DIVERSITY

• Gender composition: 51.6% of optometrists in the US are male, and 48.4% are female.

• Age by gender: The average age of male optometrists is 50.6 and of female optometrists is 40.6.

• Race and ethnicity: 80.6% of optometrists are white, making it the most common ethnicity in the occupation, and Asians come second, representing 17.7%.

SKILLS AND QUALITIES

• Optometrists are able to work with precision, concentrate while doing repetitive tasks, and are well organized.
• With the ever-changing technology, they are also expected to be able to adapt to new equipment and techniques.

• They must also have excellent communication skills and the ability to put nervous patients at ease.

• They must have an interest in health and a desire to improve people's quality of life.

INCOME LEVEL

• Optometrists earn an average of $110,359 per year, which is higher than what some financial specialists make in general. Males earn a higher average salary than females, which is $127,659, and females earn an average salary of $91,952.

• Most optometrists are employed by the offices of optometrists industry both by share and by number, but the highest-paid industry for optometrists is offices of physicians.

EDUCATION

• In order to become an optometrist, applicants need a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree. Applicants to O.D. programs must have completed at least three years of post-secondary education, which includes courses in biology, chemistry, physics, etc. Most students have a bachelor's degree with a premedical or biological science's emphasis before enrolling in an O.D. program.

• Applicants to O.D. programs must also take a test known as Optometry Admission Test (OAT), which is a computerized exam that tests applicants in subject areas such as science, reading comprehension, physics, and quantitative reasoning.

• O.D. programs take four years to complete. After finishing an O.D. degree, some optometrists complete a one-year residency program to get advanced clinical training in the area in which they wish to specialize.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN OPTOMETRIST

• The responsibilities of an optometrist include performing vision tests and analyzing results; diagnosing eye diseases, such as glaucoma and sight problems (like nearsightedness or farsightedness); prescribing eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids; performing minor surgical procedures to correct or treat visual issues; providing treatments such as vision therapy or low-vision rehabilitation; and promoting eye health and general health by counseling patients.

• Optometrists work at an average of 40 hours a week, and they spend an average of 30 minutes with a patient.

EMPLOYMENT

• The number of people employed as optometrists has been growing at a rate of 10.5%, from 31,930 to 35,276 people.

• Offices of optometrists employ the largest share of optometrists at 76.5%, followed by health & personal care with 6.9%, and hospitals with 5.66%.

• One of the great aspects of optometry is that an optometrist, assuming his or her health holds out, can continue to practice well beyond the normal retirement age of 65.

EXTENDED TEAM

• An optometrist's extended team includes office and lab managers, opticians, optometric technicians, lab technicians, and optometric assistants.

CHALLENGES FACED BY OPTOMETRISTS

• Factors like population, practice location, budget, and competition may restrict an optometrist's ability to grow.

• Optometrists have to stay current with regulations.

• They also have to deal with staffing issues. Making sure that their staff is composed of the right people is important because they represent the practice.

• Implementing new technology can bring convenient solutions; however, optometrists may have difficulty adopting new technology or training their staff to use new technology.

FUTURE OUTLOOK

• Optometrists are expected to see job growth of 17.9%, and this occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average because vision problems tend to occur more frequently later in life. Thus, an aging population will lead to demand for more optometrists.

OPTOMETRIST: PSYCHOGRAPHIC PROFILE

• To become an optometrist, the first step of the educational journey involves obtaining a four-year bachelor's degree in a related discipline such as biology or physiology. And another four years for an optometry program. The total college training for optometrists is eight years.
• Some optometrists go further to complete a one-year residency after becoming an optometrist.

2. OPTOMETRIST ARE DETAIL ORIENTED

• Optometrists need to be detailed oriented as they ensure that patients get appropriate treatment, and their medications and prescriptions are accurate. They often monitor and record details in their patient care practice.

3. OPTOMETRISTS ARE CONFIDENT

• Optometrists are confident when performing their duties. Experienced optometrists reveal that fresh optometrists are overconfident.
• Optometrists are required to evaluate the results of several diagnostic tests and need confidence as they decide/determine the best course to follow in treating a patient.

3. OPTOMETRISTS ARE EMPATHETIC

• Optometrists are empathetic (sensitive, compassionate) and also sympathetic, i.e., understanding, to get their job done.
• Optometrists positively interact with several people and often have to rely on their excellent interpersonal skills.
• Optometrists rely on their interpersonal skills because they spend a lot of time examining patients. They are required to be at ease while interacting with patients and need to make their patients feel comfortable while administering treatment.

4.OPTOMETRIST: PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• An optometrist spends significant time performing vision tests and "prescribing corrective lenses."
• Optometrists spend significant time browsing. The top 60 blogs used by optometrists include the American Optometric Association with a frequency about five posts per week, the blog has fans 24,918 fans on Facebook and 12,494 followers on Twitter.

5. OPTOMETRIST: ONGOING PHYSICIAN EDUCATION

• Optometrists spend significant time attending conferences yearly.
• American optometrists make an opportunity from over 230 yearly conferences where doctors of optometry (ODs) learn innovations and often earn CE credits.
• Doctors of optometry often provide patients with information on risk scores after obtaining results of genetic tests on the predisposed risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

6. MOTIVATIONS

• There is an insufficient amount of information available to the public regarding the motivation of optometrists in the United States.

