Optometrists evaluate a patient's overall vision health as well as examine, diagnose, and treat patients for any conditions affecting vision. This includes prescribing corrective lenses such as glasses and contacts. An optometrist is different from an ophthalmologist, who is a medical specialist who focuses on diseases of the eye and is licensed to practice medicine and surgery.
Explore
Discover whether an optometry career matches your interests, skills and abilities and meets your lifestyle expectations:
- Read the Optometry Career Guide (PDF) from the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO)
- Steps to become an Optometrist
- Optometry Career Paths and Resources
- ASCO: FAQ about Optometry
- Optometry Overview
- Resources for applicants
Prepare
Confirm your interest in optometry, prepare academically, and develop the necessary skills and experience.
Academic Requirements
Identify School Pre-Requisites (PDF) and the UC San Diego classes you can take to meet them. This is a general guideline. Please check individual schools for their specific prerequisites:
- One year of biology
- One year of general chemistry
- One year of organic chemistry (FAQ)
- One biochemistry course
- One year of anatomy and physiology
- One Anatomy Course with Lab
- One Human Physiology Course with Lab
- Alternatively some community colleges teach Anatomy and Physiology combined
- Microbiology
- General Psychology
- Written Communication or English Composition
- Statistics
Experience
- Talk to, shadow, or volunteer with an optometrist
- Find optometrists through your network of family and friends
- UC Berkeley School of Optometry: Opto-Camp (registration for summer opens in the spring)
- Learn more about gaining experience - clinical, service, leadership, and research.
Apply
Applying to Optometry school occurs in the summer, one year before the program starts. Identify programs that match your skills and interests and complete an application. Some steps take more time to complete than others, so plan ahead!
Schools & Programs
- Find Optometry Schools: consider curriculum, clinical training options, location, and cost
- Optometry Admission Test (OAT) Guide
- Review the Student Profile of applicants and those who enrolled
- Compare your GPA and OAT scores to the Profile of the Latest Entering Class
- FAQ about Optometric Residencies
Application
- OptomCAS: the application service that compiles your transcripts, letters, essay, and activities
- Submit supplemental applications from individual schools when required
- OptomCAS Checklist
Personal Essay
- The prompt for the optometry school essay is the following: Please describe what inspires your decision for becoming an optometrist, including your preparation for training in this profession, your aptitude and motivation, the basis for your interest in optometry, and your future career goals.
- OptomCAS allows 4500 characters (including spaces) for your essay.
- School-specific (supplemental) essay questions will appear in the “Questions” section in the Program Information section of the application for each school.
Additional Application Information
- Get more info and resources on your personal essay, interview tips, letters of evaluation, and taking a gap year.
Gaining Experience
For any successful pre-health path, you will need to demonstrate you have experience. This includes service/volunteering, leadership, research, and/or other experiential learning opportunities.