Still confused about optometry field

[HOPEOPT]

I am confused why there are two schools in order to be an eye doctor the optometry school and the medical school why there is not one school? as an example in order to be gynocologists you go to med school they are not two different school?? why optomtery is not related to med school can we say that the only differnce between opthalmologists and optometrists that opthalmologist is a surgeon for the eye,a nd optometrist is a general doctor for the eye?.

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[Oogilily]

The difference is in the scope of practice as you have said. An optometrist has limited scope of what he can do in his/her practice. Optometrist are considered primary eye care doctors or as you stated "general" eye care. We go to 4 years of school and specialize in eye care. Ophthomologists go to med school and have almost nothing to do with the eye during those 4 years. They become medical doctors that can write prescriptions for everything, they can do surgery, etc. They just do their residency in eye care. Why there are two different fields of eye care, I don't know, it just is. I will say that optometrists are better at certain things, such as refractions. It would be a lot like the difference between a dentists and a orthodontist.

 

[SaveYourself]

See the thread "Think it Through (Really)..."

 

[Versed0101]

The difference is in the scope of practice as you have said. An optometrist has limited scope of what he can do in his/her practice. Optometrist are considered primary eye care doctors or as you stated "general" eye care. We go to 4 years of school and specialize in eye care. Ophthomologists go to med school and have almost nothing to do with the eye during those 4 years. They become medical doctors that can write prescriptions for everything, they can do surgery, etc. They just do their residency in eye care. Why there are two different fields of eye care, I don't know, it just is. I will say that optometrists are better at certain things, such as refractions. It would be a lot like the difference between a dentists and a orthodontist.

My daughter is thinking about optometry school. It is my understanding that optometrists cannot do surgery, is that correct? By the way an orthodontist is a dentist who specializes in ortho (2 year residency in addition to 4 years dental school). It is not a separate program like optometry and opthamology.

 

[blysssful]

My daughter is thinking about optometry school. It is my understanding that optometrists cannot do surgery, is that correct?

Yes, that is correct. There are other restrictions that vary by state as well.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=512601
http://library.ico.edu/laws.html

The first link discusses a recent senate bill in California and more specifically lists other restrictions. The second lists rules and laws of Optometry by state.

 

[achirum]

See the thread "Think it Through (Really)..."

We are all on to you. We know you are a pre-opt student like the rest of us, and you have just concocted some great malarkey in an attempt to defer us from the field so you have a better chance of getting into a school of your choice.

 

[blysssful]

We are all on to you. We know you are a pre-opt student like the rest of us, and you have just concocted some great malarkey in an attempt to defer us from the field so you have a better chance of getting into a school of your choice.

There are a couple guys in my classes that are also pre-opt and I'm honestly tempted to direct them to that post because they very clearly have no idea what the profession entails (or know very much about getting into schools). I asked one yesterday how his OAT studying is coming along, and he hasn't even signed up to take it yet and was basically like "yeah... I'm gonna apply soon, but I'm still weighing the pros and cons of optometry".

I was just thinking, "shouldn't you kind of have a solid idea of those things before you apply for education in a profession you'll probably spend the rest of your life doing...?" But I just smiled and nodded. Ah well, probably better for us. From what I hear the admissions people are pretty good at reading uncertainty in applicants.

 

[JMU07]

There are a couple guys in my classes that are also pre-opt and I'm honestly tempted to direct them to that post because they very clearly have no idea what the profession entails (or know very much about getting into schools). I asked one yesterday how his OAT studying is coming along, and he hasn't even signed up to take it yet and was basically like "yeah... I'm gonna apply soon, but I'm still weighing the pros and cons of optometry".

I was just thinking, "shouldn't you kind of have a solid idea of those things before you apply for education in a profession you'll probably spend the rest of your life doing...?" But I just smiled and nodded. Ah well, probably better for us. From what I hear the admissions people are pretty good at reading uncertainty in applicants.

I don't get that either. I went to PCO just to tour last spring, and one of the tour guides started talking about the OAT and this guy raised his hand and said "What's the OAT? Is that like a test or something?" And he was a junior planning to apply that summer. Come on people! It drives me nuts when people just say "Yeah, optometry! I can make a ton of money!" without having any idea of what they're going to have to go through.

 

[blysssful]

I don't get that either. I went to PCO just to tour last spring, and one of the tour guides started talking about the OAT and he raised his hand and said "What's the OAT? Is that like a test or something?" And he was a junior planning to apply that summer. Come on people! It drives me nuts when people just say "Yeah, optometry! I can make a ton of money!" without having any idea of what they're going to have to go through.

