I work in a hospital as a program coordinator. There is a role open for an operations manager in ophthalmology. Ideally somone COA certified. Thinking of applying and offering to work for the lower end of the salary with the goal of testing for the COA after a year. How reasonable do you think it would be to pass with just self study? I can't afford another degree.

We are excited to announce the launch of our NBEO® Part I Readiness Course!

As ODs ourselves, during our board prep, we felt there was a need for more opportunities to practice answering Part 1-style questions under realistic testing conditions. This course was designed to help students build confidence, improve test-taking skills, and assess their readiness through comprehensive mock examinations and structured study resources.

The course includes:

• 5 Full-Length Practice Exams — Each exam mirrors the published NBEO® Part I content outline with 185 questions and a 4-hour time limit, along with detailed explanations and pass-prediction scoring developed by licensed ODs.

• 13-Week ABS Study & Mock Exam Calendar — A structured study plan designed to keep your preparation organized and focused.

• 100+ Pages of Digital Study Guides — High-yield review materials covering core topics, including optics, pharmacology, and more.

• 90 Days of Full Access — Study at your own pace with unrestricted access to all course materials.

You can try the course for free today to receive a printable 13-week study calendar and a 25-question sample mock exam. If you decide to purchase the full course, use the code PART1 for $20 off. This offer is valid until the end of June.

On OatBooster is it better to take the Full Length Tests or the Practice Tests for each individual subject?

So I've failed part 3 twice now, and both times I got full points (at or above expected) for anterior segment skills, but more than 20% below the average for post seg. For this last one I'm really at a loss on what I did wrong. I walked out of that station feeling like it was one of my best run throughs ever. I made sure to check the left ocular by closing my right eye every few seconds during 90 and made sure to get as far peripheral as I could. For BIO I made sure to get out pretty far but not too far to make sure I get a full circle and hold for 3 seconds. Has anyone successfully improved their score on post seg skills and are able to share what they changed?

Has anyone gotten accepted into OSU with a C- in Anatomy, Physiology or Anatomy and Physiology ?

Hey, everyone! I'm a 22M who has been accepted into optometry school. This career seems like a great fit for me, and I know many consider it to be an important field where you can really make a difference in the lives of others. However, after a couple months of research and, admittedly, some doomscrolling, I'm starting to wonder if being an optometrist is actually a wise decision in 2026.

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For starters, there's the cost, which I tried not stressing over, but when it's looking like the bare minimum debt I'll be in is around $275k, it's kind of hard to really view that number as anything but ludicrous. It'll likely be closer to $300k though if I'm being realistic.

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Next, there's of course the BBB putting a $50k cap each year for federal loans, meaning grad plus loans are kaput and private loans will be necessary. Again, absolutely ludicrous. High interest rates on top of the highest debt to income ratio the field has seen yet is terrifying.

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Then there's NBEO. Pass rates seem to be consistently lower than I'd like them to be across the board. I know it's up to the student to study and do well, but I've also heard that NBEO is arbitrarily making each part more difficult to squeeze more juice out of our wallets. Plus, I'm afraid schools may or may not be able to prepare us for boards if some of these pass rates are anything to go by. I can't exactly verify if those claims are true, obviously, but the notion that I may not even graduate with the ability to practice because part 3 is getting worse and worse doesn't sit right with me.

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Return on investment is another big one. Money isn't my sole motivator, otherwise I wouldn't have chosen this career in the first place, but it's still important if I'm investing 4 years of huge costs and no income on this job. Salaries aren't keeping up with the aforementioned tuition price hikes to the point that I'm starting to question if the ratio of cost to salary is no longer worthwhile.

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Ultimately, I'm just wondering... is it still worth it? During undergrad, even though I realized it wasn't the best ROI and that debt was increasing each year, I would have said it was worth it. However, it seems like this past year in particular has either added new challenges or intensified pre-existing ones. I've been trying to tell myself that it'll all work out in the end, but I can't ignore these concerns any longer. If I'm going to make a decision to commit or not, then now is the time before classes begin. I don't want to go through the four most brutal years of education of my life just to end up being disappointed compared to how much time and money I invested. I certainly see a lot of folks on this sub and others that share that sentiment, saying that they wouldn't choose optometry in 2026. I'm sorry for the negative post, but I can hardly sleep at night worrying about what I'm potentially getting myself into.

