Pre-Optometry

Overview

If you’re looking ahead to a future as an optometrist, you might want to consider a major in Pre-Optometry. Optometrists are concerned with all aspects of the eye—the promotion of eye health and safety, vision care, and basic examinations of the internal and external parts of the eye. They write prescriptions for glasses and contact lenses. There are many options for optometrists—for example, you might become involved with sports vision or geriatrics. Expanding technology is creating new and exciting opportunities for optometrists, so if the eye is your interest, consider this path.

Pre-Optometry is not a major at most universities. It is, rather, a concentration—a focused selection of courses that will give you the necessary foundation for admission to optometry school. Keep in mind that admission to optometry school depends largely on your scores on the Optometry Admission Test, as well as your background in math and science. Although most students complete an undergraduate degree before attending optometry school, many optometry schools do not require it for admission.