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Do not study optometry it is a terrible/bad career (long)

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Original post by fg45344
It's piss easy when a PhD economics student can do the job.

It's repetitive brainless labour, you use your brain twice an hour if that, rest of the time you are just churning out prescriptions to push up Wal-Marts stock price.

That's the reality, ask your sister-in-law


My sister-in-law is sitting beside me right now and she can't stop laughing at your behaviour. So you've done PhD Economics, it doesn't make you a QUALIFIED pharmacist so you really need to stop risking patients lives by telling them what they can and cannot take because you may be fine now by relying on a book but one day it's gonna bite you in the arse and you will be responsible for a patient and it can lead to you being jailed for attempting to practice without a Pharmacy degree. I highly suggest you just let the pharmacist do the job because the pharmacist actually knows what she's/he's doing and doesn't need to refer to the BNF all the time. One mislook at the BNF and it will cost you your life. You really need to stop acting all high and mighty acting like you can do the job and pipe down.
And the who the hell said I've done the PhD, I'm studying for it.

Dispensers do a lot of the work pharmacists do, including diagnosing, I have to do it and I do it well, because I have the knowledge
Original post by fg45344
You know FUCC ALL about pharmacy and you are lecturing someone who has worked in one for a whole FUCCING YEAR.

The world has gone mad.


Wow, a year? Omdz. That's sooooo long as opposed to someone who's done four years of the degree!!! Please risk patients lives by giving them dosages and information when you aren't even qualified. Is the shop aware of what you are even doing? What you are doing is illegal. Why are you coming on a forum and boasting about this? You're making yourself look terribly bad. Everybody!!! Hear me!! Trust this individual who's *worked* in a pharmacy for ONE year as opposed to the PHARMACIST standing right next to this individual who probably has a 1st class degree in pharmacy and can give medicines without looking at the bloody BNF! Bloody hell.

A person who isn't a doctor cannot perform surgery. You are honestly so stupid it's making me mad. You haven't offended anyone by stating the "truth", rather you have made yourself look like a fool. Anyways. This topic is derailing from the OP's topic which is Optometry so it's best you go ahead and keep practicing illegal pharmacy. It's not my problem. You're the one who will get jailed and sued when a patient suffers in hospital because of your "knowledge" - pathetic.
I'm studying Optometry. I already understand what the job entails and the downsides to it ( like any job). However, I am placing my trust that I will enjoy my years as an optometrist and in a few years be able to go abroad and do some volunteer work and such :smile: will I be an optometrist for my entire life? I'm not sure about that but, for the time being,it provides me with the security I need to set off in this world.
Not many people enjoy their jobs and I've seen optoms longing for the day to end. If I ever reach that stage I hope I will have a clear plan what to do next.

Op let us know if you have any plans to move in a different direction!


I'm still a student so I'm enjoying my time!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Ohlordt
I'm studying Optometry. I already understand what the job entails and the downsides to it ( like any job). However, I am placing my trust that I will enjoy my years as an optometrist and in a few years be able to go abroad and do some volunteer work and such :smile: will I be an optometrist for my entire life? I'm not sure about that but, for the time being,it provides me with the security I need to set off in this world.
Not many people enjoy their jobs and I've seen optoms longing for the day to end. If I ever reach that stage I hope I will have a clear plan what to do next.

Op let us know if you have any plans to move in a different direction!


I'm still a student so I'm enjoying my time!

You could also go locum. OP could do the same, having more time to do what he wants.
Also i think the OP is confused as to what his job actually is. From the sounds of it i think he is a dispensing optician which is completely different to an optometrist. Dispensing opticians deal with the sales of glasses, up selling to better high index lenses etc. All the optom does is give the prescription to the dispensing optician.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ALittleLost25
You could also go locum. OP could do the same, having more time to do what he wants.
Also i think the OP is confused as to what his job actually is. From the sounds of it i think he is a dispensing optician which is completely different to an optometrist. Dispensing opticians deal with the sales of glasses, up selling to better high index lenses etc. All the optom does is give the prescription to the dispensing optician.


