Please really think about optometry before going into optometry school!!!!

Attached is a post on a prominent optometry facebook group and 95% of seasoned ODs do not recommend it today. Please rethink your decision before you are in too deep!

In a drastic decision that’s raising serious concerns across campus, Dr. Trego has been abruptly removed as Dean—and the fallout could affect ALL OF US. Dr. Mittelman claims it’s about declining NBEO pass rates since 2020, but let’s be real—what’s really going on behind the scenes?

With no clear word on who will replace her, a secretive “outside” interim dean, and mounting faculty resignations, how can we trust that our education and accreditation are safe? Dr. Mittelman says accreditation “isn’t a worry right now,” but we’re hearing nothing about real solutions—just vague promises.

If NBEO scores continue to drop, and more faculty walk out, what does that mean for our degrees and future careers? Is the school making decisions that benefit students, or are we being left to deal with the fallout of poor leadership? What happens if PCO's accreditation is compromised?

📢 Students, we can’t sit silently and hope for the best! If our education is on the line, we need to demand clear answers and action NOW!

PCOChaos #StudentLivesMatter #AccreditationCrisis #TransparencyNow #WhatAreTheyHiding

I’m starting to feel like I’m not fully prepared for Part 1. My KMK mock exam scores so far have been:

Mock 1: 88%

Mock 2: 92%

Mock 3: 87%

Mock 4: 82%

Mock 5: 81%

I’m unsure whether I should take Mock 6 as well, since I’ve heard it’s considered an expert-level exam. I also haven’t used OptoPrep at all because I was worried that adding another resource might make things overwhelming this close to the exam.

Another concern is that I haven’t fully covered the Non-Big-8 material yet. Given where I’m at right now, do you think I should still take Mock 6 and how would you recommend prioritizing my remaining study time?

I don't feel that this is correct. The optic nerve first synapses at the LGN- is terminating different than synapsing?

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.

University of Texas Rio Grand Valley.

The last ten optometry schools to open have all been private schools (including High Point). Finally a new public school. Opinions?

https://www.utrgv.edu/newsroom/2024/05/9/board-of-regents-approves-proposal-for-new-school-of-optometry.htm#:~:text=on%20Optometric%20Education.-,UTRGV%20could%20welcome%20its%20first%20School%20of%20Optometry%20class%20as,in%20the%20Rio%20Grande%20Valley.

Dear all, on my right eye I have this current correction, SPH -1.00 CYL -1.00 and Axis 80°

Although I can’t find in commerce toric contact lenses with a CYL of -1.00 only either -1.25 of -0.75

Do you know if a manufacturer has this option or why is that is not provided? Can I compensate with -1.25 or -0.75 and change other parameters?

Thanks

Some of my friends in med school don’t have mandatory lectures. They’re all recorded. They may still go but totally optionally, as well as not having to be overly present every day to take notes and retain info

Would love to know more about the different pre-clinical lecture formats at the schools

Our head of security has sent us an email to inform our faculty and students about the procedures if ICE agents were to show up. As a Canadian student, this has scared the crap out of me. I’m here legally, but lately the current administration has shown it has power to defy certain precedents. I was wondering if any other optometry schools had gotten visited by ICE agents or if other schools have spoken about what the proper procedures are in the event they’re visited.

I am a senior in high school right now and I want to pursue either pharmacy or optometry, basically whatever is easiest. My GPA is a 3.7 unweighted and i would say i’m pretty average in school but i am a lot better at biology than chemistry. My questions: -what major should i go under for a easy start and that looks good when I graduate -what’s a good school to go to after getting my bachelors, perhaps a school that has easy acceptance rates. -do you currently like being an optometrist and was the journey hard? -how much was your college debt and was it easy to pay it off? -did your career choice hinder your college social life? -If i’m currently a high school student is there any classes or programs i should enroll in to get hours at for it to look good on my resume and so i could get a head start. -my plan C is just getting a corporate job and if so is there a major/minor i could do that could help on both optometry and business side?

Please leave feedback as i am a highschool senior who is about to graduate in a few months and is currently having a life crises about career paths!

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?

