When does clinical training for the student of optometry begin?
It begins in the lecture/laboratory setting in the first year and progresses to increasingly greater direct patient contact during the second, third and fourth years. In the clinic there is close initial supervision, which is gradually relaxed as the student develops greater clinical proficiency and assumes more responsibility. At The New England College of Optometry (NEWENCO), the experience of the final year is entirely clinical, with the student being assigned to a variety of health care settings such as multidisciplinary site (with different health care disciples), interdisciplinary, co-management centers (with optometrists and ophthalmologists working together) and hospital-based rotations.

How much clinical training does the optometric student receive?
One of the least known facts about optometry today is how much clinical training the optometrist actually undergoes. Before graduation, optometric students have experienced 2,000-3,000 hours of clinical and laboratory training, comparable to the number of hours in dental training and far greater, in eye care specifically, than that of the general medical practitioner.

How many patients does the average O.D. student see?
The average O.D. student will examine approximately 1,000 patients over the course of his or her optometric training. By comparison, the student of general medicine will see some patients with eye problems, but in smaller numbers than the optometrist and with far less emphasis on the entire visual system. The average O.D. student will examine approximately 1,000 patients over the course of his or her optometric training. By comparison, the student of general medicine will see some patients with eye problems, but in smaller numbers than the optometrist and with far less emphasis on the entire visual system.