Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology is the pinnacle in the field of eye care, being one of the many prestigious fields in health care. An ophthalmologist is the primary provider of eye and vision care, from prescribing glasses, to delicate laser and cornea transplant surgeries. The journey required for ophthalmology insists in excellence and pride backed by many hours of study and dedication. An ophthalmologist, also known in lesser terms as simply, the eye doctor is a specialist in everything that is the eye. They perform surgeries such as; cataract, glaucoma, refractive, and cornea surgeries. The eye doctor also performs visual system examinations, determining extent of ocular disorders which are often extreme such as ophthalmoparesis, which is partial or in worst cases, total paralysis of the eye muscles. Strabismus or lazy eye is an example of a less extreme ocular disorder. Ophthalmologists also diagnose diseases of the eye just as a dermatologist diagnoses skin diseases, such as skin cancer. Ophthalmologists interpret results of diagnostics or clinical tests and may also prescribe medication to alleviate pain and treat ophthalmic conditions such as Retinal Break. An ophthalmologist may have a clinic within a hospital or have their own clinic in which they are self-employed. Their examination room is clean and hygienic, to meet health standards. Ophthalmologists must have a high GPA, high MCAT scores, and are required to obtain a five-year degree in medicine which is followed by two foundation years (F1 and F2) of medical training in which they complete their study of the eye. If chosen, an application can be made after F1 and F2 training to complete specialist training in any certain part of the eye. All in all, seven years are required to qualify as a consultant ophthalmologist. The average ophthalmologist works about 45 hours per week earning about $123 per hour. Most

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ophthalmologists earn about $257,000 per year and even more depending on factors such as their skills, certifications, locations, and experience. Skills needed to successfully become an ophthalmologist include, but are not limited to, critical thinking, active listening, reading comprehension, speaking skills, coordination, judgment and decision, social perceptiveness, complex problem solving, monitoring, and science skills. It is fairly easy to find a job as an ophthalmologist as the estimated projected growth from 2010 to 2020 is between 20% and 28% and job openings are estimated from 2010 to 2020 to be around 305,100 according to, Summary Report for: Ophthalmologists. It is considered as a Top industry with employment of 77% and also self-employment of 12%. If I am not able to find a job as an ophthalmologist, alternate careers in eye care available to me would be Optometry, or work as an optician which are all vital in the field of vision and eye care. If I am to pursue my dream of becoming an ophthalmologist I must be prepared for extensive studying and hours of training. The challenges of this career are that I will spend many hours at school and not as much with family and friends, which nowadays is a big part of my life. Financially speaking, pursuing ophthalmology would be impossible without the help of scholarships and grants which a will make sure I get. I dont want to burden my parents financially with the costs of medical school and training. As far as the skills needed for my career, I hope to obtain them through the long hours of training, but, so far, critical thinking, speaking, judgment and decision, and complex problem solving are skills that I have obtained throughout my life and should be easy to apply. My grades will be the greatest challenge,

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because I hope to have a 4.0 throughout my career. This will be the hardest due to the fact that Ill have to give up a lot of my time to studying and preparing for exams. Location might be a problem as I might have to move out of town to attend a good medical school to continue pursuing my studies. But these challenges will be nothing when I finally complete my career and began my ultimate goal of benefiting others through my ability to care for their vision. The reason that I favor this career to the rest is mostly because the eye, a small yet complex organ, is amazing and I would enjoy learning everything about it and research for ways to cure its diseases and develop medication that will. Its hard to explain , but I just feel that becoming an ophthalmologist will satisfy me with a sense of accomplishment that I know few other careers would. Also my need to help others will give me the passion to help and care for all my patients and give them exactly what they need to prolong their health. The skills that I have and the skills that I will obtain in the future will ensure that everything that I do, from prescribing medication to performing surgeries, will be done with excellence. Its the perfect career for me. Ophthalmologists are expected to prepare extensively and accomplish many hours of training. Many skills are needed to successfully purse this career, but the rewards for completing it do not just consist of very good pay but also the satisfaction of helping those in need. The journey that is ophthalmology is everything that is described as excellence, hours of study, dedication, prestige, but in the end, the ability to pursue this career all comes down to passion.

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References Page
What is an ophthalmologist?. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.eyecareamerica.org/eyecare/tmp/what-is-an-ophthalmologist.cfm Ophthalmologist entry requirements. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ophthalmologist_entry_requirements.htm Ophthalmologist salary. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.healthcareworkersalary.com/physicians/ophthalmologist-salary/ Physician workloads. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.aao.org/publications/eyenet/200804/notebook.cfm?RenderForPrint=1& Principal ophthalmic conditions. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.kellogg.umich.edu/theeyeshaveit/non-trauma/ Summary report for: Ophthalmologists. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-1069.06 Ophthalmologists: "we do everything". (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/living/ophthalmologists/ophthalmologists-do-it-all.cfm Citations by: http://citationmachine.net/