Optometry (OD)

Optometrists are independent primary health care providers who examine, diagnose, teat and manage diseases and disorders of the eye and associated structures.. Optometry is the nation’s third largest independent healthcare profession. Optometrists are really primary care providers for patients seeking ocular or visual care and should not be confused with opthomologists who have an MD degree with specialization in eye diseases and surgery.

There are currently seventeen schools of optometry in the US and Puerto Rico. While many optometry schools give preference to students who have earned a bachelor’s degree prior to starting optometry school, some schools will accept students who have three years of pre-optometry education. Some schools may have additional course requirements such as biochemistry, cell biology and genetics and the OAT exam is mandatory for all applicants.

Students can register for the Pre-Optometry Advisory Program in the Premedical Studies Office. For more information about optometry programs, visit the Association of Colleges of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) website at www.opted.org/