Optometrist vs. Ophthalmologist Lifestyle

[undecisiveone1]

Hello all! I've read many threads similar to this and they all seem to be focused on whether or not optometrists have the right to practice surgeries. I have no interest in surgery whatsoever so that is out of the question for me.

My main concern is what is the lifestyle of each respective profession like? I am a pre-optometry student who values family life. How busy are optometrists compared to ophthalmologists (i.e. work hours)? Would I be able to have a family by my late 20s early/30s and be there for my future children? How often would I expected to be "on-call"? Aside from ophthalmologists having more schooling, performing major surgeries, having a higher income, are there any other distinctions between the two professions?

Thanks!

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[qwerty89]

If you are worried about the lifestyle of an Ophthalmologist you really shouldn't go to med school.

 

[undecisiveone1]

I'm still in the optometry forum right? I'm sorry if I portrayed it that way. I'm concerned about the lifestyle of an optometrist regarding work hours, being on call, etc. I was using ophthalmologist as a comparison

 

[OpticalBlackOut]

If you are worried about the lifestyle of an Ophthalmologist you really shouldn't go to med school.

Qwerty, nice to see you back. Did you end up switching career paths?

-Edit: sorry, someone with a very similar username used to rant about how he was too good to be in optometry school. This was way back in 2011-2012, so my apologies-

For the OP, it's probably a good time to shadow/research a little bit more about the profession.
Very few optometrists are "on call," and most work 9-5 jobs with plenty of time off for family. There are ODs who work in hospital settings/academia where you might field a shift in the Urgent Care department, but even then those settings have residents who might be in charge of calls.
This pretty much also applies to Ophthalmologists, which is why Qwerty made his comment.

Obviously if you want to own a practice, you'll be working a lot more admin. hours, but we don't really deal with too many emergent cases. Those retinal detachments always come in on Friday afternoons though

 

[qwerty89]

My point was that going to med school with only Ophthalmology in mind is a bad idea for many reasons.

1. Its super competitive and not a sure thing you will even get in to any program
2. It has one of the easiest lifestyles in medicine these days (on par with derm and easier than rads/anesthesia and WAY easier than most else). If you are concerned about the lifestyle of an ophthalmologist then you will have even greater concerns with nearly every other medical specialty.

As a side note while choosing between Optometry and Ophthalmology might seem intuitive to you since they both deal with eyes they are very different. Money aside, I doubt many practicing Ophthalmologists would do Optometry if they couldn't do their specialty. Med students end up choosing their specialty largely due to preferences with OR vs clinic, preferred lifestyle (M-F or frequent overnight call), procedures vs no procedures, patient population, patient outcomes (Nsurg vs Ortho for example, while both surgical, have nearly polar opposite outcomes).

Also OpiticalBlackOut might be confusing me with someone else. I'm going into Rads. I'm just an M4 with way too much time until intern year starts.

 

[undecisiveone1]

Thank for your input. As said in the post, I am a pre-optometry student and this is posted in the optometry post.

The reason I ever brought up ophthalmology was to confirm the idea that as an optometrist I would not have a family too late and be there to raise my children. I'm starting my personal statement for optometry school and I didn't want to look silly stating rumored differences. I will be shadowing an optometrist this week, and an ophthalmologist over the summer, but there's only so many to shadow before I apply in July.

Best place to survey opinion of others is the optometry forum. Notice if I were interested in the medical school aspect this would have been posted under the allopathic forums

 

[eye love lamp]

Thank for your input. As said in the post, I am a pre-optometry student and this is posted in the optometry post.

The reason I ever brought up ophthalmology was to confirm the idea that as an optometrist I would not have a family too late and be there to raise my children. I'm starting my personal statement for optometry school and I didn't want to look silly stating rumored differences. I will be shadowing an optometrist this week, and an ophthalmologist over the summer, but there's only so many to shadow before I apply in July.

Best place to survey opinion of others is the optometry forum. Notice if I were interested in the medical school aspect this would have been posted under the allopathic forums

If you're looking to this thread for advice for your personal statement, I would suggest NOT saying that you want to be an optometrist because of xyz reasons compared to an ophthalmologist.

As for your initial question, optometry school will essentially set your life back 4 years. Depending whether or not you're a "traditional" student, this likely means that you will be ~26 when you're finished your training (+/- years for fellowship, etc). You will be making a livable wage in your latter 20s. It will be very possible to start a family in your late 20s and definitely no reason you couldn't by your 30s. Of note, there are plenty of optometrists and ophthalmologists who start their family during their training. Nothing is impossible.

Your lifestyle most likely will be 9-5ish with some weekends sprinkled in. You shouldn't really have to take call because any emergencies you will just defer to your local emergency room. The overall lifestyle of an optometrist is definitely on the more relaxed side of the medical profession spectrum. But ultimately your career/hours are how you mold it in the long run.