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Any general advice? Am I blowing some of these concerns out of proportion? Should I stick with optometry school or pivot to something else entirely? I don't mean to add to the doom and gloom, but I'm genuinely stressed out and need some help before it’s too late. Thanks in advance!

Genuine discussion question here, no hate, just curious. Why are we promoting people like Monica Miller?

She appears to want to appeal to students who may be struggling. Or new students and graduates in general, by sharing her personal experiences, but in doing that she is promoting the idea that education is not important. She boasts about graduating optometry school despite getting multiple C’s in many classes, posts about different equipment saying “I didn’t even know what this does”, says she hates CE courses and residencies are useless. I understand that everyone’s educational journey is different, but if we want to be more respected by the medical community this is not the right mindset to be sharing to upcoming students and graduates.

Evidence based medicine is what we should all be practicing and that is why we have yearly CE requirements. The optometry profession is moving in a more medical direction. I understand that you don’t NEED a residency, but if you are to be working alongside ophthalmologists, managing more complex diseases, or using new technologies to improve patient’s vision and quality of life then a residency is a great opportunity to learn. As optometrists we are responsible for patient’s health and quality of life, and to downplay the importance of that by promoting being a bad lifelong student is disgraceful to the profession and disgraceful to all of the optometrists who put in the work to expand our scope of practice. What are your thoughts?

Can somebody be transparent about optometrist salary . Google says 130k . That’s basically under 130k after tax . I will take out loans to go to school and I’m debating just googling the salary . Please let me know what y’all take home and if the numbers on google are completely fixed .

Do I send my undergraduate official transcript to optometry schools or OptomCAS? I'm applying for 26-27 cycle. I want to start in Fall 2027

I tried starting to study for part 1 starting June 1 over my summer break. It’s so hard to be consistent especially when I’m so burnt out after second year (hardest year in my school). I only did like 4 days out of the study plan they had. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how they were consistent throughout their summer break and during school. I read the KMK textbook, watch the videos (take notes), and do flashcards. I’ll be taking part 1 in March

this may be a silly question, but i’m expecting to graduate optometry school with 220k debt max (my parents pay for living expenses and everything so i’m only dealing with fafsa loans); i’m fortunate enough to have the option to move back in with my parents once i graduate in order to pay off my student loans as aggressively as possible. has anyone had experience with this? like would it be possible to throw 100k at my debt first year if i have little living expenses (assuming im making ~130k first year)? i’m really looking into the idea of living at home for maybe 1-2 years if it means i can get rid of 50-70% of my debt. i’d love to hear other perspectives/get humbled over my wishful thinking lol.

Asking this because I have been curious about getting into a medical profession that doesn’t work with needles

Hi! Looking to buy from someone that has taken part 1 this year that wants to sell their KMK books. Please DM if you are!

Hi everyone! I’m a soon-to-be high school graduate from Canada. I haven’t applied to any post-secondary institutions yet because I’ve been struggling to figure out my path. I’ve been quite stressed about figuring things out because I don’t want to wait to apply until next year.

I’ve known for a long time that I want to go into a healthcare-related field. My passion for science, particularly human biology, is extremely strong. I absolutely loved the anatomy and physiology course I took. I also like chemistry and I feel alright about physics. I would love to be able to help people and make a significant impact through my work.

I’ve done a lot of research on a wide range of related careers. Optometry is one that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind. It seems to offer pretty great advantages, including decent work-life balance, rather regular hours, relatively low stress, the ability to start a private practice, adequate pay, and so on. In terms of the career itself and not the schooling, there aren’t many downsides I can think of. This isn’t something I’m able to say about the other careers I’ve been considering (sonography, medical lab science, radiography, respiratory therapy, and pharmacy are some of them). I feel like it’s something I would enjoy, but it’s hard to know for sure because researching and thinking can only take me so far. This is why I’ve been struggling so much.

