The college not only educates students planning to practice optometry, but also offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in physiological optics for students planning careers in teaching and research. Students who have a degree in science or a special interest in vision or who are graduates of an optometry school or other professional health program may want to consider entering the graduate program. The faculty of dedicated research scientists and expert clinicians is complemented by research laboratories, teaching clinics, and an extensive college library of scientific literature. Doctors of Optometry are independent primary health care providers who specialize in the examination, diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases and disorders of the visual system, the eye and associated structures as well as the diagnosis of related systemic conditions. Graduates may enter family practice or serve in multidisciplinary primary care clinics.
Graduates also find careers in public health, teaching and research, and health administration.
Special services for children, the elderly, and the partially-sighted can each be exclusively practiced. Helping to care for vision, our most treasured sense, makes optometry a rewarding profession for students interested in a health career. Curriculum Rationale Optometrists are health care professionals who competently solve human eye and vision problems. Most optometrists work in primary care practice, serving patients who need eye and vision care, who seek periodic evaluation of their eye and vision status, or who are referred by other professionals. The optometrist cares for most of the public's eye and vision problems.