Optometry
Optometry is a health care profession which involves examining the eyes and applicable visual systems for defects or abnormalities as well as the medical diagnosis and management of eye disease. Traditionally, the field of optometry began with the primary focus of correcting refractive error through the use of spectacles. Modern day optometry, however, has evolved through time so that the educational curriculum additionally includes intensive medical training in the diagnosis and management of ocular disease in countries where the profession is established and regulated.
Optometrists (also known as doctors of optometry in the United States and Canada for those holding the O.D. degree, or ophthalmic opticians in the United Kingdom) are health care professionals who provide primary eyecare through comprehensive eye examinations to detect and treat various visual abnormalities and eye diseases. Being a regulated profession, an optometrist's scope of practice may differ depending on the location. Thus, disorders or diseases detected outside the treatment scope of optometry are referred out to relevant medical professionals for proper care, more commonly to ophthalmologists who are physicians that specialize in tertiary medical and surgical care of the eye. Optometrists typically work closely together with other eye care professionals such as ophthalmologists and opticians to deliver quality and efficient eyecare to the general public.
The term "optometry" comes from the Greek words ὄψις (opsis; "view") and μέτρον (metron; "something used to measure", "measure", "rule"). The word entered the language when the instrument for measuring vision was called an optometer, (before the terms phoropter or refractor were used). The root word opto is a shortened form derived from the Greek word ophthalmos meaning, "eye." Like most healthcare professions, the education and certification of optometrists is regulated in most countries. Optometric professionals and optometry-related organizations interact with governmental agencies, other healthcare professionals, and the community to deliver eye- and vision-care.
* Description and images provided by Wikipedia under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license .
Scholarships for Optometry Majors
Edith Nourse Rogers STEM ScholarshipU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
||||
award Up to $30,000 |
deadline Varies |
|||
UNCF/CVS Health Foundation Health Care Careers ScholarshipUNCF, Inc |
||||
award $10,000 |
deadline April 29, 2023 |
|||
Board of Trustees Scholarship - Salus UniversitySalus University |
||||
award $6,500 |
deadline Varies |
|||
Excellence in Allied Health Scholarship - NMCNebraska Methodist College |
||||
award $6,000 |
deadline Varies |
|||
ANTHC Board of Directors ScholarshipAlaska Native Tribal Health Consortium |
||||
award $5,000 |
deadline March 31, 2023 |
|||
Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody ScholarshipThermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. |
||||
award Up to $10,000 |
deadline May 02, 2023 |
|||
Kaiser Permanente Health Equity ScholarshipUNCF, Inc |
||||
award Up to $5,000 |
deadline June 14, 2023 |
|||
Military Spouse ScholarshipWestern Governors University |
||||
award Up to $4,000 |
deadline Varies |
|||
American Indian Medical Scholarship AwardNational Society of the Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA) |
||||
award $3,000 |
deadline June 01, 2023 |
|||
Memorial Foundation Scholarship - SWICSouthwestern Illinois College |
||||
award $2,500 |
deadline Varies |
Optometry Related Majors
- Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies
- Physical Therapy/Therapist
- Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences
- Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Athletic Training/Trainer
- Dental Hygiene/Hygienist
- Physician Associate/Assistant
- Pre-Nursing Studies
- Health/Health Care Administration/Management
- Occupational Therapy/Therapist
- Dentistry
- Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician
- Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer
- Public Health
- Pre-Pharmacy Studies
- Pre-Dentistry Studies
- Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
- Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist
- Dental Assisting/Assistant