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Pre-Optometery
Background Information
Graduates of optometry programs receive a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree. Optometrists are primary health care professionals who examine, diagnose, and treat diseases and disorders of the eyes. They may prescribe corrective lenses, vision rehabilitation procedures and therapies, and medications. They may perform certain surgical procedures on the eye and related structures. Most optometrists are in private practice or affiliated with vision care facilities.
There are 17 schools and colleges of optometry in the US (including Puerto Rico). The O.D. program is a four
year training program, and it requires the completion of a bachelor's degree. In some cases, students who have completed their junior year of undergraduate education may enroll in optometry school and complete their final year of the B.S. degree as part of the optometry curriculum. The applicant to enrollment ratio is approximately 2:1.
Graduates of accredited optometry programs must sit for state licensure examinations. Highly competitive residency programs are available for those who wish to receive further specialty training in areas such as ocular diseases or pediatric optometry. Application is made directly to each optometry school (see the listing at: http://www.opted.org/info_links.cfm).
Examples of Prerequisites
As an example of application requirements, the requirements for admission to the Indiana University School of Optometry are:
Optometry Admission Test (OAT) scores - http://www.opted.org/info_oat.cfm -
College courses (minimum required or highly recommended):
General Biology/Zoology - 2 semester courses with labs Microbiology - 1 semester course with lab General Chemistry - 2 semester courses with labs Organic Chemistry - 2 semester courses with labs Physics - 2 semester courses with labs Calculus - 1 semester course Statistics - 1 semester course Psychology - 1 semester course
Recommendation letters Interview - to assess motivation, degree of maturity, and general character Practical experience (e.g., volunteer work) in the health professionals highly recommended
Primary Contact Information:
Office of Student Administration
800 E. Atwater Avenue
Indiana University School of Optometry
Bloomington, IN 47405-3680
Phone: (812) 855-1917
FAX: (812) 855-4389
http://www.opt.indiana.edu/
Professional Societies
Other Career Options
Students interested in a vision care career may complete a two year program in optometric technology (see web site at the Indiana University School of Optometry for an example). Schools of optometry also have Master’s and Doctoral degree programs for those interested in vision research. See the Indiana University web site (http://www.opt.indiana.edu/programs/graduate/index.htm) for an example of graduate programs available.
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