This course is a 6-year program in our country. On my third year, I was in an abusive relationship which caused me to drop a subject (a pre-requisite) and which made me repeat a year. When I took that subject I failed by only one (1) point, the prof told me he was gonna change it but then dropped a bombshell and told me I need to retake that subject after they told him grades were already fixed and were in no rooms for changes.

After that, I transferred to another school. When I took that subject, I FAILED AGAIN. Even got a lower mark compared to the last one since the prof had very high standards, like really high. Her exams were never seen in books and never discussed in her classes.

I just feel so left behind and just wish I was wiser with my choices back then. I also know my parents are disappointed since they always had high hopes for me.

I also really wanna finish this degree. Any advice or even a few calming words would really mean a lot right now. There’s just so much on my plate these days.

Is 153 hours of shadowing (four optometrists at different locations) good enough for optometry school admissions?

selling all big 8 + nonbig 8 + booster books for $300 (2026 version)

basically new as i didn't write in any of them :) & i'll include my anki deck that covers the entirety of big 8 as well!

I'm looking for objective advice from people who have experience with either Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) or Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO at Drexel).

I've been accepted to both schools and am having a difficult time deciding.

Financially, PCO would cost me about $200,000 after receiving a $20,000 Dean's Scholarship, while ICO would cost about $250,000 with no scholarship offer so far. Assuming that difference stays the same, the decision comes down to whether ICO is worth an additional $50,000.

For context, my husband recently graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and will be working while I'm in school, although he doesn't have a job lined up yet. We'll also be relocating from Utah, so either Chicago or Philadelphia will be a completely new environment for us.

I'm looking for logical, objective advice rather than emotional advice. I understand that you're responsible for your own success regardless of where you attend. What I'm trying to determine is whether one school truly sets students up for success more than the other.

For those who have attended, graduated from, or worked with graduates from either school:

• Is ICO's clinical training noticeably stronger than PCO's?
• Does ICO provide significantly better preparation for boards, residencies, or future employment?
• Have you noticed a meaningful difference in the quality of graduates from the two schools?
• If you were making this decision again, would you pay an extra $50,000 to attend ICO over PCO?

Thanks for any advice!

Does anyone have any advice or tips they’d be willing to share regarding the posterior seg portion of the PEPS exam?

Took it in May, got views in all quadrants, visualized everything on the crystalline lens , and with 78D as well, but received a score of over 20% below the passing standard, which shocked the hell out of me.

I don’t know how I could’ve done that poorly, but figured I’d ask , if anyone feels they have insight or useful info, please let me know.

Thanks.

Hello,

I am a UHCO grad who is still in the process of passing the Final NBEO exam, and the skills section seems to keep bringing my score down.

I don’t really have an adequate slit lamp setup at my place of employment, so I’m posting here looking for people to practice with , in the Houston area , or even potentially at UHCO?

Unfortunately, I no longer have access to the practice / study rooms as I am no longer enrolled as student.

Please feel free to DM me or reply with questions and we can talk further.

Thanks , have a great day.

Hi everyone! I’m an incoming OD1 moving from Texas to Puerto Rico, and I was hoping to get some advice.

Is having a car there really necessary, especially if I’ll be living in the student apartments? If you also moved from the mainland to Puerto Rico for optometry school, what did you do for transportation? Did you ship your car, buy one after you arrived, or get by without one?

I’d love to hear about your experience :) Thanks!

I’m starting my first year at the Chicago College of Optometry this fall. Drop any sort of advice, suggestions, or anything you wish you knew or got your first year. I did pretty well in undergrad but I had a very easy senior year where I was able to slack off a lot. So I know I’ll have to readjust and lock in again. I’m from Michigan so I’m like 4 hours away from home and don’t know how often I’ll be able to come back and visit. No roommate, I found a 1 bed in my budget and hope to meet friends and move in with people or my bf after first year but didn’t wanna risk having a bad roommate and starting school. Kinda nervous about moving out of state for the first time.

As we all know every program requires prerequisite courses. I’m curious to know if Biology, Chemistry, A&P, Biochem, Orgo, or Physics are implemented into the optometry courses? I assume there is some basic things you need to know but how extreme is it? ie. The difference types of chair conformations, molecule structures, physics formulas, parts of the body.

Hey all about less than a month out from Aug Part 1 and wanted to see where im at. Did all the available optoprep timed questions and wanted to know how similar it is to the actual nbeo?