Haha again showing you have no clue what your talking about - why would you? You have no experiance working the job or in the profession u little troll

It is the OPTOM who is overall responsible for reccomending/forcing/converting the patient into a spectacle sale.

It is the OPTOM who will have displinaries for not meeting conversion targets

Its is the OPTOM who has their conversion rate measured not the dispensing optician

The overall responsibility lies with the optometrist - guys listen to me ive actually got 7 years experiance in the field i wouldnt have written this long thread/original post if i didnt feel really strongly about it.

Did i mention in interviews the first thing i have always been asked is "what is your conversion/sales figures"
Original post by optometrist123
Haha again showing you have no clue what your talking about - why would you? You have no experiance working the job or in the profession u little troll

It is the OPTOM who is overall responsible for reccomending/forcing/converting the patient into a spectacle sale.

It is the OPTOM who will have displinaries for not meeting conversion targets

Its is the OPTOM who has their conversion rate measured not the dispensing optician

The overall responsibility lies with the optometrist - guys listen to me ive actually got 7 years experiance in the field i wouldnt have written this long thread/original post if i didnt feel really strongly about it.

Did i mention in interviews the first thing i have always been asked is "what is your conversion/sales figures"


Its my opinion, and in my opinion you are a dispensing optician.
How was your shift today?
I thought it was the Dispensing Optician's to sell glasses. Also, when you search up 'Optometrist' on job sites, a lot of them e.g. Network Open, Inspired Selections, offer a salary of £40k+ and welcomes newly qualified Optometrists.

Do you know what 'testing time' is?
Original post by tianshan
I thought it was the Dispensing Optician's to sell glasses. Also, when you search up 'Optometrist' on job sites, a lot of them e.g. Network Open, Inspired Selections, offer a salary of £40k+ and welcomes newly qualified Optometrists.

Do you know what 'testing time' is?


Noticed this too. Not to mention the choice to go locum and work like 2 days a week for £300 a day if you wanted to.
I guarantee OP is a troll who didnt get his A Level grades to go to uni and is now bitter at the world.
LDAR boyo
Original post by ALittleLost25
Noticed this too. Not to mention the choice to go locum and work like 2 days a week for £300 a day if you wanted to.
I guarantee OP is a troll who didnt get his A Level grades to go to uni and is now bitter at the world.
LDAR boyo


And I bet you're right! Are you also considering to take Optometry?
Original post by tianshan
And I bet you're right! Are you also considering to take Optometry?


Serious consideration yes. Looked at other things such as OT, Dietetics etc but none seem as well paying and stress free as optom despite the repetitiveness of it.
The pay seems really good as well. Its either optom or physio, i havnt decided which yet
Original post by ALittleLost25
Serious consideration yes. Looked at other things such as OT, Dietetics etc but none seem as well paying and stress free as optom despite the repetitiveness of it.
The pay seems really good as well. Its either optom or physio, i havnt decided which yet


Awesome! Have you thought about which university you might want to go for optometry? You don't have many choices tbh, there's only 8 in the UK. Also, in case you didn't know, you're going to need to buy your own equipment (e.g. retinoscope, optalamoloscope) which universities say costs £1000-£1500. No wonder not many people choose optometry.

It's worth it tho, you only need one year postgraduate training (called pre-registration year) then you're fully qualified :biggrin:
Original post by tianshan
Awesome! Have you thought about which university you might want to go for optometry? You don't have many choices tbh, there's only 8 in the UK. Also, in case you didn't know, you're going to need to buy your own equipment (e.g. retinoscope, optalamoloscope) which universities say costs £1000-£1500. No wonder not many people choose optometry.

It's worth it tho, you only need one year postgraduate training (called pre-registration year) then you're fully qualified :biggrin:


Bradford or Plymouth would be my choices.
Yea i know you need the gear but you can sell it on once you graduate. Its a bit stupid having to buy them when im sure most places like Specsavers provide them anyway.
I am edging more towards physio though as NHS pay for the degree
Why did you choose to be an optometrist in the first place?