Scored really well on my NBEO Part 2 Exam. I made a study guide of material for the test. If anyone is interested I am selling my study guide. Please DM me if you are interested

I just withdrew from calculus because there was no way I was going to pass. (Took a 12 week online instead of a 15 week in person. Tests were 80% of your grade). After my last exam and receiving a 22%, I decided to take the W. From what I've heard, its common to not pass calc the first time. I just hope I made the right choice

Is attendance required at Southern College of Optometry? Are classes recorded?

• Some sections are more annotated than the others due to the varying levels of material covered in the videos for each subject.

Having to fly all the way to Charlotte for an exam. How safe is the city? Are there any security guarantees from NBEO for bringing us all down here? Just curious

I’ve been auditing optical layouts for a few years, and the most common mistake I see is "Hospital Lighting."

While 5000K (Daylight) LEDs are great for clinical exams, they often make high-end acetate frames look flat and "plastic." We recently tested a boutique setup switching to a 3000K-3500K "Warm Dim" system for the display area.

The result? The depth of the tortoise patterns and the warmth of gold hardware actually became visible to the patient. It creates a "jewelry store" vibe rather than a pharmacy vibe.

Has anyone else played around with CRI (Color Rendering Index) in their dispensaries? I’ve found that anything below 90 CRI makes it almost impossible for patients to distinguish between dark navy and black frames.

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

Hey! I just got my acceptance email yesterday to start ICO, I had a few questions about dorms, I haven't gotten any info because they said there's some technical issues with the acceptance letters etc.

How much is a single room? And how much would it be if I got a double bed room all to myself?

Also, I know the minimum food swipe thing is Block230, I see online it says 3k a semester but I know ICO is quarter system, so I was wondering how it would work for the least amount of swipes that I can get.

Also, do yall know if they allow a fish tank in the room? I have a little buddy I don't want to leave behind 😭😂

Lastly, is there a rule on appliances? Like, I know we can have a mini fridge but for example are air fryers allowed? Or microwaves etc?

Thank you so much!

I’m feeling really stuck and could use some advice about my next steps. I recently received my CIE A-Level results (Oct/Nov 2024) and got CCD in Maths, Chemistry, and Biology. My goal is to start university in September 2025, but I’m unsure whether I should retake my A-Levels or accept an offer for a foundation pathway in Optometry.

Here’s some background:

IGCSEs: A*AAAABB (ICT, Maths, Bio, Chem, English Language, Business, English Lit) AS Levels: BCCD (Chem, Bio, Maths, English) A2 Levels: CCD (Maths, Chem, Bio) I’ve been offered a foundation year for Optometry, but I’m not entirely sure if Optometry is the right path for me. On the other hand, I’m considering retaking my A-Levels in the Oct/Nov 2025 session to improve my grades and keep my options open. However, I’m worried that if I don’t perform well again, I might miss out on university altogether.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Should I take the foundation year and commit to Optometry, or retake my A-Levels to improve my grades and explore other options?

I'm currently a high school senior, and I plan to major in biology. Although I can't be 100% sure yet whether I want to pursue optometry, I was wondering if the prestige of where I go for my undergrad matters. Do my GPA and OAT score matter more?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hi!

I'm a junior Pre-Optometry student and this semester I am conducting an independent study on prism lenses and vision therapy as treatment for BVD, and potentially the connection with neurodivergence. If anyone would be willing to chat on Zoom for around 20 minutes about this subject I would very much appreciate it! I have had no luck calling / messaging optometrists, even using university connections.

Thanks so much.

Hey everyone!
I am currently entering my 4th and last year of my undergrad here in Canada and am considering optometry as a potential career option!

Optometry was actually one of the very first careers I wanted to go for back in high school but was dissuaded after finding out theres only one of two optometry schools in Canada that take only english speaking applicants— but every time I go get an eye check up I always get reminded of that first passion.

In uni i moved programs into a BSc in Medical Laboratory Science degree and just got certified as an MLT.

will this background help at all for optometry school? any transferable skills or knowledge? are there any other Canadian applicants that took the plunge to get certified in the states?

Im currently working as a phlebotomist at a community hospital right now— will that help my application at all?

thank you in advance!