I do appreciate your warnings into going into this profession, clearly we are not as stable as other medical professions. I have seen and shadow many different ODs from many different types of practices. Although their outlook was less bleak than the ODs who are on this forums, they are not telling me that this is the profession to be if you want all the money in the world.
I do agree theres saturation and alot of looming problems that are encroaching on this profession, but to be realistic, I can't based my future career on what some stranger OD from a place far away warning me about the economy. I look towards the OD I shadow and based my opinion on their testament.
Again, I hope you do realize the "small percentage" of pre-opt students who go on these forums are students who actually care enough about the profession to research and talk about it. If you want to preach about the trap hole that is optometry, please do so, but I think you have better results running down to your nearest college/university and yell at the undergrads who do not know better.
I'm all for limiting the amount of grads coming out, but to be honest, I get tired of hearing "optometry is bad" post by ODs. I know your concern about your practices and income, and I know you care oh so much for us pre-opts, but please dont call us "suckers" or idiots for wanting to do the same thing you wanted to do.
You guys are practicing ODs, fix your AOA and State Associations, no matter how tiny your voice is, you still have a voice compare to us pre-opt about the future of optometry. I hope you guys get it together so that the future generations don't have to go online to forums and yell at pre-opts in the future.