Choosing a career path is one of your most important decisions. For many people, this becomes a difficult decision. There are so many career options from which to choose. Finding something that suits you can prove a challenging task.
Working toward the right career makes a significant impact on the rest of your life. So whether you’re studying for the first time or are looking for a career change, you’ve likely encountered some optometry schools in the US.
Suppose you’re on the hunt for a fulfilling career in the medical field. In that case, there are several reasons you might consider studying optometry.
Make a Real Difference
Optometry can be defined as a healthcare professional providing care for the eyes and vision. Optometrists examine the eyes, identify any eyesight problems and abnormalities, and prescribe glasses and contact lenses.
Anyone you ask would probably agree that the ability to see is valuable. It’s essential for most everyday tasks. However, losing one’s vision would almost certainly pose a challenge. A study found that when asked which of the five senses they’d miss most if lost, 70% of people answered sight.
Being an optometrist allows you to help people change their lives. As an optometrist, you’ll be the one assisting patients in caring for their eyes. In addition, you’ll help diagnose vision issues and offer people solutions when you can.
Career Advancement
Optometry is an excellent field of study if you want to secure a career with lots of room for growth. There are various areas of optometry you can go into, which you’ll learn in this post a bit later on. Furthermore, the demand for optometrists is likely to grow, meaning you’ll almost certainly be able to find work for the rest of your life.
The medical field is constantly growing and advancing. Being a medical professional means someone will need your expertise, especially in optometry. According to the WHO, they expect the demand for eye care professionals to rise in the future. Additionally, they expect the number of eye care patients to double from 2.2 billion by 2050. These reports only strengthen the argument that optometry is a job-secure field.
Various Paths to Take
One of the best benefits of being an optometrist is that you can take your career down various paths. For example, you might decide to look for work in hospitals, non-profit organizations, the military, or join an established optometry practice.
Like many other optometrists, you also have the option of starting your practice. Furthermore, beginning your private practice gives you access to even more paths. You can choose for your practice to specialize in any area of the field you choose. For example, you can center your practice around general eye care, elderly eye care, eye diseases, low vision care, glasses and contact lenses, or pediatrics.
Another career path for an optometrist is education. One day you may decide it’s time to pass your knowledge on to the next generation of optometrists. Of course, you might find something unique that’s not discussed here—there are so many possibilities it’s hard to put them all in one place.
Good Income
Now, salary probably isn’t the first thing on your mind, but you need to support yourself and your practice. After all, the primary purpose of working is to earn a living. So you might be pleasantly surprised to hear that optometrists earn relatively high salaries. Experts measure the average annual salary for an optometrist at $125,515 in June 2022.
As discussed earlier, the demand for good optometrists is growing as the global population ages. This means there’s a demand for good optometrists, and medical institutions are ready to hire skilled professionals. This demand can increase if you move abroad.
Flexible Working Hours
Another perk of graduating from optometry school is that you enter a career with flexible working hours. Most optometrists can find flexible work that allows them to plan their working hours to suit their needs. Optometry work is often full-time or part-time, with control over when you’re accepting appointments. Of course, you’ll have complete control over your working hours if you decide to open a practice.
Job Satisfaction
According to another study, 74.3% of optometrists say they’re satisfied with their work. With everything discussed until this point, it’s pretty easy to see that there’s a good chance you’d be happy with a career in optometry. Optometrists maintain an excellent work-life balance and are generally pleased about their immediate positive impact on their patients’ lives. The compensation is very comfortable, and there’s room for career growth.
Conclusion
Studying optometry can give you a satisfying career that allows you to help people, work on a schedule that suits you, and earn a good salary. Furthermore, the growing demand for eye care guarantees work and growth opportunities. If this sounds good, chances are you’ll love a career in optometry.