7. TECH SAVVY NATURE OF OPTOMETRIST

• As of 2017, about 684 health IT developers supplied certified health IT services to 354,395 ambulatory primary care providers, including optometrists in the "Medicare EHR Incentive Program."
• Among 354,395 providers of IT services to primary care providers, over 82% have a 2014 certified edition technology.
• Epic Systems, supplies 2014 certified technology to over 30% of all healthcare providers in the United States, including providers in the field of optometry.

METHODOLOGY

DATA AND INSIGHTS INTO THE PERSONA OF OPTOMETRISTS IN THE US

• According to a report by ValuePenguin, the path to becoming an optometrist in the US involves completing a 4-year Doctor of Optometry (O.D) program, which combines supervised clinical experience and classes. After getting an O.D degree, they go on to complete a 1-year residency program that qualifies them to obtain advanced clinical training in a particular specialization, such as low-vision rehabilitation, family practice, geriatric optometry, and others.
• As per a report by Career Explorer, there are about 42,000 optometrists in the United States with a projected growth rate of 17.9% from 2016 to 2026.
• As of 2010, 62.5% of optometrists surveyed in the US were male while 37.5% were female; by 2015, 55% of them were male and female optometrists had increased to 45%, and the current enrollment numbers indicate that the gender shift trend would continue, according to the American Board of Optometry's latest survey report in 2016.
• The average age of optometrists in the US is 45.8 years while the common ethnicity/race of optometrists in the United States is White, according to a report by Data USA.
• The US Bureau of Statistics' 2018 data showed that the median hourly and annual wage for optometrists in the United States was $57.68 and $119,980, respectively.
• California, Texas, New York, and Illinois are the four areas with the most concentration of optometrists in the US, while areas such as Vermont, Delaware, Wyoming, and Alaska have the lowest concentration of optometrists in the United States, as per a report by Career Explorer.
• Optometrists in the US reported a career happiness score of 3.0/5-stars putting them in the bottom 31 percent of careers in the United States, according to a study by Career Explorer.
•  Significant personality traits of optometrists in the US include building, thinking, and helping in areas of interest, according to a report by Truity.
• On average, optometrists spend around 41 hours every week in practice out of which 35 hours go to attending to patients and the rest for managing the practice; also, the average optometrist handles around 2,800 patients yearly.
• As per a report by NewGrad Optometry, the typical workday of a corporate optometrist begins at 9:30 AM ending at 6:30 PM on weekdays and 5:30 p.m on weekends. Majority of full-time optometrists in the US work five days/week with regular schedules and off days on Sunday and another day at midweek.
• In the NewGrad Optometry's typical workday report, an optometrist observed that the schedule was not bad and said, "it gives me a nice work/life balance. As a new graduate optometrist, it is common to work similar hours at a private practice. Don’t think that private practice ODs are immune to weekend hours."

TYPES OF MEDIA OPHTHALMOLOGISTS CONSUME

•  Significant social media accounts followed by ophthalmologists in the US include Ophthalmology Times, EyeSmart by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Randall Wong on YouTube, the social accounts of JAMA Ophthalmology, and others, as per a report by FeedSpot.
• Another report by FeedSpot listed the top websites and blogs where ophthalmologists in the US consume information from to include JAMA Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Times, the Reddit channel dedicated to ophthalmologists, EyeOpener's ophthalmology blog, Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute, and others.
• According to SJR, ophthalmologists in the US consume information from journals such as Ocular Surface, Annual Review of Vision Science, JAMA Ophthalmology, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Journal of Vision, Experimental Eye Research, and others.
• The above reports listing significant media channels ophthalmologists in the United States consume information shows that these professionals get information from relevant online portals such as websites, blogs, and social platforms, as well as from journals and magazines.

TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST IN THE US

•  77% of ophthalmologists in the US spend between 30-45 hours per week seeing patients, while 11% spend from 46-55 hours every week seeing patients, according to a study by Medscape.
• More than half of ophthalmologists in the US (52%) spend 9-12 minutes on a patient, 21% spend 13-16 minutes, 19% spend less than 9 minutes, and 7% of them spend between 17 and 24 minutes, according to a Medscape's study.
• In a week, ophthalmologists in the US spend the following number of hours on administration and paperwork: 35% of them spend 10-19 hours, 31% of them spend 5-9 hours, 23% of them spend less than 5 hours, while 11% of them use 20 hours or more, as per Medscape's study.
• An ophthalmologist in the US sees between 12 to 15 patients every day. A routine day consists of carrying eye examinations and follow-up visits, according to a report by The Nest.
• The typical day for an ophthalmologist in the US starts around 7:30 AM in the office and runs up to about 4:30 PM, days are usually busy with just about 5 minutes available to grab a sandwich for break and coffee when possible. After attending to patients for the day, ophthalmologist attends meetings (usually 1-2 per week) or take care of paperwork before leaving for home around 6 or 7 PM, based on a report by Do The Daniels.
• In a report by Do The Daniels, an ophthalmologist in the US said, "being an eye physician and surgeon provides me with the knowledge, expertise and opportunity to help many children and adults with disabling vision issues."
• In the US, there are an estimated 372,400 ophthalmologists, and the job market for this practice is expected to grow by 11.4% from 2016 to 2026, as per a report by CareerExplorer.

RESEARCH STRATEGY: