Pursuing an optometry degree might seem like a direct path to a single career outcome, especially when compared to broader science degrees like biology or chemistry. However, the world of optometry is rich with varied opportunities that extend far beyond the traditional eye exam room. This article is designed to illuminate the array of career paths available to you once you’ve earned your optometry degree and completed your pre-registration period.
High-Street Optometry
As a high-street optometrist, you’ll likely start your journey here, joining the ranks of many graduates. Whether you’re part of a large chain like Specsavers, Boots, or Vision Express, or you’re enhancing the charm of a local independent practice, this role is foundational to our field. Even if you have your eyes destined for another role within optometry, it really is worth getting some experience in the high street first as many non-testing roles see optometrists supplement their income from high-street locum work.
Your duties will span from conducting both NHS and private eye exams to addressing ocular concerns, fitting contact lenses, and assisting with eyewear choices. The perks? A stable income, a dynamic team environment, and the joy of meeting diverse patients. On the flip side, you might face the pressure of sales targets, weekend shifts, and a fast-paced schedule.
Hospital Optometry
Hospital optometrists are integral to the ophthalmology departments of medical centers. Here, you’ll engage in complex tasks like advanced contact lens fittings and pediatric care. With the advent of shared-care programs, you’ll also support clinics managing conditions like glaucoma, cataracts and medical retina issues, thereby easing the workload for ophthalmologists.
The advantages include tackling rare eye conditions, direct mentorship from ophthalmologists, skill enhancement, and a supportive environment. Whilst you may enjoy free weekends and no sales quotas, the trade-off could be a lower salary and a focus on more complex cases.
Domiciliary Optometry
Domiciliary optometry offers a heartfelt service to those who can’t visit a clinic due to health constraints. You’ll travel to patients’ residences, providing personalised eye care where it’s most needed. These residences may be their own personal home, within a shared/assisted living village or even in retirement or care homes, so there will be significant variety to your testing room each day.
The rewards are plentiful: a change of scenery, heartfelt gratitude from patients, and a deeper understanding of their visual needs in their own environment. The challenges? Navigating travel logistics, adapting to varied testing conditions, exposure to a different way of living and transporting your optometric equipment. Yet, the impact you make is profound and personal, with several optometrist colleagues of mine rediscovering their joy of optometry through this way of testing.
Academic Optometry
If you’re driven by discovery, academic optometry could be your calling. By pursuing research and possibly a PhD, you’ll contribute to the advancement of the field of optometry and deepen your expertise.
The benefits include specialising in niche areas and honing critical thinking skills that enhance clinical practice. While patient interaction may be limited (especially if not researching with patients), the fulfillment of shaping the future of optometry is incredibly rewarding (as is the satisfying nature of seeing your name on an academic paper!)
Depending on the role, there may even be a chance to teach and supervise undergraduate and post-graduate optometrists, which from personal experience, is a very rewarding role and provides you a chance to put back into the field.
Industry
Some optometrists thrive in an environment where they can guide their expertise into the delivery of new products; both for optometric field and for patients. You may find this role in developing new contact lenses for contact lens companies (such as Coopervision or Alcon), aiding feedback and marketing of new varifocals for Hoya or Essilor, or even representing pharmaceutical companies that may release a new ocular lubricant or blepharitis treatment.
The key benefits of working in industry involve being on the cutting edge of optometric delivery, exposure to multiple career paths and the ability to collaborate with many different specialised teams; from scientists and engineers to optometrists and ophthalmologists. The flip side of this would be the reduced patient interactions, a varied salary expectation (some rates may be low, but could also be much higher if in a high, senior role in a large company) and high sales targets (of which may even be more stressful than a conversion rate to achieve!)
Lecturing and Supervision
Optometry educators play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of eye care professionals. They are responsible for imparting theoretical knowledge, clinical skills, and ethical practices to students and pre-registration optometrists. Supervision ensures that aspiring optometrists gain hands-on experience under the guidance of seasoned practitioners, bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world application. Some optometrists, such as myself, thrive in these environments, but it isn’t for everybody!
The key advantages of this role are plentiful. Mentorship of students help influence optometrists to be the best that they can be and there is a real rewarding aspect that follows imparting your experience on students that are finding their feet. You are also in an academic environment and exposed to many developments in the field – be it from writing lectures, doing your own background reading or from fielding questions from inquisitive minds.
The disadvantages of lecturing and supervision include significant time commitment (it can take many hours to prepare a lecture or mark essays), there may be limitations in resources (such as many students to a single supervisor or one ophthalmic machine between numerous students) and there is the loaded pressure of responsibility – as you are ultimately responsible for the patients of the student that you are supervising.
Optometry Undefined
Optometry’s specialised knowledge opens doors to roles that might not neatly fit into a category described above. Whether it’s contributing to professional bodies like the College of Optometrists, Association of Optometrists or the General Optical Council, representing charities or other vision-related campaigns, or engaging with local societies, schools and universities your skills are in demand.
Your degree in optometry is a key to a career with eyes and vision – you may even end up using it in a way that doesn’t currently exist! So don’t worry if you don’t feel the testing room is for you – there is a place out there to let your specialist knowledge shine!
Where do you hope to end up working? Have you worked in many of these roles and wish to share experiences of each? If so – we would love to hear your views in the comments section below!
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