Ophthalmologists are physicians specializing in eye and vision care. They treat diseases, injuries, and other issues related to eye health. Testing eye vision and prescribing lenses is only. one of their tasks; they also treat eye diseases and perform surgeries.
Education and Qualifications
To become an Ophthalmologist, one has to take a similar educational path to any other doctor except the internship/residency part. A four-year bachelor’s degree followed by 4 more years of medical school is the foundation. To get into medical school, taking the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) is required. After medical school, 1 year of internship and 3 years of residency are required. Some choose to specialize after 4 years (internship + residency) to become a specialist in one of the following areas: Anterior Segment Surgery, Cornea/External Disease, Glaucoma, Neuro-ophthalmology, Oculoplastics, Ophthalmic Pathology, Pediatric Ophthalmology, Retina/Vitreous or Uveitis/Immunology. Most of these are 1-year fellowship programs. So, it takes about 13 to 14 years after high school to become a specialized ophthalmologist. Some choose to specialize in more than one area as well.
Ophthalmologists are board certified and must be licensed at the state level. They also have continuing medical education requirements and must renew their licenses and board certification every few years.
Responsibilities and a Day in the Life
Most ophthalmologist work in private practice, but some work within the hospital system. Like most doctors, ophthalmologists work a regular schedule of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. They could also be on-call to attend to emergency cases at hospitals.
Though daily responsibilities could vary based on the type of practice, specialization, etc., some of the common ones include the following:
- Providing routine eye care such as vision testing, and prescribing glasses/contact lenses.
- Conducting routine eye examinations to diagnose the disease/abnormalities and determining various treatment plans to address the identified issues.
- Diagnosing and treating eye diseases and injuries.
- Performing surgeries (perhaps to cornea repair and cataract removal or advanced procedures like keyhole or laser surgery).
- Working with other doctors and staff.
- Communicating with patients and family members about health issues and treatment plans.
- Hiring and training clinical staff members.
- Managing the practice and the administrative staff to ensure high-quality patient care.
Other Necessary Skills
- Compassion and understanding to deal with patients and their families who are suffering due to illness or injury.
- Excellent communication skills
- Leadership skills
- Great administrative and managerial skills
- Decision-making and organizational skills
Salary
Salary could vary based on specialty, company, experience, location, etc. According to BLS, the median salary is about $270K.Â
Job Growth
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about:
- 12K jobs in 2021
- BLS does not provide ophthalmologist-specific data, but overall the physician job outlook from 2021 to 2031 is 3% which is slower than the average job growth.
Summary
If you have a passion for the healthcare industry and for improving the health conditions of patients and are willing to invest 12+ years to become a doctor, you should consider this healthcare profession. When patients get better, you feel a sense of fulfillment that is hard to come across in many jobs. However, the job does come with some stress, and doctors are required to work long hours.
