Optometrist Salary

Name: Lynn M. Seldon
Job Title: Optometrist
Where: Beverly Hills, CA
Years of Experience:28
Salary: See PayScale's Median Optometrist Salary
Employer: Self
Education: BA University of Hartford, 4 years of Optometry School, Internship

Optometrist Salary

If you've ever wondered about how to become an optometrist, career options for optometrists, or the average optometrist salary, this is a story you don't want to miss. Lynn Seldon practices optometry in glamorous Beverly Hills, so she never knows who might walk into her office. From celebs to regular men and women getting eye exams, she's seen it all. In this interview, Lynn describes some of the benefits of becoming an optometrist, including the variety of career options for optometrists, a high optometrist starting salary, and the opportunity to work with great patients. As you'll soon find out, an optometrist's salary is just one reason Kiplinger.com named an optometrist position as one of the 7 great careers for 2007.

Optometrist Job Description:

I perform comprehensive eye exams and fit people for glasses and contact lens. I also do glaucoma testing, dilate the pupil, check the retina; if there is an infection of any kind, I can treat and manage it. Anything that needs more complex treatment we refer to a specialist. if something is very complicated and requires surgical intervention, I refer to and work with LASIK surgeons and retinal surgeons.

How did you decide to pursue an optometrist career?

I was a math major in college. When I went to my family optometrist, he asked me what I was going to do after college and I said, “I’m a math major.” And his reply was, “Are you going to teach?” And I don’t do well in front of large groups of people, so that was not an option. So his recommendation was “Go into optometry, it’s all math.” So I tucked that away in the back of my head. At the end of college when it was time to move on, it interested me and I decided to take the plunge into optometrist schooling. I completed all the requirements to become an optometrist.

What do you like about being an optometrist?

I just love my patients, they’re just great. I like seeing people I have a relationship with on a regular basis, even though sometimes I don't see them for a year or a two. It’s nice to see people, it’s nice to see their families grow and change. It’s a great field, particularly for a woman. You control your own hours. There are a lot of options for employment, either at a hospital, surgical center or your own private practice. You can work part-time or help people on vacation who need assistance. It’s nice being your own boss, but I think you probably work twice as long and twice as hard.

Can you recall any memorable moments?

I have all sorts of men and women getting eye exams, but children are the most interesting. When they come in to get their eyes examined and get their first pair of glasses, it’s pretty exciting. I watch their facial expressions when they go from 20/100 or 20/200, to 20/20 vision; the look on their face and how astounded they are when they see individual leaves on trees. A lot of kids don’t realize that a tree is not an individual green blob there, that it has individual leaves and detail that they cannot appreciate until they get a pair of glasses. That is rewarding.

What is the most challenging part of being an optometrist?

The elderly are challenging because as we age the body starts to deteriorate and the eye sometimes doesn’t age well, and people have to start wearing glasses in their 40’s. There is the aging of the vitreous, possible floaters, possibility of retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataract lens transplant; sometimes having to break news like that is challenging and you try to say it in a gentle and comfortable way so it's not so alarming.

What is the average optometrist salary?

It’s a really wide range, depending on how many days a week you’re working. The average optometrist salary can range from $100,000 to $500,000. It’s probably more in the west, but for someone starting off, the average salary is $100,000 to $200,000. In private practice, the average salary depends upon whether you’re opening cold or buying a practice. Most optometrists want to buy someone’s practice so they can start out with a patient base, unless you’re in area that is needy, I suppose you can send out flyers, you would see that mostly outside cities.

Is your salary looking good? How does it compare to an optometrist salary? Take a clear look with our salary calculator.

• Career Options for Optometrists
• Median Optometrist Salary by City

Comments

[Terry Brown]

hi..im a senior at princeton hs and i just finished my essay for my dual credit class and wanted to thank you for all the information that your article has posted it really helped me with a good amount of my essay..

[Tim]

Ive been out 1.5yrs now and Im making between 115-125K WOrking for a practice directly out of school I made about 85K.

[kushlani wimalaguna]

Hi im an optometry student in 2nd year in India.Ill be finishing my degree in 2 more years. im hoping to study further up to MSc level in optometry in Australia right after my degree. I would like to do a part time job as an optometrist and earn a living during my stay. Can i know how much i could earn with my BSc as a part time worker?
pls respond.
thank you:)

[Emily]

Hello my name is emily and i'm considering optpmety as my carrer. I was just wondering if you could email me back and help me decide what classes i should take.

Thank you
Emily.

[sumi]

Hi,

I have completed my house surgeon in India.How can I do my PG

in u.s..Please reply..

[morin]

my name is Gilbert i realy like your article any girls hit me up at 830 570 3692

[Courtney Jill Matthew with Two t's at schooooool.]

Hi ! This is Jill, Courtney, And Matthew...with TWO t's. We are in our health science class doing a report on Optomitry. Were are In 10th Grade besides Matthew he is a Freshie :) This article was helpful thank you for doing it. :) :) We were Wondering if you ever get squeemish or "sick" In your practice because of some kinda nasty eye gunk. or something like that. what is the most abnormal thing youve seen in your office...we like gross stuff :) but.. WE ARE NOT FREAKS !!!! :) have a wonderful day
You're Pretty.
-Love love love.......Matthew with TWO t's Courtney and Jill. :) :) :) ;) ;)

[NLEDUM CHINONYE MJ]

I am a final year opt student in Nigeria. Please let me know if I have any chance to practice in the US after my graduation.

[BOI]

I want to be an optometrist badly but this comes after i started on a degree on Environmental health,how can i do this?I am a bit confused

[Kyle]

hi, I'm a senior in high school and am interested in being an optometrist. I've done some research and it looks like a pretty hard course or major. I'm not so good at math but i find science interesting? I realy have high hopes for being an optometrist. The salary I hear is good, but how hard is it to find a job out of pre med school? What would be a good major to major in? Do you work for someone or do most people open up there own place? What kind of tests do you have to take? Also do you have to do surgerys? Any other useful info will be helpful and appreciated. thanks

[o]

Hello,
Do I need the 2 yrs. of General Education or I can go directly into my major without doing the 2 yrs. of G.E.? My other question is, What is the best major to choose in order to become an Optometrist? (I like Biology)

Thanks for Helping me.

[aio]

I am an optometrist in Australia.
Like every profession, there are both GOOD and BAD things about your job. This is WHATEVER you do. There is no such thing as a perfect job.
Good things about optometry: respect, good pay, ability to own business, and pretty easy going days. There is an expanding scope of practice too.
Bad things: Increased competition with other optical stores etc. However, opportunities morph in different ways for example, you can (because of this competition) ditch private practice now and increasingly buy a franchise in a large optometrical company. This wasnt an optortunity in the past as much as now.
Good luck with your decisions but last advice is to RESEARCH what is right for YOU. Not whether your friend thinks it is a good job - whether YOU think YOU can fit into it based on YOUR personality, YOUR wants and YOUR desires. Dont worry about people who always knock the profession. Life is what you make of it, same with career etc. Some people are not happy in any job.

[benjamin appoiah-nyamekye]

i'm an OD student at KNUST, GHANA. is t possible for me to get a job as an optometrist in the states after completion of my education in ghana?

[docante]

Optometry is a dead profession. There are no jobs out there, and when you find works its not competitive pay. Good luck finding full time work. Optometry school was a waste of time.
Check out optometrysucks@yahoo.com to find out more about how it REALLY is.

[Kristina]

I am currently a student at Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry. There are currently 17 accredited institutions in the United States and the Puerto Rico school is one of them. Puerto Rico is amazing because its program is bilingual and I have seen a lot of diseases. Optometry is a great career, but it is a lot of work! In order to get into optometry school you need to have a bachelors degree and take the OAT test. For more info look up aoa.org

[novin]

Hi my name is novin.I am not from usa but i am living here. My english is not very well. but i want be optometrist.so i want to know after 2 years collage howmany yaer do i have go to univercity? thank you

[Topbiller]

HUHU321

I'm residing in the Uk and am looking to go into Optometry.

However going by my research I think the average salary is around £41K. What is the average salary in US ? is it really $100,000 - $500,00?? thats £50K - 250K!!

How can there be such a big salary difference between here and US. The minimum seems higher than the high end of UK average salary.

I didn't think optometrists could earn so much..........

[alexia]

Hi! i am a 9th grader and i am thinking of becoming an optometrist. I love science, but i am not a genius at math but not dumb or a C student, and i love helping people. Is this career right for me? What classes should i be good at? Is there anything else i need to know? Please respond as soon as possible.

thank you

[alexia]

Hi! i am a 9th grader and i am thinking of becoming an optometrist. I love science, but i am not a genius at math but not dumb or a C student, and i love helping people. Is this career right for me? What classes should i be good at? Is there anything else i need to know? Please respond as soon as possible.

thank you

[brettell07]

Hello! My name is Ashley and I am 19 years old. I am just getting enrolled in college and I am very interested in becoming an optometrist. I read your story on this website and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions? If you have the time, please e-mail me back. My e-mail address is brettell07@yahoo.com! Thank you so very much.

