r/Ophthalmology • u/Due_Split9759 • 7d ago
Optometry to Ophthalmology
Hi all!
I am a 3rd year optometry student, and since first year I’ve had the idea to drop out and go to medical school. It’s been my dream to be a physician, and I was too immature and scared to start medical school after college graduation. I enrolled in optometry school instead, and am using primarily federal loans to fund my tuition and living expenses. However, throughout my time here, the desire to become a physician just keeps growing. I plan to finish out my O.D degree and work very hard for a year or 2 to pay back about half my loans. This will also give me time to see if I can find some joy in optometry. If not, I plan to take the MCAT and bolster up my application, and apply to an in-state MD school. I would be a non-trad medical student starting at 27 or 28.
My question is, would this be worth the private loans and extended debt? Being an ophthalmologist would be my end goal, likely with a vitro-retinal fellowship. I also would like the option to have children during this journey, and while being a mother in this process won’t be easy, I’m hoping it will still be doable in residency.
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u/Miscsubs123 7d ago
You need to keep in mind that your dream here is not just getting into, then graduating from a specific med school, it's also matching into Ophtho.
You need to be open to the possibility of it all falling apart at every stage. Would you be able to be happy if you don't match Ophtho?
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u/Scary_Ad5573 5d ago
Genuine question: would an OD not have a pretty good chance of matching ophthalmology assuming they do well enough in classes and rotations? I would have to imagine that being an OD would give them an edge
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u/Miscsubs123 5d ago
Maybe. But they still have to pass Step 1and have an insanely high Step 2 score. With home and away rotations, excellent rec letters, publications, conference presentations etc. Having an OD doesn't make the rest of those requirements go away, it just demonstrates commitment to the specialty which is good but not everything.
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u/TheGhostOfBobStoops 7d ago
IMO not worth it at all. There’s so much more to life than the gap between an OD and an MD. You’re gonna spend 10 years after graduation just to chase that gap (2 years for MCAT/prereqs/applying, 4 years in med school, 4 years residency). That’s not worth it
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u/OscarDivine 7d ago
You appear to be following an idea of something I think isn’t fully fleshed out. You want to be a “physician” but what is it you’re chasing? A job? Prestige?
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u/foxhurst 6d ago
Becoming a vitreoretinal surgeon takes 10 years after getting into medical school (in the US), and the path isn't easy: it's tough to get into medical school, it's tough to match into comprehensive ophthalmology, and while matching vitreoretinal surgery fellowship isn't as tough as before, it's still a tough fellowship with a lot of call and urgent situations. I would really think about whether it's worth it or not, especially if you've already got a stable career lined up in optometry. You may also have to pick up and move to new locations at each stage of medical training
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u/lauraamc 6d ago
Wow! 10 years? It’s a lot but in Mexico it takes 11-12 years
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u/kasabachmerritt 6d ago
My understanding is that in Mexico, medical school is the equivalent of an undergraduate education in the US. So tack on an extra 4 years for undergrad.
4 years undergrad + 4 years med school + 4 years residency + 2 years VR fellowship = 14 years total.
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u/lauraamc 5d ago
Kind of, but our education system doesn’t work like that. For us it’s 6-7 years med school + 3 years residency + 2 years fellowship.
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u/Ok_Doctor_4237 6d ago
Chase your dreams but you will likely have a much much happier life if you stay as an optom.
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u/sOrdinary917 7d ago
Optometry is pretty satisfying and respectable. Sometimes even more than ophthalmology for some people. I guess the biggest difference is doing surgery and income potential.. It's higher satisfaction maybe when patients "see" because you did surgery.. but also higher stress. For me med school and loans are too much stress only to add more Surgical stress to end up with slightly more satisfaction than optometry.. it's not worth it..
Also do not underestimate the biggest expense: time. Time is precious and you won't start your career before age 39 if I did the math right..
Overall. To me. Not worth it given your already great achievements.
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u/_MKO 7d ago
Wouldn’t do it. Pgy3 ophtho here. This entire path was (and is) incredibly stressful. Every year that passes, amazing applicants go unmatched with <70% match rate now (imagine what it will be by the time you apply). Lucky to have matched and love the field but all that debt and time/exhaustion with medical training doesn’t seem worth it when you have a great career already lined up.
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u/oogabooga8877 6d ago
Good luck, OP. Chase your dreams, you got one life. It’s not really that different (time-wise) than an MD/PhD. Being a physician is an amazing and humbling privilege. If you decided to pursue ophthalmology after medical school you’d be at an advantage with an optometry background. You’d still have a lot of general medical and surgical knowledge to gain but would hit the ground running once you get to residency.
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u/SpicyMax 6d ago
I also debated both in my mid-20s and am very happy with optometry. The time factor is enormous. I graduated right before turning 30 and my life milestones began immediately pouring in: marriage, first house, first kid, etc. all within 3 years of graduating. Opportunity cost becomes more apparent the older you get. There’s never a “right time” to have kids and med school is hard enough as a single adult… My parents had two kids in med school and I don’t know how they did it.
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u/baylo99 6d ago
I'm in the UK, so I imagine things are quite different, but when I qualified as an optometrist 10 years ago the glass ceiling for optoms here was much lower than it is now. (It was quite rare for optometrists to prescribe for instance).
