Parker Johnson 6th Hour Senior Trans September 15, 2013 Career Research Paper Optometry Optometry is a health

care pro ession that is concerne! "ith the health o the eyes, relate! structures, #ision, #isual systems, an! #ision in ormation processin$ in humans% &n optometrist is a person "ho is pro essionally traine! an! license! to e'amine the eyes or #isual !e ects, !ia$nose problems or impairments, an! prescribe correcti#e lenses or pro#i!e other types o treatment i necessary% ()ision is "hat brin$s li$ht into the "orl!% *ithout li$ht, there is only complete !arkness% *ith !arkness only comes con usion an! unkno"ns% *ithout #ision, li e cannot be ully un!erstoo!%+ ,early hal o the rou$hly 35,000 optometrists in the -nite! States "ork in stan!.alone o ices o optometry% Ho"e#er, eye !octors can be oun! "orkin$ in almost any kin! o o ice in the me!ical iel!% Thirteen percent o optometrists "ork in physicians/ o ices, ei$ht percent in health an! personal care stores, an! another t"o percent in outpatient care centers% O#er t"enty percent o optometrists are sel .employe! an! o"n their o"n practices as "ell% These practices can be oun! in rural communities, suburbs, or lar$e cities% 0ost eye !octors "ork in sole optometrists practices, but there are a number "ho "ork "ith other health care pro essionals% *orkin$ con!itions o optometrist contain clean rooms that are "ell lit% Han!.hel! tools, measurin$ machines, li$ht hea!$ear, an! computers are only a e" o the tools that eye !octors use% 0achines are also use! to it an! repair ne" an! ol! $lasses or patients% Optometrists o"nin$ their o"n pri#ate practices create their o"n "orkin$ sche!ules an! "ork i#e to si' !ays a "eek an! rou$hly orty hours% 1t is their choice to "ork mornin$s, !ays,

ni$hts, or "eeken!s% Sche!ulin$ on "eeken!s an! ni$hts is o ten base! on the nee! o patients2 it is rare to recei#e emer$ency calls thou$h% The me!ian annual salary o an optometrist "as 3ust un!er 4100,000 in 2010% The lo"er ten percentile earne! rou$hly 450,000 annually "hile the upper ten percent ma!e o#er 4160,000% Success ul optometrists that put in the hours can make "ell o#er 4200,000 annually% The salary o an optometrist #aries or many !i erent reasons, inclu!in$5 e'perience, speciali6ation, an! type o employment, an! location% Typically, eye !octors that o"n their o"n businesses, that are "ell kno"n, make the most money% Salarie! optometrists are the ones that reap in bene its, pai! #acations an! sick !ays, health insurance, an! pension plans thou$h% & ter completin$ at least three years o a our year un!er$ra! pro$ram stu!yin$ pre. optometry, one must take the Optometry &!missions Test% 1 this test is passe!, you can then apply to be accepte! into a 7olle$e o Optometry school% There are only t"enty.one colle$es o optometry in the -nite! States, makin$ it a !i icult task to !o% 1 accepte!, optometry school is another our years o stu!y "ith one ull year o rotations to inish out your schoolin$ to recei#e your 8octor o Optometry 9O8: !e$ree% Stu!ies o pre.optometry inclu!e courses in chemistry, biolo$y, physics, math, an! ;n$lish2 stu!ies in Optometry School inclu!e optics, #ision science, biochemistry, systemic !isease, an! pharmacolo$y% Some optometrists e#en $o urther in stu!ies an! speciali6e in particular areas such as pe!iatric or $eriatric optometry2 to !o this they must take a clinical resi!ency trainin$ pro$ram% The main or$ani6ation associate! "ith optometrists is the ,ational Optometric &ssociation% This association helps you in! the ri$ht optometrist or you, locate! near you% The association makes sure that each optometrist has certain <uali ications% Such <uali ications

inclu!e kin!ness, patience, the ability to communicate to a patient $oo! or ba! ne"s, an! the ability to "ork "ith !i icult or uncooperati#e people% 1 inter#ie"e! an optometrist that is #ery close to me an! has al"ays ha! my si!e throu$h e#erythin$, my ather% 8r% Ste#en =% Johnson O8 has $i#en me e#ery reason as to "hy 1 "ant to become an optometrist% 0y ather o"ns his o"n practice, Jackson )ision, an! is #ery success ul% 1 $re" up al"ays bein$ aroun! my ather/s o ice an! 1/#e sat throu$h countless e'ams that he has "orke! on2 1/#e yet to in! one reason 1 "oul!n/t "ant to become "hat he is to!ay% *hen aske! (*hat is your career like throu$h the eyes o someone "ho is li#in$ it>+ Ste#en replie! (Optometry is an occupation that 1 lo#e% 1 $et to meet ne" an! interestin$ people e#ery !ay, a make a $reat li#in$, an! 1 $et to hear $reat stories% There is no $reater eelin$ than to be able to help someone "ith one o their most important senses% 1 $et to sol#e problems in one !ay that !ri#e my patients cra6y or "eeks, an! sometimes months%+ He "ent on to say that there are ne$ati#es to his 3ob2 ho"e#er, 8r% Johnson !oesn/t en3oy breakin$ ba! ne"s to his patients an! it is not un or him to "ork "ith patients that "on/t "ork "ith him in return% The employment o optometrists "as pro3ecte! in 2010 to $ro" by thirty.three percent by 2020% )ision problems ten! to occur later in li e2 thus, a lar$er number o optometrists are nee!e! to !eal "ith an a$in$ population% & lar$er number o optometrists are bein$ hire! in the southern states o &merica !ue to the mi$ration o retire! an! ol!er in!i#i!uals to the south% Similar 3obs to that o an optometrist inclu!e the ollo"in$2 !entists, !ispensin$ opticians, physicians an! sur$eons, po!iatrists, an! #eterinarians% &ll o these occupations !eri#e rom the health care iel! an! pro#i!e an opportunity to help other in!i#i!uals or animals% The closest relate! occupation to that o an optometrist "oul! be an ophthalmolo$ist% Ophthalmolo$ists are o ten re erre! to as eye sur$eons% 1 a problem is too serious or an optometrist to treat, then an

ophthalmolo$ist is then re erre! to a patient% Ophthalmolo$ists clean up optometrists/ !irty "ork in a sense% 1 ha#e al"ays lo#e! bein$ aroun! my ather in his o ice2 bein$ an optometrist, 1/#e kno"n since a youn$ a$e that 1 "ante! to ollo" in his ootsteps% 1t is my !ream to one !ay be able to practice "ith my ather or o"n my o"n business% 1 am a !e!icate!, har!"orkin$, an! trust"orthy person that has al"ays "ante! to help others% ?or this reason, 1 belie#e 1 "ill make a $reat optometrist in the uture%