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Optometry
Overview
Optometrists are primary eye care providers who examine, diagnose, treat, and manage conditions affecting the eyes and visual system. They perform comprehensive eye examinations, prescribe glasses and contact lenses, diagnose and manage many eye diseases, identify signs of systemic disease, and help patients maintain lifelong eye health. Depending on state scope of practice, optometrists may prescribe medications, perform certain procedures, and provide treatment for a variety of ocular conditions.
Optometrists care for patients of all ages, from infants and children to older adults. They work in private practices, multidisciplinary medical clinics, hospitals, Veterans Health Administration facilities, community health centers, academic institutions, and retail optical settings. The profession combines medicine, neuroscience, optics, technology, and patient education while allowing practitioners to build long-term relationships with their patients.
A Day in the Life
Optometrists spend much of their day performing comprehensive eye examinations, diagnosing vision and eye disorders, prescribing corrective lenses, treating eye diseases, and educating patients about eye health. They use specialized instruments to evaluate vision, eye pressure, retinal health, and ocular function while monitoring patients for conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic eye disease, and macular degeneration.
A Day in the Life
Many optometrists develop long-term relationships with patients by providing routine preventive care throughout their lives. Depending on the practice setting and state scope of practice, they may also manage chronic eye diseases, remove certain superficial foreign bodies, or perform select office-based procedures.
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Professional Degree
Doctor of Optometry (OD)
Length of Professional School
Typically 4 years after completing a bachelor's degree.
Admissions Exam
Most programs require the Optometry Admission Test (OAT), although some schools accept the GRE or other standardized examinations.
Application Process
Most programs participate in the OptomCAS centralized application service.
Licensure
Graduates must pass the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) examinations and meet state licensure requirements.
Optional Residency
Some graduates complete a one-year residency in specialties such as ocular disease, pediatrics, low vision, contact lenses, or hospital-based optometry.
Bachelor's Degree
Complete prerequisite coursework, shadow optometrists, volunteer or gain healthcare experience, and explore different practice settings.
Apply to Professional School
Complete prerequisite courses, prepare for the OAT if required, obtain letters of recommendation, and apply through OptomCAS.
Professional School (4 years)
Complete coursework in anatomy, physiology, optics, pharmacology, ocular disease, vision science, and clinical medicine while participating in extensive supervised clinical rotations.
Licensure
Pass the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) examinations and obtain state licensure.
Practice
Begin practicing in private practice, hospitals, community clinics, Veterans Health Administration facilities, academic institutions, or multidisciplinary healthcare settings.
| Prerequisite courses | Soka equivalent courses | Required by most programs | Required by some programs |
| English (1 year) | WRIT 101 – Communication skills (3 units) LIT, WRIT or W course (300-level or W course)x (3 units) | ● | |
| Biology with lab (1 year) | BIO 150 – Organisms to ecosystems (3 units) BIO 150L–Introductory biology lab (3 units) BIO 151 – Integrated biology and chemistry (3 units)* | ● | |
| Chemistry with lab (1 year) | CHEM 150 – Foundations of chemistry (3 units) CHEM 150L – Foundations of chemistry lab (3 units) CHEM 151 – Integrated biology and chemistry (3 units)* | ● | |
| Physics with lab (1 year) | PHYS 260 – Introductory physics I with lab (4 units) PHYS 261 – Introductory physics II with lab (4 units) | ● | |
| Organic chemistry with lab (1-2 semesters) | CHEM 301 – Organic chemistry I (4 units) CHEM 302 – Organic chemistry II (3 units) CHEM 352 – PBL: Organic chemistry (3 units) | ● | |
| Biochemistry (1 semester) | CHEM 340 – Biochemistry (3 units) | ● | |
| Microbiology (1 semester) | BIO 307 – Microbiology (3 units) | ● | |
| Human Anatomy & Physiology | BIO 308 – Clinical Human Anatomy (4 units) BIO 303 – Human Physiology (4 units) | ● | |
| Mathematics (calculus and/or statistics) | MATH 170 – Calculus I or MATH 171 – Calculus II (3 units) MATH 101 – Statistics, BIO 205 – Biostatistics, SBS 341 – Experimental Methods (3 units) | ● | |
| Psychology (1 semester) | PSYCH 100 – Introduction to psychology or other advanced psychology courses (3 units) | ● |
* IBC is a 6-unit course requiring co-registration of a 3-unit biology and 3-unit chemistry course; the SUA transcript reflects this split, convenient for common application system course categorization
x Not all literature, writing, or W courses will count toward fulfillment of English requirements. Please use the flowchart (on HPA handbook page 14) to assess whether a course will count toward prerequisite fulfillment.
Competitive applicants typically demonstrate:
- Strong academic performance, particularly in the sciences.
- Completion of prerequisite coursework.
- Competitive OAT scores, when required.
- Shadowing experience with one or more optometrists.
- Volunteer or healthcare experience.
- Leadership, professionalism, and strong communication skills.
- A clear understanding of the optometry profession and the role of primary eye care.
Most optometry schools do not require extensive direct patient care experience before admission, but meaningful shadowing and healthcare exposure are strongly recommended.
Employment Outlook
Demand for optometrists is expected to remain strong as the population ages and the prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes increases. Regular eye examinations play an important role in detecting vision problems, monitoring chronic disease, and maintaining quality of life throughout the lifespan.
Optometrists enjoy diverse career opportunities in private practice, healthcare systems, academic medicine, public health, industry, and the Veterans Health Administration.
Areas of Practice
Optometrists may specialize in:
- Primary Eye Care
- Pediatric Optometry
- Contact Lens Practice
- Ocular Disease
- Low Vision Rehabilitation
- Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation
- Geriatric Optometry
- Sports Vision
- Hospital-Based Optometry
- Community Health
- Academic and Research Optometry
Related Careers
Students interested in optometry may also wish to explore:
- Medicine (Ophthalmology)
- Audiology
- Occupational Therapy
- Physician Assistant/Associate
- Nursing
- Ophthalmic Medical Technology
- Vision Science Research
Professional Resources
- Professional Association: American Optometric Association (AOA)
- Application Service: OptomCAS
- Admissions Exam: Optometry Admission Test (OAT)
- Licensure Examination: National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO)
- Accreditation: Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)