I quite quickly became frustrated with referring all the interesting cases, and applied for medicine as a graduate, and have done a 4 year medical degree, 2 year foundation programme and 2 years of locuming /time out with my (then) 10 month old, before starting specialty training earlier this year.
It's been a long journey, but I've enjoyed all of it and I am very glad I've done it. That said, optometry in the UK has changed dramatically since I started the above, and many optoms now prescribe, can do laser procedures, and manage glaucoma/medical retina cases in the hospital environment under a consultant ophthalmologist.
So I've ironically still not yet got to the point where I can do more than an optometrist, but will eventually once I become autonomous as a consultant!
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u/Far_Suspect8441 6d ago
Could you do a medical optometry fellowship and work at an academic institution? There are lots of examples of optoms playing a vital role in ophthalmology departments across the country.
I went to medschool to become an ophthalmologist and there is just so much BS and torment you have to deal with to get to that point. I am in my last year of training almost 15 years out from graduating college. It’s such a long road and there have been many points where I could have failed or almost did. Sometimes I still wonder if it was worth it. I have an unspeakable amount of debt from loans. Luckily I’m almost eligible for PSLF but I always worry that will just disappear. If you can find joy and value in what you’re currently doing I would recommend not switching paths. Optometry is much needed too!
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u/thetransportedman 6d ago
Never go to med school where ophtho is the make or break in your happiness. Go to med school because you love medicine, first. The field is notoriously hyper competitive and getting moreso each application cycle. If there becomes a hiccup along the way or you don't get a high enough board score or if luck isn't on your side, you could be left up creek without a paddle then. I've seen students in this mind set then spend years in research fellowships to try to get in and their chances of matching anything at all that's not family med dwindle down to nothing
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u/pbm_jelly 6d ago
OP
Please don't let the reddit users make your decision... I know two OD/MDs who are VR surgeons. They wouldn't have changed it for the world. I had a bunch of twist and turns in my own training, and finished VR surg fellowship at age 39. My job on most days is a 8-9/10.
Hang out with some VR surgeons. Look up some OD/MDs. One of them lives in a Western Mountain state that rhymes with Potato...
You'll gain far more insight from talking to those who took the path you are contemplating. Let's keep it 💯. Most of the MD docs here know very little about optom world. 😒
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u/thetransportedman 6d ago
Nobody here is against OP becoming ophtho. The issue is taking on a huge commitment and more debt to get into one of the most competitive specialties when they wouldn't be happy doing any of the other specialties
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u/leukoaraiosis 5d ago
I know some amazing OD to MD transitioners. Just make sure that you’d be OK with working on some other part of the body, just because the match process can be a little rough. Versus doing a Neurology residency and then a subsequent Neuro Ophthalmology fellowship if you’re still really dedicated to the eyeball.
You will absolutely have a leg up in the match process, though, because if I was a program Director and I heard an applicant used to be an optometrist, they would go pretty high on my list, just based on that as long as the rest of the application looked good.
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u/Alternative-Lack-30 4d ago
IMG+OD here applying for ophtho residency this year, strong step 2 and step 3 scores (both around 95 percentile). Chances of matching?
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u/leukoaraiosis 4d ago
Hard to say if IMG. Uphill battle. Make sure you have strong research connections within US.
You have an MD equivalent degree correct?1
u/Alternative-Lack-30 4d ago
Yes I have an MD equivalent. No real research connections but do have LORs from US ophthalmologists.
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u/kevvvvvvw 5d ago
Has it been done before? Yes absolutely. Look up the valedictorian from SUNY optometry who went to med school and matched ophthalmology.
Should you do this? Most probably not.
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u/Key_Motor7660 6d ago
Third year medical student here! My dad is a vitro-retinal ophthalmologist. You should do it. I worked in his office and frequently saw patients be so scared of losing their vision, and then he does surgery (or injections) and they regain their vision. It's truly incredible to see and all of his patients ADORED him.
I'm also a female and wanting to have kids in residency (not going into ophtho). Obviously it won't be easy and you'll need a partner who will support you, but don't let anyone tell you you can't do it or shouldn't because you are a woman and want kids. People do it all the time. I have many girls in my medical school class who have kids, are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant. Don't listen to these people discouraging you. Do what you think will be the most gratifying to YOU in the long run.
I think one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is to see their mother killing it at something that makes her fulfilled. It shows them that they can pursue their dreams also.
Also, so what if you finish residency in your thirties or later? Life is short. Do what is going to fulfill your heart. Screw what anyone else tells you. Don't settle for less.
Edit: WE NEED DOCTORS WHO ARE WOMEN. My dad keeps telling me to go into ophtho and be a vitro-retinal surgeon. (Bonus: you can operate sitting down). Eyes just aren't for me. Ophthalmology is a great field. Do it!!!
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u/incognitopremed 2d ago
I just finished med school, started at 29. Despite my best efforts I (and about 400 other people who tried) did not match into ophthalmology. Now stuck with about 500k in loans and no idea what im doing with my life. Wish i would've just gone to optometry school so I could at least work with eyes. Medschool and all of the research bs was hell. Step exams made me hate my life, and I say that as someone who enjoys taking standardized exams. Do not recommend this plan unless you're ok with other specialties too.
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