[pharmacy]

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[epace5520]

Jhefner,

You're a complete moron. You probably had one bad experience with an optometrist and/or dentist and feel the need to come here and vent your frustrations and shortcomings. Grow up. Good cheater, merciless? Cheating at what?!?! Give me a break. Sorry your experiences with the aforementioned professions have made you so bitter. Go have a drink or take a walk and grow up. By the way, what's your profession?

[noshame]

Qualities necessary to become a rich optometrist: 1) great lyer, 2) loves ass-kissing, 3) big bull-shitter, 4) immoral, 5) merciless, 5) good cheater, and 6) phoney. So, if you have these qualities/talents, then this may be the field for you. If you can't meet the academic requirements, then just skip school and become used car salesman. If you can meet the academic requirements, then forget optometry, and become a dentist. Crooked dentists make optometrists look like amateurs. If you are a decent person, and still seek a future in optometry, then get prepared to work like a dog and be paid worse than a manicurist or hairdresser.

[jhefner]

I am an optometrist with over ten years experience, having worked in commercial practice and owned/operated private practices. This is a really tough field, which I have seen decline over the past decade for many reasons. I feel sure it will continue to deteriorate from the pressure of managed care( HMOs ), commercial optometry( Wal-mart/Costco ), internet optical, oversupply of doctors, and dispensing ophthalmologists. While paying my dues in commercial optometry, I shopped far and wide over a couple years for an established practice to buy, as I knew that the commercial gig was only short to mid-term. The few practices out there that actually made money cost an arm and a leg. Most of the others had noticeable defects, and didn't really produce much. It didn't matter where the practices were located geographically, things sucked everywhere. Opening a private practice cold is almost an impossibility nowadays, unless you're already rich. If you're looking to make big money in optometry, then you better be a good huckster to upsell the customers, and perform and bill for lots of unnecessary stuff. Only crooks make it big in optometry.

[Mike]

I am an optometrist in practice for 9 years. I am partially employed by a local hospital group in southern CA and partially in private practice. There are a lot of 'bad jobs' out there, take your time and look for the good paying and challenging ones. I currently make USD $190,000 a year with benefits.

[OptStudent]

There seems to be a lot of people inquiring about the profession, so I'm linking my site, which that talks all about getting into optometry school:

http://www.optstudent.com

[Hanisha Amin]

hi, my name is Hanisha Amin. I am about to be a freshman in college and I have wanted to become an optometrist for about 2 years now. I have received my course catalog and I am confused on what my major should be. If you have any advice on what I should major in or any information what so ever.

Please email me at
gorgeous_hanisha@hotmail.com

Thankss...
<3 Hanisha.

[MaReSsA]

Aloha :] well iam doing a project on optometrist or as i call it an Eye doctor :] well thank you for your help once iam am done with high school iam hoping to go to a good college with Gods help :] i always wanted to become a doctor but i never knew what kind of doctor but then my mom told me how about beining an eye doctor which i never really thought of but, now since i found out that you have to be good at math and science i was like that is so me so i guess i fit to be an eye doctor :] thank for your help again :]...............
but i have a question for you how did you get this job in the first place? did you have to take a test? interview? or maybe applying to employers? if you can tell me that it would be a lot of help thank you for your time to read this :] Mahalo

[Mona]

Hey. I'm a 10th grader and I'm trying to find out what I would like to do for the rest of my life. =] Optometry has me really interested especially since I want to open a private practive with my best friend. But I was just wondering what its really like to be an optomterist, and what some steps are for opening a practice. I dont want to be picky, but I would like a decent salary along with good hours. I'm willing to work hard because I have the drive and determinating. I would greatly appreciate any help I can get. =]
Thank you.

[Nida]

Hi. I am a 14 year old and I was searching about what career would be suitable for me. I like my eye doctor and love the experience so I was wondering if becoming an optometrist is right for me. I was wondering what GPA must you have (the range) to go into optometry. I also wanted to know what subject in high school I should focus mostly on if I want to proceed into this career. I love math and English and science. Is this all I need to do or not? I love to help people so If you can please help me out with this or other types of doctors to become would be suitable for me, that would be great. Thank You.

[zach]

I am a newly starting out optometrist and the average beginning salary is from 300 to 550 dollars per day. You make far less in southern california then practically anywhere. I love this field. I would encourgage any optometrist to practice full therapeutic optometry and treat/diagnosis on your own please don't hold the field back by refering everthing like "the old days". I rec. that you have a biology or related science major to become an OD. Also support private proffesional practice aviod the chain stores they only hold other ODs back.

[iqra]

hi im very interested in becoming a pharmacists however i am not really good at mathematics. should i change and beome something else...im only a freshman in high school so still have time but i want to prepare myself inot getting into good coleges
please respond soon
thanks

[Daisy]

Im a senior in high school and thinking about my future. Ive been considering becoming an optometrist and wondering how difficult the courses are? Im not that good in chemistry.. and what type of major should you go into for Optometry?? thanks..

[J]

In reference to the question about a good major... I'm currently working towards becoming an Optometrist. I did some research on courses that are required prior to entering a school of optometry and many majors in the field of biology closely follow those requirements. For example, my major is Cell and Molecular Biology, and the courses required for this major are nearly identical to the prerequisite courses issued by most schools of optometry.

[Jamie]

Hey...I have just been accepted to St. Scholastica in Duluth Mn. I am VERY interested in optometry. I know you do pre-med and then major in something else...my question is what would be a good major for a future optometrist? Thanks...

[Wdny]

Very interesting - I'm an 8th grader simply doing a project about what to do in the future and what should be our careers and I find this very helpful. I decided to it on being optometrist.

[chuck steak]

interview questions--they ask, why do you want to become an optometrist? what mags have you read? if you failed anything, or got low marks, theyll ask why you bombed this or that? theyll ask how you plan on contributing to the field.

salary varies. anything from 350.00 per day, on average, to 700.00 per day at a private optical. (weekdays) if you own your own private optical, net is like 1/3 of gross, and gross can be from approx 200k to 1 mil k. no one will ever tell you real salary cause of the writeoffs. there are 2 books, so to speak, one that gets reported, and the real book, since some patients pay by cash.

i mean, its hard to say. if you work for someone expect about 85k per year, depending on the type of industry, location, benefits, etc. but around 85k. if you own your own, then expect higher. but it matters., join a walmart that is brand new, and u will starve for the 1st 2 years. and their rent is either 10 or 20 percent of gross, per week, depending on what state you are practicing in. if you own multiple practices, then you make more. but th eoverhead is kind of high, since the doctors salaries are sort of high.

if you want to make a million a year, and net about 1/3 of that, you will need to get multiple practices or a top performing one. the downfall of course is, you will need to pay top dollar to that doc who owns the top perfoming practice. typically 2/3 of gross if they have equipment. if not, 1/3 of gross.

its hard to guestimate, but those are approx figures.

stop being scared of math. everyone in this country is poor at it. just get your physics down pat--you had best be decent at geometry, at the minimum. not much calc. how can you do optics wihtout knowing a little physics? dont be dissuaded. there are like 19 accredited schools in teh US, some better than ohters. Real world? the hiring owner or doc doenst even ask where you went for optometry. doesnt care. it doesnt matter. the schools are all decent--maybe except Nova?
j/k

[huhu321]

I got an interview from the school of optometry, and it is always good to have someone in the field to give me a hand of how things are like once I graduate. So thank you for the info you put together for us.

I am thinking of possible questions they may ask me at the interview, so what would you ask if you are one of the admission judges? What kind of people do you look for in your field? I supposed the candidate must have patience and good communication skill, but what else?

[Blake Bigot]

Hello my name is Blake ,and I work at lenscrafters and I want to go into the feild of optometry.Im not so good at math.I read in your story and you were good at math and it discouraged me.Do you think I still have the qualifications to still pursue this field?

[EMma]

I am doing a project in school. The unit is "Des Carrieres." I decided to research on Optometrists because my aunt has inspired be so much ( she recently graduated from the school of optometry. ) I can't seem to find any good info on anything about that job field. (salary, job description, working conditions, working hours, what courses need to be taken in high school and university, personality traits of optometrists etc. )

OUr teacher said, "Imaginez que tu as un/une adulte et que tu as une carriere."
I am desperate for information. It's not a last minute thing that I need to do. It's not only for my projet, but it might also advise me on what's to come... if I become an optometrist.