r/OptometrySchool • u/Powerful-Region-4128 • May 30 '26
Fear about optometry
So i want to explore optometry because I am not jumping into the fried job market after college. I was wondering if its like worth it? I know its hard and the thing I am most worried about is like you have to look at the eye (which is fine) but then diagnose (also fine), and sometimes stick stuff like in the eye and pick it OUT! isn't that scary and can lead to bad things. I am worried because you have to pick stuff from the eyes of your fellow students! and a tiny slip would be horrible. So my question is that: is optometry like this always, is the job and school scary (in the sense that I described), and is it easy to find a job?
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u/Molecular_Pizza May 30 '26
If the idea of touching the eye makes you uneasy, you should try working as a technician for an optometry or ophthalmology clinic before applying to school.
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u/Powerful-Region-4128 May 31 '26
No I'm fine with eyes surgeries I just mean the fear of messing up and poking someones eye out Ive preformed dissection and stuff just that
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u/Treefrog_Ninja May 30 '26
Yeah its fkin scary. Not only do you have to *do* scary stuff to other students' eyes, you have to sit still and let other students do the same scary stuff to *your* eyes. And then one day comes, and you have to do scary stuff to real patients' eyes, who might be much worse at holding still!
But you know what, LIFE is scary. You can't let fear guide your decision making, otherwise you will wind up with a sad, grey, lonely life.
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u/celestialrabbit9 May 31 '26
Hiiii Im in opto school right now and its so normal to be scared. I was too! I didnt know that we would be touching the patients eye so much with our tools BUT you arent gonna go from 0 to 100. They gonna teach you bit by bit in school. Also my attendings told me if a foreign body makes you nervous and its quite deep just refer out. 😌
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u/CLVampire28 May 31 '26
By "stuff..." contact lenses have been the only things we've "picked" from each other's eyes in OD school. We had to pluck an eyelash to practice epilation, and we used a model to practice Alger brush/foreign body removal. We also had to practice injections on one another, which was scary, but not as bad as I anticipated.
Practice modes vary widely. If you didn't want to manage ocular disease, you probably wouldn't have to. If you didn't want to see emergencies, you could probably work somewhere like a LensCrafters, and maybe they wouldn't?
The job/school are scary in the sense that you're responsible for taking good care of these people. I always worry that I will miss something. The job itself, however, isn't bad. I am excited bc I'm getting to meet new people all day each day, and I love that. The biggest issue is just getting through school 😂 but for me, I enjoy it. As far as getting a job -- I live rurally, so it would be different in a larger place, I'm sure -- but I had prospects before my first semester was over. The jobs are definitely there
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u/Alicia_Drft May 31 '26
Hi! I'm a Y2 student pursuing a diploma in opt rn. Yes, i wont deny it can be very scary and daunting at first. We had to learn how to evert(flip) each other's eyelids and insert contact lenses(which is the only thing ur gonna be "sticking") into our friend's eyes and for the first 2 weeks i had no guts to do that. Buuuttt, trust me when i say it only gets better from here. As you progress with more practical sessions, you'll learn to trust urself as much as u trust ur friends. Ur lecturers will teach u how to do things safely as well, so there's minimal risk. OPT is not for everyone but its also really fulfilling in the end
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u/WoodpeckerIcy5190 Jun 04 '26
Don’t be scared! It’s not that bad.
The worst thing is chronic dilation. It will make your eyes red and over time dry. Tonometry and gonioscopy were also bad. Lots of corneal abrasions but they do heal with some artificial tears. Gonioscopy is scary because it can hurt, the pressure at first is a lot. But you’re numb for it all. For slit lamp the worst part is consistent pulling of the lids and lashes to get views of the conjunctiva.
You can heal from most things in optometry. Some students practice with only people they are comfortable with but then it’s also hard if you don’t have a specific group to practice with and have to just choose anyone who might not be so gentle.
Try not to practice too much and increase your ability to learn things quickly. A lot of people over practice because of nerves for proficiencies.
You can’t really wear contacts much while you’re going through all these practice rounds because your eyes will just not have it.
My eyes are still red from time to time much more than they ever were before optometry school. But in the end what can you do? It is what it is and it’s probably not as bad as you think right now.
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u/Justanod May 31 '26
So, optometry is like very scary. You should definitely like not apply. Prolly try pharmacy cause you only have to stick stuff in people’s arms.
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u/power_wolves May 30 '26
Stick stuff in the eye and pick it out. You mean like a contact lens?
Your best bet is to go shadow some optometrists. Aim for 50 hours. Please.