Optometry in 2035. Does it exist?
In 20 years, will optometry as we know it still exist?
Eye health aside, any optometrist honest with herself will concede the primary purpose of an optometrist is to refract. Refraction, although definitely a skill, is at risk of extinction due to advances in technology. Although technology is a threat to many aspects of modern eyecare, and while one can argue about the timing/immediacy of such events (i.e. are we on the cusp of wholesale change now, or is the landscape going to largely be the same 10 years from now?), I consider refraction particularly susceptible to obsolescence in the continuum of facets of eyecare (which includes things like eye health assessments, appliances for seeing, and surgery).
I consider visual/seeing appliances to eventually be at the mercy of technology as well, but I believe that era remains farther off. But when we have the world's most wealthiest corporations such as Google blurring the line between technology and every-day consumerism/physiology (e.g. Google Glass), and predicting that the human brain will be embedded with data chips by 2030 (while actively pursuing that goal), it's hard to see how human-performed refraction will continue to be a paid-for service in the future. Kiosks already exist for refraction today in the U.S., not to mention an iPhone app.
How long do optometrists have? For those who will not be "retired" in 20 years, how much longer will the practice of optometry be able to sustain an optometrist's career? Will those early in their careers today have to eventually re-educate themselves and re-enter the workforce in another capacity?
Essilor and Luxottica who now definitely have entered the direct to consumer market.
I am always wondering that new developments in any field are given only interest on what is happening on this continent instead of looking at a world wide situation.
The North American continent has become the play and testing ground for the 2 biggest players world wide in the optical manufacturing field, namely Essilor and Luxottica who now definitely have entered the direct to consumer market.
Eye care training develops livelihoods in rural India -
"Thanks to a new public private partnership agreement recently signed in Rajasthan, 4,000 youths are expected to be trained over the next three years in that state alone. “Since the beginning of the year we have equipped 70,000 new wearers, with EMO responsible for putting glasses on the faces of over a third of those wearers,” explained Saugata Banjeree, Head of 2.5 NVG India, “We have now partnered with several local skills and livelihood development agencies to roll out the training of EMO.”
- See more at: http://www.essilorseechange.com/deve....7370ZEaf.dpuf
Knowledge share is a two way street in India
In January, Essilor organised its first Eye Mitra annual convention for local entrepreneurs. Weeks later, the Group’s Advanced Management Program brought in 33 senior staff from 12 countries to learn about developing markets on the ground at Indian rural eye clinics.
“There is no age limit for learning new things. I successfully completed my training and am now doing well and conducting vision screening camps regularly,” said Mr Nand Kishore, a previously unemployed 57 year-old at the Eye Mitra (“Friend of the Eyes” in Hindi) Convention.
One of the first wave of Essilor trainees, he has acquired the skills and knowledge to become a “friend of the eyes” in his local community, and given a starter-kit to help set up his new business. He was one of around 100 individuals at the convention near Delhi. Many had travelled long distances to swap ideas with their fellow Eye Mitras and interact with Essilor managers.
- See more at: http://www.essilorseechange.com/know....MFiTAxLa.dpuf
If so, why is there resistance to the idea that some of these changes may be bad
Quote:
Originally Posted by
optio
EVERYONE in this thread has referred to inevitable changes/evolution of our profession. If so, why is there resistance to the idea that some of these changes may be bad for practicing optometrists?
Life has been too good for the status quo, just about forever, specially for the ones who are also selling glasses.
The internet and technologies have been and will even more change the world over the next years to come. New ways of testing eyes automatically for prescriptions are being developed and refined as we go along.
In the meantime your largest optical suppliers are doing their best to push you off the map when the time comes and it might be even earlier than you predict.
For official statistics you go on industry Canada .........................
Quote:
Originally Posted by
optio
I have absolutely no doubt the website is wrong (about moving on to other positions). I just don't understand why they would be so wrong about that fact, and what led them to believe it was true to begin with. I'm almost certain that historically, most optometrists stay as optometrists after 20 years of work.
I'm also curious to know where they get their salary stats.
That website belongs to a private firm that asks for opinions.
Go and look for it:
Contact
Payscale Inc
1000 1st Ave, South
Seattle, WA 98134ACT
PayScale, Inc.
1000 1st Ave South
Seattle, WA 98134
If you want official statistics you go on industry Canada look for a profession, and do your own search. Then you will get the real facts, but they are usually about 2-3 years behind times.
Greed can still exist even in a big medial box environment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rbaker
Optometry and Ophthalmology will soon merge into a single profession and the "new" eye doctor will manage a large clinical staff of ancillary personnel who will perform all the drut work such as refraction, tonometry, visual fields, fundus photos and all the rest of the acquisition of data and metrics which allow the eye doctor to make medical decisions. We already see this business model in some large ophthalmology practices where technicians, technologists, APRN's and PA's perform 90% of the work.
Revenge of the Opthalmo
................... I have lived through one of those right here in Naples a few years back, they even have an optical store off the waiting area.
After having gone through the mill, I saw the doctor who told me that I had a cataract in my left eye, and that he was going to fix it for $ 4,000.
I said no thanks, and that I was having it done back home in Canada under the national medicare for free.
He gave me the exam results in a sealed envelope which I delivered to the license bureau, were after opening the envelope I was told that he suggested that I have to redo the physical driving test.
........I agreed right away, did it and passed with flying colors and got my license back validated for a few more years.
Greed can still exist even in a big medial box environment.
major changes in all of our eyecare professions over the next few years.............
Quote:
Originally Posted by
optio
There will be a game changer within our lifetimes that makes human performed refraction obsolete, whether due to robots, or a new refractive "solution", and it will come from outside the 3-Os. At that point, optometrists won't necessarily go obsolete, but there will be a much reduced need for them.
..............interesting discussion
The start of that future will begin in about 2 1/2 month from now, probably around the end of June 2018, when the now world wide accepted merger between Essilor and Luxottica will happen.
This will create a similar situation in the optical retail business around the globe, of what happened in the oil industry not so long ago. There no more small service stations that sell the gaz and make repairs, the retail outlets consist now of multiple pumps, self service and some of them have also a car wash and, or a food store.
In the optical trade the merging main players have also played politics for a long time, by supporting professional associations as well as governments on many levels.
We should be seeing major changes in all of our eyecare professions over the next few years.