The first aspect that a person needs to know before becoming an optometrist is the job that an optometrist has to do. An optometrist is the person who is able to examine the eye and take decisions to refer the patient to an ophthalmologist if the person has some eye deficits. It should be understood that the optometrist is not an ophthalmologist.
There are many roles that an optometrist plays in an eye hospital. The person is the one who is involved in examining the eye initially. The person looks for the presence of various deficits. Vision is checked for acuity. Other than the vision testing, the optometrist also checks for various other things like the presence or absence of glaucoma too.
Here are some of the methods in which the person who wants to become an optometrist can actually become one!
1. Deciding to be an optometrist:
The first thing that the person has to do is to decide if becoming an optometrist is the right choice. There are various kinds of people who are living around us. Some people are not interested in a particular job and do that only for the sake of the money. The person should select a profession for the joy in doing the work and because the person enjoys the work. So, an optometrist is a person who first decides to do a course in optometry.
2. Education:
There are various levels of education and the individual who wants to become an optometrist should initially try to complete the education that is needed for the person to become an optometrist. There are various levels of education as far as optometry is concerned. The individual can try to complete the Bachelor level course and then go on to complete the Master level course and even the PhD course. This will help the individual to become an academic and teach in various other optometry courses. The person will also be involved in a lot of research and add to the body of knowledge in Optometry. This is the main aim of the education as far as Optometry is concerned.
3. Working and learning:
Once the basic education is over, the person can try to assess various kinds of patients with eye problems by becoming a part of the optometry clinics that are seen. There are many hospitals that have these departments and the person will be able to practice in these departments. This is the best method of being able to practice optometry. This will give the person the required skills and the ability to perform well in the job that has been given to the person.
4. Setting a practice:
The aim of many of the people who are part of the various optometry courses is to make sure that they are able to set up a practice. This is possible if the person is able to assess all kinds of patients and is able to purchase the required equipments for the same. This will help to make the person a success in the field of optometry.
These are the various steps that are involved in the process of a person to become an optometrist who is able to independently treat patients. Any person wanting to become an optometrist can use these methods to be a success in this profession.
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