Also, regarding #5, there are many jobs on indeed.co.uk from employers like Inspired Selections, Network Open, Vivid Optical, who all pay £45k-£60k+, and some of these jobs accept newly qualified optometrists. Why not give them a try?
@optometrist123 Firstly, I just want to say thanks for this post. I apologise for the amount of trolls on here! I had been thinking about studying Optometry at University as my girlfriend is one herself and a lot of the points you've mentioned is what she has said too! She's only been a qualified Optom for the last 2 months having finished her pre-reg year prior. She works in retail and says that it is very sales orientated and can be very unethical at times especially when she was working in London which she had to make a certain budget by the end of each day!!! She also says that patients can be very difficult to attend to and that there has been a recent case about an Optom being guilty of "manslaughter" because of these kind of conditions which lead them to a misdiagnosis. She also has to work Saturdays, and sometimes feels as though she is underappreciated by her patients as they don't take her advice!

@fg45344 Would you mind leaving as this thread is about Optometry not about someone working 8 hours a week as a Pharmacist's assistant.

@ALittleLost25 I'm just going to assume you're a troll. The OP was just giving a personal opinion about a career in Optometry which isn't far off the truth. Very valid points have been made. Instead of insulting the OP who is more than likely a fully-qualified optometrist why don't you just take your own advice and do your own research (obviously university websites are going to be biased about the degree/career in optometry). Also it's awfully suspicious how you were trying to persuade me away from studying Optometry at University earlier because it's repetitiveness.
Original post by tianshan
I thought it was the Dispensing Optician's to sell glasses. Also, when you search up 'Optometrist' on job sites, a lot of them e.g. Network Open, Inspired Selections, offer a salary of £40k+ and welcomes newly qualified Optometrists.

Do you know what 'testing time' is?


My girlfriend is a Fully-Qualified Optometrist and has to meet a certain conversion rate with the amount of eyecare she sells to her patients throughout the day which leads back to the OP that Optometry can be rather unethical!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Philip-flop
My girlfriend is a Fully-Qualified Optometrist and has to meet a certain conversion rate with the amount of eyecare she sells to her patients throughout the day which leads back to the OP that Optometry can be rather unethical!


Your girlfriend is a dispensing optician...
Original post by Philip-flop
My girlfriend is a Fully-Qualified Optometrist and has to meet a certain conversion rate with the amount of eyecare she sells to her patients throughout the day which leads back to the OP that Optometry can be rather unethical!


If you don't mind me asking, what company does she work for? Boots? Specsavers?
Reply 138
Avatar for Jee1
Jee1
11
I had been to my optometrist for the first time to check my eye health, I didn't have vision problem so the lady told me to read some stuff from a board she then proceeded to prescript me some reading glasses the optometrist assistant then persuaded me to buy some expensive glasses I told her I'd take the cheapest one then I went home to try my glasses on and it was so strong and I felt light headed I then took it off and throwed it away because I could read perfectly fine without it
Original post by tianshan
If you don't mind me asking, what company does she work for? Boots? Specsavers?


Neither, she works for Vision Express. @ALittleLost25 needs to understand that in retail Optometrists more than likely have to work to conversion rates. Optometrists prescribe the glasses/eyecare a patient needs in which a dispensing optician will then sell the requirements to that patient. If the patient decides not to buy anything and goes against the advice of the Optometrist then their conversion rate will be lower! This is what the OP is trying to explain! Optometry has become very unethical due to retail trying to "rinse" the profession!

Also there can be conflict between the Dispensing Opticians and the Optometrists as the dispensing opticians hate being given instructions from the Optoms. And Optoms hate it when dispensing opticians (or shopfloor assistants) try to book in last minute appointments from "walk-ins". This shows just how money orientated the profession can be if you work in a retail setting.
(edited 7 years ago)

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