to work with younger individuals but I see every age group. The 65+ year old crowd is pretty slim in my practice since I don't accept Medicare. Medicaid pays pretty well in my state (better than Eyemed, Davis by a factor of 2).

2) I don't have to work 2nd or 3rd shift for my employment hours. I practice usually 9-5pm Monday, and 9-6pm Tues.-Thursday. Usually am booked about one week in advance. I do not pre-book people for in one year or six months, unless medically indicated. This is a good-bad scenario, since it's nice to have my wife say let's go to California in two months, for a one week vacation. Then I don't have to shuffle a ton of appointment around.

3) The income affords one with a lot of options. I'm coming up on my 5 yr anniversary of practice, and almost have eliminated all debt except my student loans (two cars and house completely paid off by Dec 2011). Then I will start adding an associate doc so i can work 4 1/2 or 5 days/week instead of 6.

I wish there were no vision insurance plans though.

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blackhole2 said:

So you don't work weekends anymore? I remember on a previous posting you told me you never thought you'd have to work weekends to support a family. Good deal, this post made me smile.

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Veritas23 said:

That's what your practice partner/newly graduated-OD is for! Golf-on!

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Tippytoe said:

You wouldn't know it from my posts......but I'm a very positive person overall.

The postive of optometry is you CAN help people AND make very good money at it. (But the first point is lost on 90% of your patients).

But only if you play your cards right.

1. You have to have little to no undergraduate debt.
2. Go to the cheapest optometry school you can find--(become a state resident if you must).
3. Don't waste your time doing a pseudo-residency.
4. Immediately open a practice right out of school or purchase a good one if you can find one that the owner is not trying to charge a rediculous amount. Write up a competent business plan and take it to a few bankers.
5. Learn as soon as possible how to bill medically AND DO IT.
6. Hope and pray you have a competent spouse who will handle the office for you while you 'do your thing'.
7. Hope said spouse doesn't divorce you and ruin all you worked for previously.
8. Hit the road running with your new practice and try to get as many referral sources as possible (family docs, PAs, nurses, schools, nursing homes, etc.......you'll need everyone you get plus their brothers and sisters).

And now we are getting to the important stuff:
9. Don't go out and buy a new BMW or Lexus. If you must have one for image, get a used one that you can pay off in a few years.
10. Buy a modest house.
11. Immediate start a Roth or other IRA.
12. Work to pay off your school loans as quickly as possible (hopefully you followed the eariler advice and didn't rack up too much).
13. As soon as possilbe, purchase the real estate your practice is located in.
14. Don't think you can lose money on every patient but make it up in volume (ie. don't accept crap vision plans). That's a mathematical impossiblity but it's what the crappy insurance companys will tell you will happen.
15. Work like a dog getting patients because unlike some professions, we have to find the patients.......they don't find us. I mean things like work outside your office (alot), working in smelly nursing homes, find a space-share with a family doc or similar, contract to do exams in a prison, teach a class at a community college, visit every provider in your area, visit OMDs so they know who you are, etc......

THIS is what it takes.............along with a few hundred thousand dollars, very thick skin and maybe 10 years AFTER graduation.

The GOOD NEWS. You CAN make enough money to pay off your school loans, pay off your home, have nice cars, vacation and live better than most people.

THE BAD NEWS: 90+% of graduating optometrist WON'T DO ALL THIS.

Here's what most will do:
-Take out whatever loans the school will give them. They know best, after all.

-Graduate owing $200,000. Say, "oh shi_t" when the first bill comes after graduation. As soon as you graduate, I mean after mommy and daddy or MasterCard pays for your graduation trip to Hawaii, you will be working at some ODs office (for $150/day) under his license waiting for yours to come in the mail so you'll be "official". You get tired of 'working for the man' making peanuts so...............

You will remember The Walmart rep that came to your school mentioning how you can "have your own practice and make six figures with no risk". Hey, you've got bills to pay. Why not don the blue vest and sock away a little money 'until your ready to open your own place?

You'll stay there 2 years, all the while hiding the fact that you work at a discount warehouse, seldom mentioning it to friends and only to colleages if they ask you specifically. You get used to the nasty customers trying to bring their shopping carts into your 10x10 sq ft "office". You learn to accept the wink-wink "suggestions" (ie. demands) from your optical manager, who the month before was working at the local hog slaughter factory. But whatever,.... the money is good and you get a Walmart discount so hey...........

Another year goes by and a new district manager moves in and decids he'd like all the optical staff to wear giant eyeball hats and oh yea, "we need to pick up the optical sales so you will drop your exam fees from $55 to $43". You have one more "ALWAYS LOW PRICES" Cheer with the gang AND get into a disagreement with the district manager. He pretends to give a crap abour your concerns and walks back to his office to call and get the next warm body OD on deck. So you get tired of all the crap and quit before getting fired. You find out, against state law that "Your patients" are really 'Walmarts patients'..........but what'cha gonna do, sue Walmart?? But in reality, do you really think they went there to see you or the 'warm body' that can refract them for $59 glassess?