HAHA! I probably wouldn't have been able to stop myself from bursting out laughing! Wonder whether the guy ended up applying or not...

 

[JMU07]

HAHA! I probably wouldn't have been able to stop myself from bursting out laughing! Wonder whether the guy ended up applying or not...

LOL, I have no idea... (sorry about the edit, I made it seem like the tour guide said it but I think you caught my drift!)

 

[Versed0101]

How do the opthamologists treat optometrists in the real world? Do they have respect for OD's?

 

[Lordhokage]

How do the opthamologists treat optometrists in the real world? Do they have respect for OD's?

I would like to know the answer to that too.

 

[cunikki]

that is like asking... how do white people treat black people in the real world??? how can you judge this? people are different. i have worked with some awesome OMDs who listen to me (even when i am still a 4th year in school), who teach me stuff and want to help me learn, i have met some who were aloof asses....
i would say that most OMDs that work heavily with ODs treat them pretty well- in general OMDs who do refractive surgery (cause we refer them patients) and ones that work with OD's in hospitals and opto schools. there are a lot of OMDs out there that hate our profession and dont want to have anything to do with us. there are a lot who are super nice and helpful and professional. i really dont think you can judge as a whole, just work with/refer to one that you like and who respects you.

 

[gochi]

How do the opthamologists treat optometrists in the real world? Do they have respect for OD's?

Who cares what opthamologists think. The more important question to ask is do OD's have respect for OMD's.

 

[kengani]

SaveYourself is trying to push people away from the field so that he can have more patients to himself.

 

[gochi]

SaveYourself is trying to push people away from the field so that he can have more patients to himself.

You have a firm grasp of the obvious.

 

[kengani]

I like to state the obvious, mostly about saveyourself

You have a firm grasp of the obvious.

 

[Habitual Rx]

How do the opthamologists treat optometrists in the real world? Do they have respect for OD's?

Where I am from (Saskatchewan, Canada) OMDs have great respect for ODs. As far as I've seen, the relationships made between ODs and OMDs will last your entire career and one would be screwed without the other.

 

[gochi]

Where I am from (Saskatchewan, Canada) OMDs have great respect for ODs. As far as I've seen, the relationships made between ODs and OMDs will last your entire career and one would be screwed without the other.

How would one be screwed w/o the other?...

 

[optometristan]

Where I am from (Saskatchewan, Canada) OMDs have great respect for ODs. As far as I've seen, the relationships made between ODs and OMDs will last your entire career and one would be screwed without the other.

I agree completely, and I believe most successful ODs and OMDs in the United States know this too. It really is a great relationship if used correctly:

An OMD makes his greatest monetary gains through surgery. He knows that if he were checking up on patents or treating diseases or refracting through out the day, he would be too busy and would not be making as much money as if he would be doing surgery through out the day...

SO, he works with his FRIEND, the optometrist, who helps treat the diseases, refracts, deals with the pre and post surgery patients, and refers all of the patents with situations not covered by his scope of practice to the OMD.

The OMD refers his nonsurgical patents to the OD, giving the OMD the timeslots that will make the most money where the OD gets all of the OMDs referrals, all of the refractions, disease (that he can cover through his degree), and pre and post exams of surgeries (like Lasik, which believe it or not, can be an excellent source of revenue for an optometrist).

In related news, does anyone get the "Primary Care Optometry News" magazine? Of the December 2008 issue, page 14 discusses a recent ophthalmologist keynote speaker who states "It's time for a truce in the hundred years' war between ophthalmology and optometry" urging ODs and OMDs to follow the guidelines I was discussing above.

 

[Habitual Rx]

How would one be screwed w/o the other?...

To keep it simple and use one word: Time.

OMDs (as I said before, where I come from) do not have the time to refract or dispense. They are seeing upwards of 50 patients a day for their specialty alone. A few OMDs have even stopped accepting referrals that are not specifically in their field of expertise.

When ODs are booking 2 months in advance and seeing 15-20+ patients a day, the OMDs are going to see a lot of action simply from referrals.

If OMDs decided to take in even 20% of the normal eye exams that ODs can provide, those patients with glaucoma, AMD or retinopathy would be subjected to the added wait time. That's how the OMDs would be "screwed" without ODs.

Keep in mind, different locations will have different demographics so there may be a surplus of OMDs wanting to make more money and may even possibly have the time to take on routine eye exams. I have not lived in a city where this is true but some of you may. Please let me know the situation where you're from as I'd like to know more.