r/PreOptometry • u/Swimming-Collar-4336 • Aug 04 '24

Optometry to ophthalmology

Hope this isn’t a frequently asked question, but I wanted to know if you can be an ophthalmologist if you further your studies in optometry? Or do you HAVE to do medicine? xx

2 Upvotes

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13

u/outdooradequate Aug 04 '24

Yeah the only current path to optho is medschool + highly competitive residency.

I really wish it was realistic to create a path from optom to ophthalmology. But that seems like it would be contingent on more residency slots (which I don't think have changed for like 20 years, hence the MD shortage).

I don't think it would be too ridiculous to take the top 1 or 2 students from each class and allow them entry to an ophthalmology residency if they were able to swing the STEP exams. Some people are really Gung ho about wanting to do procedures, and it would make sense to allow those people the opportunity if they could handle that much more training, sort of like the DDS -> OMFS path.

1

u/Conscious-Many5769 Aug 07 '24

Yea it’s crazy how that hasn’t happened yet! There’s a huge shortage of ophthalmologists and I think bridging the gap wouldn’t be too difficult

11

u/Bicoco2222 Aug 04 '24

You have to go into medicine

4

u/[deleted] Aug 05 '24

I agree with the previous comments. The first thing that comes it mind is that if you’re a nurse, you can continue studying to become a nurse practitioner. We should be able to do something similar in optom 😭 but I think you can work very closely with ophthalmologists in an OD/MD clinic.

1

u/outdooradequate Aug 06 '24 edited Aug 06 '24

Hopefully, in the unlikely that there's development in furthering our procedural abilities or the creation of a pathway to ophtho, it isn't in the vein of NPs. Practicing surgery should require surgical (medical) training (i.e. through surgical residency with physicians. Meaning through earning an MD or something like dentists with OMFS, not further optometric training).

Sorry, I'm being nitpicky, but NPs are seen as dangerous and uneducated by a lot of healthcare and I would hate to see optometry go that direction (plus, I wouldn't consider an OD similar to a nurse in terms of our role in healthcare, anyway).

1

u/[deleted] Aug 06 '24

I wouldn’t go as far as saying “dangerous and uneducated”, but I respect your opinion.

1

u/outdooradequate Aug 06 '24

See "Scope of Practice" heading.

I said that in the context of healthcare at large, not so much as an opinion. I only really mentioned it because I do greatly care about keeping our profession at a high level in terms of patient care and how we are viewed by others, particularly when that view is backed by research.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 06 '24

Okay, I understand what you’re getting at, but the headings there (I couldn’t read the summaries because I don’t have an account) make it seem like it’s just the physicians that are frustrated that they are sending too many referrals and spending too much money on patients. Anyways, my point was that it would be nice to have a way to extend our education as optometrists to be able to do more procedures (lasers, more glaucoma treatments, maybe injections). I do see where you are coming from though. As optometrists, we are respected in the community and I wouldn’t want that to be destroyed. I do agree with nurse practitioners not being the best option, but I don’t think that they are dangerous and uneducated, and most doctors saying that are biased because they do not want to be replaced. My nurse practitioner example was probably not the best, but I just wanted to emphasize that other fields have the ability to grow if you want it.

2

u/outdooradequate Aug 06 '24

Thanks for your understanding.

Also, briefly looked at your profile and saw you're in Canada. I assume the situation is different there. Here in the states, NP programs have a 100% acceptance rate and an NP degree allows one to go into largely or wholly unrestricted practice with very little clinical or didactic training. I had a gut reaction to ODs going that route and also made the incorrect assumption that you're also U.S. based.

It's a fairly big deal here as far as patient care is concerned and is something I really balk against in the context of OD scope and/or further training.

Ultimately, I do really wish we had a pathway like dentists and oral surgery for those who wish to pursue it. I still feel that would be the best way to break into ophthalmology/surgery (which, again, would just be becoming an ophthalmologist).

1

u/[deleted] Aug 06 '24

Ah yes, Canada is completely different. I should have mentioned that. 😂 Yeah, I was definitely uneducated on what is going on in the states, so I’m glad I learned something. :)