More Than “Which Is Better, 1 or 2?”
What It Actually Takes to Become an Optometrist—and Why I Believe We Never Really Stop Learning
When most people think of an optometrist, they probably think of getting their glasses or contact lens prescription updated—and, of course, the familiar question:
“Which is better, 1 or 2?”
That is certainly part of what we do, but there is so much more behind becoming an optometrist and caring for someone's eyes.
Over the years, I've realized that many of my patients don't actually know what optometry school entails, what optometrists are trained to do, or what additional training like residency means. So I thought I would share a little about my own experience and why education continues to be such an important part of my career.
So, how long does it take to become an optometrist?
For most of us, the journey starts with approximately four years of undergraduate education followed by four years of optometry school, where we earn our Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree.
Those four years of optometry school aren't simply about learning how to prescribe glasses.
Our education includes subjects such as anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, optics, pharmacology, systemic disease, ocular disease, and the diagnosis and management of conditions affecting the eyes and visual system. As we progress through school, more and more of that education moves into the clinic, where we care for actual patients under the supervision of experienced doctors.
One thing that may surprise patients is just how much medical science is involved in our education.
At my school, some of our foundational science education was shared with students in other healthcare programs. I remember taking anatomy alongside future osteopathic physicians and dental students. We were all sitting in the same classes learning human anatomy before eventually moving into the areas specific to our individual professions.
Our paths and scopes of practice are different, of course. Optometrists generally do not perform ocular surgery, and there are conditions that appropriately require an ophthalmologist or another medical specialist.
But optometrists are trained to do much more than determine an eyeglass prescription.
What can an optometrist actually do?
Depending on state laws and an individual doctor's training and experience, optometrists can diagnose and medically manage many diseases of the eye, prescribe medications, evaluate eye emergencies, manage chronic eye conditions, provide pre- and postoperative care, and recognize signs in the eyes that may be associated with systemic health conditions.
And then there is everything involving vision itself.
Some optometrists develop additional expertise in areas such as ocular disease, specialty contact lenses, pediatrics, myopia management, low vision, vision therapy and rehabilitation, or other areas of optometric care.
I don't say any of this because I think one healthcare profession needs to prove itself against another. Every profession has an important role, and knowing when another specialist is better equipped to care for a patient is itself an important part of being a good doctor.
I simply think patients deserve to understand what their optometrist has actually been educated and trained to do.
What happens after optometry school?
Once an optometrist graduates and completes the necessary licensing requirements, they can begin practicing.
Residency is optional in optometry.
For doctors who choose that path, residency typically provides an additional year of intensive postgraduate clinical training. Programs may emphasize areas such as ocular disease, primary care, specialty contact lenses, pediatrics, vision rehabilitation, or other areas of optometric practice.
Some doctors later pursue fellowships, board certifications, advanced credentials, or other forms of specialized education as well.
I chose to complete a residency, and many of the doctors who practice at Simpli Eye Care have also completed residency or pursued additional advanced training.
But I think an important distinction needs to be made here:
Residency isn't the only way to become an excellent doctor.
There are incredibly knowledgeable clinicians who did not complete residency and developed tremendous expertise through years of patient care, mentorship, continuing education, and experience.
What residency gave me was something slightly different: a concentrated period of time where learning was the primary focus.
You see patient after patient. You encounter things you haven't seen before. You work alongside experienced clinicians. You present cases, read, study, receive feedback, and constantly have to explain not only what you think is happening, but why.
It can be rigorous and sometimes uncomfortable—but that is also where tremendous growth happens.
Credentials are important—but they're not everything
I believe education and advanced training matter. At the same time, I don't believe that having more letters after someone's name automatically makes that person a better doctor.
Like every profession, there are exceptional clinicians and less exceptional clinicians with all kinds of educational backgrounds.
A degree tells you that someone completed a certain level of training. Residency provides additional structured experience. Fellowships and certifications can demonstrate further education and professional development.
But becoming a truly good doctor also requires things that are much harder to put after your name.
Experience. Judgment. Curiosity. Compassion. Humility. And the willingness to admit when you don't know something—and then go find the answer.
That last one has become increasingly important to me as I've gotten further into my career.
The more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn
When you're a student, there is a point where you imagine that someday you'll finally become the doctor and just… know everything.
Then you become the doctor.
And you realize how impossible that is.
Medicine continues to change. Research changes. Technology changes. New medications, diagnostic equipment, imaging technology, contact lens designs, treatments, and clinical evidence continue to emerge.
The knowledge I graduated with was important, but it cannot be the exact same knowledge I practice with for the rest of my career.
And that's one of the reasons I continue to teach.
Why I still teach
I have continued working with optometry students and trainees throughout my career because I genuinely enjoy teaching. But somewhere along the way, I realized something funny:
Even though I'm technically teaching them, they're teaching me too.
Students ask questions.
Sometimes they're questions I've answered a hundred times. Other times, someone asks something that makes me stop and think:
Wait. Why DO I do it that way?
Teaching forces me to explain my clinical reasoning instead of simply relying on years of experience. Students bring information they've recently learned in school, new research, different perspectives, and sometimes familiarity with technology that didn't even exist when I was a student.
They make me look things up.
They make me question things.
And sometimes they make me change the way I practice.
I think that's wonderful.
Teaching has become one of the ways I continue being a student myself.
Why I'm so grateful for our doctors
This philosophy is also one of the reasons I'm so grateful for the group of doctors who practice at Simpli Eye Care.
Many of our doctors have completed residency or other advanced training, while others bring significant clinical experience and their own areas of expertise.
And I don't expect every doctor on our team to think exactly like me.
Actually, I don't want them to.
Different educational backgrounds, clinical experiences, interests, and perspectives give us opportunities to learn from one another. Sometimes another doctor approaches a case differently than I would, and that conversation makes both of us better clinicians.
What matters to me is that the doctors I work alongside are capable, thoughtful, approachable, and committed to taking good care of their patients.
Having a team with this much training and experience is something I feel genuinely fortunate to have.
Becoming an optometrist was only the beginning
It takes many years of education to become an optometrist: undergraduate education, four years of optometry school, and for some of us, residency, fellowship, or other advanced training afterward.
But I don't think becoming a doctor means you've finished learning.
If anything, experience has taught me the opposite.
The more patients I see, the more students I teach, and the more years I spend practicing, the more I appreciate just how much there still is to know.
Knowledge matters. Experience matters. Curiosity matters.
And I hope that no matter how many years I've been practicing, I'll always remain curious enough to ask questions, humble enough to learn from someone else, and excited enough about what I do to keep getting better.
After all these years, I'm still learning.
And I hope I always will be.
— Suzzane Li, OD, FAAO, ABCMO
Simpli Eye Care PLLC, Managing Optometrist