So now your 3+ years post graduation and no bills have been paid. You've paid the minium on the school loans and are paying $940/month on a new Lexus LS460.

So you're a bit panicked. You have a house/apt payment, a car payment and $2,000 in school loans. You can't be unemployed. So you visit a few private OD offices and tell them of your NEED for $110,000/yr plus full benefits. The private OD, probably barely making that himself, laughs inside and offers you a few days fill-in. So you fill in a few places and pick up a part-time Lenscrafters gig too. So you're making decent $$ but are not really fullfiled doing things the way other people want them done. Because after all, you have three years experience and there is nothing more a doc likes than someone coming in and telling him that the place he's built with blood, sweat and tears, 'really needs to add vision therapy' (Trust me.....there are NO new ideas in optometry....it's all been tried 100 times.....anything you can think of has been tried)

You are filling in here and there, all the while, life happens. Maybe a baby comes, a marriage (maybe even the marriage first), a parent gets old/sick..........bottom line.........you will ALWAYS have bills to pay. You contemplate going to a bank and borrowing $100,000 to start a practice but with home debt, school debt, car debt..etc.......they are reluctant to give you one and you are not even really sure you want to take on more debt so you just never really pull the trigger 100%.

So then you are stuck. Out of the clouds the sun breaks through like an angel and you see a flyer that a new Pearle Vision is coming to your town and needs an optometrist. Finally your 'own place'. They will just set the hours, make you work Saturdays and Sundays, determine the price of your exams, determine which lenses you will sell.......blah, blah, blah..... And so it goes....

If you do the first scenerio, life can be good for you.
If you do the second one, not so much.

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imemily said:

Some people like the idea of a residency as it enables you to teach. Others may also prefer to not have all the hassles of running a business, i.e. their own practice.

Basically, there is no way to do Optometry right. If you are doing it for monetary reasons, than you have chosen the wrong field! If accumulating money is your primary concern, I would recommend investment banking.

It sounds to me that you chose optometry for the wrong reasons and use SDN as a vent to let out your frustrations with the profession, when in actuality, its your own fault for getting into a profession that you thought would be lucrative.

Whats sad is that, your so called "positives" about Optometry are more negative than positive!

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mclem222 said:

I love how "pre-optometry" people feel they know so much about the profession. First get into an optometry school and then talk to us...

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netmag said:

I think you'd have to be a special kind of idiot to put a lot of stock in what you hear from anonymous posters on an internet forum. It certainly can be useful to give you some more things to think about and look into further though. However, I wouldn't use anything read here to make any final decisions on anything. I would also say that anyone who has an obvious personal agenda (like every post saying the same thing over and over and over again) should probably just be completely ignored. It's actually quite easy to pick them out. Just do a quick skim of their "other posts" list and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

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Tippytoe said:

Again, coming from someone not even remotely related to the eyecare field.

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mclem222 said:

I love how "pre-optometry" people feel they know so much about the profession. First get into an optometry school and then talk to us...

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Tippytoe said:

It's 1980 and you have been running an typewriter sales and repair business successfully for 20 years. You've made a decent living because people need typewriters. Typewriters have been the dominant word processing tool for close to 100 years now.

You open up a magazine one day and read about a few guys name Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (the dates are fictional- I do not know the exact timeline of the evolution of the pc). They have developed a new machine that can do what the typewriter does.....better and faster. Your fellow typewriter shop owners are talking and are worried. Business has began to slow down. People are not repairing their old typewriters opting instead to try one of those new Apple Commodores.

Just at that time, a guy goes into your typewriter shop and says he he thinking about opening one in a nearby state. He's going to borrow $100,000 to open it and he wants your opinion.

What do you say? "Sure, I've made good money and people will always need a typewriter and need to get them repaired and need correction tape".

Or do you say..........."You know, things seem to be changing very quickly. There is a new thing called a 'com-pu-ter' that might take the place of these old typewriters and will probably reduce the need for typewriter shops (even as every magazine has ads in the back advertising how to 'Become a Typewriter Repairman in 4 Weeks and Make Great Money "?
http://books.google.com/books?id=BdQDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA32&ots=_bef013w9k&dq=popular%20mechanics%20typewriter%20repair&pg=PA32#v=onepage&q=popular%20mechanics%20typewriter%20repair&f=false

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imemily said:

The Optometry profession and optometry business are two separate things. Of course I would know little about the profession, since I am not a student of the profession, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't know how a optometry practice makes profits etc etc. Its pretty much common sense, once you look at what you're doing, what you aren't doing, and what others are doing.

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