OPTOMETRIST

DESCRIPTION OF
PROFESSION
● Primary healthcare provider that examines the eyes and visual
system1
● Diagnosis, treats, and prevents visual problems, injuries, disease, and
other eye related disorders1
● Prescribe glasses and corrective lenses1
● Refer patients to suitable specialists1

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CREDENTIALS & AVERAGE
SAL ARY IN CANADA

 Doctor of Optometry (OD) from an accredited

institution2

● There are two schools of optometry located in

Canada:2

○ University of Waterloo

○ Université de Montréal
 $103,838/year3

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
 PRACTICE SETTINGS
• Private, general, or specialized fields in both solo and group
settings4

• Retail centers (Walmart, Costco, Pearl Vision) 4

• Work with other healthcare practitioners in an ophthalmology

clinic to provide care to patients after surgery as well as other
patient specific needs4

• Healthcare maintenance organizations4

• Work with the armed forces4

• Education and/or research4

  Communicating a diagnosis5

CONTROLLED AND
Identifying a refraction disorder, a
sensory or oculomotor disorder of

AUTHORIZED
the eye or visual system, or a
prescribed disease5

HEALTH ACTS 


Prescribing drugs as designated5
Prescribing vision devices such as
eyeglasses or contact lenses5
CONDITIONS TREATED
Optometrists provide eye exams to patients which are used to examine,
assess, measure and diagnose diseases and disorders with the human eye
and visual system6. Some conditions include:

● Refractive errors7
● Cataracts8
● Optic nerve disorders (e.g. glaucoma)9

This Photo by Unknown

Author is licensed under CC
BY-SA
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
SERVICES PROVIDED
 Examine eyes for health and vision problems10
 Diagnose and treat eye disease, glaucoma, and detect general health
problems manifested in the eye10
 Provide pre-and post-operative care for pathologies and trauma10
 Remove foreign bodies from eyes10
 Provide emergency treatment for eye accidents10
 Prescribe glasses, contact lenses, or other devices for specialized vision
needs10
 Medicinal treatment including eye drops, gels, and ointments10
 Provide rehabilitative services for victims of head injuries with impaired
vision10
 Work with pilots, athletes, in need to improve vision performance10
 Evaluate eye coordination for reading and provide vision therapy to
improve academic performance10
 Set up industrial vision programs10
 Consult with businesses on environmental vision10
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 Work with schools and community groups on vision screening, career
days, programs on eye care, etc. 10
 Referral to other health care professionals when appropriate, such as
family doctors and eye surgeons10
 WHAT A PATIENT MAY EXPECT...
Visual
acuity Color Cover Stereopsis Retinoscop Refraction Slit
blindnes test Ocular test y
tests motility lamp
s test exam
testing
Measure the Used to Checks how Tests Used to get an Used to
sharpness of rule out your eyes your approximation determine Uses to
Checks examine the
your vision color move depth of your eyeglass your
how well structures of
Usually blindness together11 percepti prescription11 ACTUAL
your your eyes
performed In on and eyeglasses11
eyes can under high
using a addition appreciat
follow a magnification
projected they can ion of 3-
moving (like a
eye chart to be used dimensio
object11 microscope!) 11
measure to alert nal
your your nature of
distance doctor objects11
visual acuity to
and a small, possible
hand-held health
chart to problems
measure that may
your near affect
vision11 your
color
vision11
EQUIPMENT USED
● Tonometer- measures fluid pressure in the eyeball12
● Phoropter- measures refractive error of a patient
based off of patients feedback12
● Retinoscope- measures refractive error if a patient
is unable to give feedback12
● Autorefractor- measures refractive error by
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reading when an image appears on the retina12

● Snellen chart- chart placed 20 ft away with letters
decreasing in size12
● Retinal camera- allows specialists to view a
patients retina12
● Ophthalmoscope- examines the interior of a
patients eye12
● VT 1 vision screener- used to quickly diagnose
major visual issues12

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 OTHER INFORMATION
- Websites and associations:

○ College of Optometry Ontario: https://www.collegeoptom.on.ca/5

○ Canadian Association of Optometrists: https://opto.ca/13

○ Ontario Association of Optometrists: https://www.optom.on.ca/14

REFERENCES:
1. What is an optometrist? [Internet]. Optom.on.ca. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from:
https://www.optom.on.ca/OAO/Patients/What_is_an_optometrist/OAO/Patients/What_is_an_optometrist.aspx?hkey=6a3e3087-eb07-4477-9579-
6e61a6111975
2. Becoming A Doctor of Optometry [Internet]. The Canadian Association of Optometrists. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from:
https://opto.ca/becoming-a-doctor-of-optometry
3. Optometry salary - Average salary [Internet]. Neuvoo.ca. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from: https://neuvoo.ca/salary/?job=optometry
4. Chirumbolo A. Optometry: Modes Of Practice - OptometryStudents.com [Internet]. OptometryStudents.com. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from:
https://www.optometrystudents.com/optometry-modes-of-practice/
5. College of Optometrists of Ontario | [Internet]. Collegeoptom.on.ca. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from: https://www.collegeoptom.on.ca/
6. Optometrist, ophthalmologist, optician: what's the difference? [Internet]. Optom.on.ca. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from:
https://www.optom.on.ca/OAO/Patients/Library/What_s_the_difference.aspx
7. What are Refractive Errors - Griffin Eye Center [Internet]. Griffin Eye Center. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from:
https://griffineyecenter.com/refractive-errors/
8. What Are Cataracts? [Internet]. WebMD. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/cataracts/what-are-cataracts#1
9. Optic Nerve Disorders: MedlinePlus [Internet]. Medlineplus.gov. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/opticnervedisorders.html
10. Optometric Services [Internet]. Moeyecare.org. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from: https://www.moeyecare.org/faq/optometric-services/
11. Heiting G, Palombi J. What to expect during a comprehensive eye exam [Internet]. Allaboutvision.com. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from:
https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/expect.htm
12. 8 Tools Used for Eye Testing | Depisteo [internet]. Depisteo.com. 2019 [cited 15 September 2019]. Available from: https://depisteo.com/blog/tools-used-by-
optometrist/
13. Homepage | The Canadian Association of Optometrists [Internet]. Opto.ca. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from: https://opto.ca/
14. Ontario Association of Optometrists [Internet]. Optom.on.ca. 2019 [cited 13 September 2019]. Available from: https://www.optom.on.ca/