More Facts about Optometry The demand for vision care services continues to expand and exceed the current resources of the profession.

Did you know that:

• Optometrists are located in nearly 7,100 communities throughout the United States?
• Optometrists are the only primary eye and vision care providers in more than 4,300 communities nationwide?
• The Optometry profession has a greater geographical distribution and thus optometrists are more accessible than other eye care professionals?
• There are approximately 145-150 million wearers of corrective lenses (eyeglasses or contact lenses) in the United States, representing slightly more than half of the population?
• Optometrists frequently have working hours with more flexibility than those of other medical practitioners? The practice of optometry can therefore be ideal for working part time while raising a family or pursuing other interests.

(Source of facts above: American Optometric Association, April 2002)

Did you also know that:

• Doctors of Optometry earn salaries commensurate with other primary health care providers, such as physicians and dentists? Income will depend to some extent on the type of practice setting. For example, many ODs work in HMOs or for the government, where salaries for ODs will often be less than when working in the private practice.
• Most optometrists are able to practice well into their late 60s and 70s, providing opportunities to build up substantial retirement accounts?

Future of Optometry

• The need for professional vision care services is increasing at an accelerated rate. Our aging population requires more frequent eye care, school-age children need improved delivery of vision care, emerging technology means a greater demand for good visual function, and new diagnostic techniques and treatments to prevent blindness require more highly trained optometrists.
• Optometry has been rated the number two career in the "Excellent" category in a guide to careers that appeared January 5, 2006 on the U.S. News and World Report web site (see News Item). Optometry was touted as a "one-on-one helping career that will serve the massive numbers of boomers."