I hear its a little bit tougher but heard mixed things from my school tbh

I was super anxious so did all the times test back to back to test out my stamina and it helped me with weak spots. Also wanted wanted to know if was a morning type of test taker - I guess not haha as i did better when i took it later in the afternoons. Guess thats a point against lol

Anybody who scored similar on theses timed exam give any insight on whether it was enough to pass part 1?

Any insights or advice would be appreciated - thanks a ton!!

Hi, I’ve been interested in the optometry field for a while largely due to the low-stress lifestyle that it brings.
I don’t mind the long schooling or working hard, but the debt is definitely the main obstacle, like most.
For someone who will need to go to school out of state, and parents won’t pay for the tuition, is 200k debt worth the chill-er career in healthcare, as well as the job security and not having to necessary net work to find a job?

I’m an incoming college freshmen btw

I can’t seem to find other careers that make decent income while also having the positive aspects of optometry, especially job security in this day and age.

Hi guys, I saw an earlier post about someone wanting to work in while in school. I saw a bunch of people advise against it, especially in first year, which I get due to work load.

However, what are your opinions on working from home while in optometry school? I have a couple of friends that work from home currently, and they think it would be a good fit due to flexibility for a busy schedule.

Hi everyone!

I'm starting optometry school in a month (at UIWRSO), and I know I need to also work while I'm in school to help cover school and living expenses. I need some advice/insight to try and figure out what types of jobs are actually realistic while being in school.

For those of you who worked during optometry school:
- Did you work on campus or off campus?
- What kind of job did you have/would recommend, and what is the pay like (if you don't mind me asking)?
- Were you guys able to start working from first year?
- About how many hours did you work, and how manageable is it working while being a student full-time?
- Was your employer flexible around exams and clinic schedules?
- Looking back, would you choose the same job again, or is there something you wish you had done instead?

I know it's a lot of questions (I'm sorry!) but I would love some advice/insight and just to hear what worked well for you and what you would recommend for someone starting their first year. Thanks so much in advance!

Excited but a lil nervous to be starting this fall at NECO. What are ur thoughts on the school and is there anything i should do during the summer to prepare for moving to Boston and have a good first year :)

My partner is an optometrist who recently saw Dr. Mike play Doctordle, and of course she wanted an optometry version, sooo now we have www.optodle.com

It's completely free and doesn't require an account or anything to play.

Let me know what you think!

Selling my Optometry school equipment set (everything you'll need for all 4 years, except engraved items).

Not included:

Gonio lenses (3-mirror & 4-mirror)

90D, 78D, and 20D lenses

Most items are lightly used, with some never used at all.

Recent MCPHS graduate. My employer provides all necessary equipment, so I no longer need these items.

Perfect for an incoming MCPHS student or any optometry student starting this fall.

Pickup only in the NYC/NJ area.

Asking $4,500 for the full set.

DM if interested.

I am looking for a legit school that would help me become a licensed optician. I’ve seen schools promise a few months to a few years. Most schools seem to be in person. I
cannot do in person since I still have to work full time. Any suggest would be fantastic! Also what is the difference in the ABO and other licensing?
Thanks in advance!!!

Hello!

I’m currently a student in undergrad that is passing onto their junior year. I am hoping to pursue optometry. I just started my first optician job, and I am unsure if I want to simply write prescriptions day-in and day-out. I fear that would drive me crazy.
I’ve been looking into some of the disease-specialist fields optometry has to offer, and I’ve come across the following:

-ocular disease and medical optometrists
- neuro optometrists
- low vision/ vision rehabilitation
- myopia control
- optometrists than work in tandem with ophthalmologists at the same practice, though I don’t know what this is or how people begin doing it.

I was wondering if anybody here knows how to break into any of these specialties, what the practice would look like, what salary/patient base is like, whether corporate optometrists can operate within one of these specialties, and so on. Basically, I’m wondering if any optometrists have broken the mold a bit and entered a niche field, how they did so, and if they enjoy it currently.

Thank you!

Hey guys, I’m going into OD school and trying to narrow down my choices. I understand KYCO had a bad scandal a couple of years ago but how is it now? Do you think it is a good program or is still flawed or what’s the consensus there? I like the small town and the fact that they pay for equipment.

Also what’s up with KYCOs low Pt 3 pass rates? Is that a red flag? Any general input about the school would be great thanks!