think about it....

[hello07]

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Optometry is one of the easiest jobs in the world. No doubt about it. Nothing difficult about it, if you are good. Although, the pay isn't exactly what I would like the lifestyle is easy.
For all those OD's students who want to become junior MD's or surgical OD's I ask you why? Tell me what is your goal in attaining what you seek?
I know anterior and posterior segment of the eye, diagnosis and tx and magmt as good as any OMD. But would I actually want to treat something I HAVE NOT BEEN TRAINED? NO. Of course not, who would ? Again, for those who want surgery, go to med school and then perform all the surgeries in the world you want.
Why would any OD who pays few hundred bucks to $1,000 a year in malpractice premiums want to pay $15,000 to $20,000 a year if not more?
Tell me why? To be on par c the OMD's? Doesn't make sense.

 

[ProZackMI]

Optometry is one of the easiest jobs in the world. No doubt about it. Nothing difficult about it, if you are good. Although, the pay isn't exactly what I would like the lifestyle is easy.
For all those OD's students who want to become junior MD's or surgical OD's I ask you why? Tell me what is your goal in attaining what you seek?
I know anterior and posterior segment of the eye, diagnosis and tx and magmt as good as any OMD. But would I actually want to treat something I HAVE NOT BEEN TRAINED? NO. Of course not, who would ? Again, for those who want surgery, go to med school and then perform all the surgeries in the world you want.
Why would any OD who pays few hundred bucks to $1,000 a year in malpractice premiums want to pay $15,000 to $20,000 a year if not more?
Tell me why? To be on par c the OMD's? Doesn't make sense.

Because these people never wanted to be optometrists in the first place. They want all the trappings of medicine without going to medical school. Now they want a fast track to a surgeon's lifestyle without medical school. There are people out there who enter certain professions simply because they think it will make them "junior MDs" as you said. The white coat, the doctor title, etc., are all trappings of medicine. I would think optometry, like other professions, would rather be unique and individualistic rather than copy of "big brother" medicine.

This trend occurs in non-health related professions like law. Many occupations, like CPAs, paralegals, regulation managers, etc., wish to practice law without attending law school or passing the bar exam. They try to emulate law, encroach on its scope of practice, but in the end, only end up harming their own profession.

 

[SarahNC]

If thats the case, then why have dentists receive further training to do oral surgery, why not just let the MDs do it? Its probably because the MDs know less about the mouth compared to dentists... Wouldn't you think this would work for optometrists as well? I'm not saying you should be able to hop out of optometry school, take 6 months of classes and be able to peform surgery, however, I think in the future, it makes just as much sense to allow optometrists to compete "ophthalmology" residencies just as MDs do.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

I'm not saying you should be able to hop out of optometry school, take 6 months of classes and be able to peform surgery, however, I think in the future, it makes just as much sense to allow optometrists to compete "ophthalmology" residencies just as MDs do.

Actually, it doesn't make any sense at all for optometrists to complete ophthalmology residencies. The scope of optometry in each state varies tremendously, and often optometrists can't get paid for some of the basic medical procedures they do now, if they are even allowed on particular insurance panels. If an OD has trouble getting reimbursed for punctal plugs, how would you expect them to get paid for a YAG or cataract extraction?

Based on your signature, you have not started optometry school. If you have even an inkling of a feeling that you may want to do surgery, DO NOT GO TO OPTOMETRY SCHOOL. Hold off for a year and really evaluate what you want out of your career. It would be much easier to just go to medical school than to become an optometrist and then fight for surgical privileges. Optometry is a unique profession with a unique perspective or "niche" in regards to vision. Choose this profession because you like that niche, not because you think you can change the profession into something that it is not.

 

[IcanSEEanOD]

.

 

[gochi]

Because these people never wanted to be optometrists in the first place. They want all the trappings of medicine without going to medical school. Now they want a fast track to a surgeon's lifestyle without medical school. There are people out there who enter certain professions simply because they think it will make them "junior MDs" as you said. The white coat, the doctor title, etc., are all trappings of medicine. I would think optometry, like other professions, would rather be unique and individualistic rather than copy of "big brother" medicine.

This trend occurs in non-health related professions like law. Many occupations, like CPAs, paralegals, regulation managers, etc., wish to practice law without attending law school or passing the bar exam. They try to emulate law, encroach on its scope of practice, but in the end, only end up harming their own profession.

I can assure you that's not my reason. Medicine, as I see it, is a profession for the misinformed, which is mainly why I will never attend medical school.

Indeed, Optometry is unique, but implementing some surgery into the profession will not harm it. Sooner or later, advancements will occur, surgery will be required, or atleast some form of it.

I don't understand why you believe that optometrists who want to do surgery would like the status of MD's. That's not the reason behind it, for me atleast. I would never want the "trappings" of Medicine, and definitely surgery would not give them to me.

 

[cunikki]

i was just wondering how long ago you graduated hello?? because each year they are adding on more and more to the curriculum and so what you may not have been trained to do; they are definitely training now. it is very frustrating to have your professors teach you things and then not be able to do them. for example at scco we are fully trained to treat, diagnose and manage glaucoma all the way up to surgical procedures, and then are also trained in the use of lasers for said procedures. the profession is not to that point yet, but clearly that is where it is heading or that is what the schools believe or they would not teach us this.

i think you would have to be crazy to go to medical school when you know from the beginning that you want to work with people's eyes, since you cannot be guaranteed to match with ophthalmology when you finish med school. what are you supposed to do when all you get is family practice?

i definitely had no interest in surgery, blood, gore or any of that and was very VERY interested in eyes, thus i chose optometry school. however having taken three extensive years of courses and labs that teach us much more than just refraction it does not really make any sense to limit optometrists and prevent them from doing things that they have been extensively trained in in school.