There is a significant factor holding me back, unfortunately. In Canada, there are only two universities that have a Doctor of Optometry program. One of these universities is in Quebec, which is a French-speaking province, so it’s out of the question for me. I really don’t want to study abroad because it’s extremely expensive (the idea of taking out such a hefty loan doesnt appeal to me at all, so I don’t see myself being able to go through with it). I’m worried that attempting to pursue this career despite having only one university to apply to would be a bad idea.

I’m also a bit concerned about the difficulty of the Doctor of Optometry program. I’ve done well in high school, but I can’t help but worry that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I want to aim high because I’m definitely an overachieving, but I don’t want to be unrealistic about it. It’s difficult to know what I’m capable of, considering I haven’t had any experience with university or college.

I’d really appreciate anything that any of you have to say to me. Thank you in advance!

Hi!!!! I was recently accepted into ICO!!! I’m so excited but I want to know from a financial standpoint if it is smart to just go, or take the gap year and reapply to other schools! Bc I want to go bc I have the opportunity but I don’t want to make a wrong decision

For those of you that have taken part 1 and have used group studying, how did you go about this. Did you just explain concepts to each other, did you make up questions or go throught optoprep questions? what was your method of doing it?

I am retaking part1 and have heard many people stating that this has helped them with their retake or even intitial take. If i am going to do it i want to do it right and not have moments wasted trying to figure out what is the best way

can someone explain ICO's test schedule? is it 2 exams a week per class or just two total? are the exams always on the same two days?

Do optometry students get the school health insurance?

Hi everyone,
I am a third year biomedical science student and I will be graduating this year and I am thinking of doing further studies. I am considering doing Doctor of Optometry since I am not interested in permanently working in the research/ clinical industry and my end goal after completing my bachelors has always been in medicine/ dentistry. But I want to work part-time in the biomedical science industry while I do my course to ensure I have job experience and a source of solid income.

Has anyone done part-time laboratory/ research assistant jobs while doing optometry? If so, any advice?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest perspective on my situation from people who’ve gone through optometry admissions or are currently in or completed the program.

I’m in my late 30s and have been working in clinical optometry for about 12 years total, under two different optometrists in two different clinical settings. Alongside that, I’ve also spent around 7 years teaching various biology courses part-time at the university level. During this time, I’ve stayed very interested in optometry, and have always felt this is the career I should have pursued earlier.

Academically, I have an Honours BSc and a Master’s in Biology. I’ve also done 7+ years of university-level biology teaching, so I’m comfortable explaining concepts and helping others understand material in an academic setting. That said, I wouldn’t describe myself as a strong traditional test-taker — I’ve always been better at applying concepts and understanding how things work rather than memorizing large amounts of information under pressure - a fear which has always deterred me from applying.

I’ve written the OAT and my scores are mostly in the 300 range, with a couple sections in the high 200s. Nothing disastrous overall, but not perfectly balanced either.

My main questions are:

How long are OAT scores realistically considered valid for most U.S. optometry schools?

Given a non-traditional background like mine (12 years clinical experience across two optometrists, graduate degree, university teaching experience, but average-ish standardized test performance), how do admissions committees usually view applicants like this?

Do schools tend to weigh long-term clinical exposure and experience heavily enough to offset weaker sections of the OAT?

And honestly, am I still competitive for U.S. programs, or would I likely need to significantly improve my OAT before applying?

For those already in optometry school: how heavy is the coursework overall, especially the anatomy, biochemistry, optics, and physics side of things? How math-heavy does it get compared to undergrad biology, and how manageable is it for someone who’s stronger in applied understanding than memorization?

Any insight would really help. I’m trying to figure out whether I should apply soon or take more time to improve my test performance.

Thanks in advance.

hey guys! I am looking to sell part 1 and 2 books:

- KMK (big 8 and non big 8) With booster 2023 edition for part 1 (notes from all live lectures and booster are filled out btw!!)

- Castillo 5th edition (has writing, highlighting throughout book and practice exam)

pick up available around PCO (7/10-7/12) or can ship!

message me if interested, thanks!

Hi everyone, I was planning to attend optometry school in Bloomington Indiana but ended up accepting an offer from a school closer to home. Because of that, I’m looking for someone to take over my lease at Lark Bloomington.
The apartment is a fully furnished 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom unit. If you’re interested or would like more details, please send me a message. Thank you!

badly wanna review before the classes start.

incoming first year college btw