 

[SarahNC]

Actually, it doesn't make any sense at all for optometrists to complete ophthalmology residencies. The scope of optometry in each state varies tremendously, and often optometrists can't get paid for some of the basic medical procedures they do now, if they are even allowed on particular insurance panels. If an OD has trouble getting reimbursed for punctal plugs, how would you expect them to get paid for a YAG or cataract extraction?

Based on your signature, you have not started optometry school. If you have even an inkling of a feeling that you may want to do surgery, DO NOT GO TO OPTOMETRY SCHOOL. Hold off for a year and really evaluate what you want out of your career. It would be much easier to just go to medical school than to become an optometrist and then fight for surgical privileges. Optometry is a unique profession with a unique perspective or "niche" in regards to vision. Choose this profession because you like that niche, not because you think you can change the profession into something that it is not.

First of all, I never said I wanted surgery. I am just saying that surgical priviledges for optometrists isn't that far off in the future. Things do change and professions do overlap. In some places, pharmacists can write prescriptions, opticians can do refractions, dental hygienists can own their own practice, what makes you think that optometry is going to stay the way it is now forever? If we do, our profession will probably fade away in time. If Opticians can refract and fit contacts and ophthalmologists manage disease and do surgery, that doesn't leave much space for an optometrist to exist.

 

[hello07]

cunikki,
I graduated 15 years ago. From what you state, it appears optometry schools are gearing toward medical optometry and perhaps surgery more or less. Are you comftable after you graduate to treat all sorts of glaucoma cases? Glaucoma is not cut and dry. It can be very difficult diagnosing and treating many glaucoma cases. Even OAG, can be very challenging. Are you taught and prepared to perform iridotomies for angle closures with fluctuating high IOP's? Performing YAG capsulotomies is easy. But, how many Yags have you performed in OD school? Probably none. If you can't perform cataract extraction, how are you going to use lasers for IOL's f/u or for treating glaucoma after adjusting topical med that don't seem to work.
the forefathers of Optometry must be turning upside down in their graves or ust shaking their heads from above looking down at all this.
It's truly pathetic if you ask me.

 

[hello07]

furthermore,
"fully trained to treat glaucoma up to surgical procedures and then use of lasers" is staggering. How many iridotomies for narrow angle will you have done when you graduate. Let me guess: none. at least on real human eyes. To fully treat glaucoma, all the arsenal available, you better know how to do trabeculectomies and filters and cyclodestruction procedures etc..... How many of these procedures will you have done? None.
You are being taught now IV, intradermal, and intramuscular injections. For what? what in God's name, are you future OD's gonna do with injections, other than being tested on National clinical Boards.
I am so sorry to say this to you. This is all bogus. in my opinion, you are being fooled from the admission officer to evry delusional OD faculty who brain washes you on all this. Then again, how is 25 to 30 thousand dollars a year tuition to be justified?

 

[qwopty99]

If we do, our profession will probably fade away in time. If Opticians can refract and fit contacts and ophthalmologists manage disease and do surgery, that doesn't leave much space for an optometrist to exist.

To be honest, we are much more likely to "disappear" if we move away from refraction/spectacles. Optometry has had a comfortable niche for the last 100 years - why do you think it's going to evaporate? Myopia hasn't been cured yet.

The reality is we are much more likely to become obsolete if we move towards medicine because of an excess of providers. There is definitely a niche/specialty called optometry, that only we are experts in. If we vacate that, we only become second tier to other providers.

 

[Jay12]

This thread, including the other thread (i.e. optometrists being able to do surgery or whatever)...have been really informative....

From the looks of it, surgery is not the "main" priority for optometry......for current students and current optometrists, what do you believe is the main issue that optometry should be focusing on (instead of getting privileges to perform surgery)?

 

[jefguth]

This thread, including the other thread (i.e. optometrists being able to do surgery or whatever)...have been really informative....

From the looks of it, surgery is not the "main" priority for optometry......for current students and current optometrists, what do you believe is the main issue that optometry should be focusing on (instead of getting privileges to perform surgery)?

In no specific order:
Reasonable uniform scope of practice nationwide
reciprocity of licensure (state to state mobility)
open access to insurance panels
improved utilization of optometric care (ie. exams for children... I see far to many preventable amblyopes in clinic🙁)
non-medical interference in optometric care (I've seen too many ridiculous referrals from one particular commercial optical notorious for making their OD's see far too many patients in one day)

 

[KHE]

This thread, including the other thread (i.e. optometrists being able to do surgery or whatever)...have been really informative....

From the looks of it, surgery is not the "main" priority for optometry......for current students and current optometrists, what do you believe is the main issue that optometry should be focusing on (instead of getting privileges to perform surgery)?

For me...the issues are...in specific order:

1) Insurance discrimination
2) Oversupply of providers (which is directly related to number 1)
3) Optometry not being integrated into the health care delivery team
4) Licensure mobility/reciprocity
5) Student loan debt that is increasing at a rate much faster than incomes (again...see numbers 1 and 2)

Of course, there are others but most of the others are minor annoyances. The issues above, I believe have significant chance of seriously derailing the profession.