Why are there only two optometry schools in Canada(with one being french) and 17 optometry schools i

Does anyone find that odd? This is puts on alot of nuisance to
Canadians who want to study optometry. It will cost them more money to
study optometry school in America than in Canada, which has only one
english optometry program.

 

Yes, I find that odd too. Admission into optometry is obviously quite
competitive around here.

 

The answer, in essence, is that Optometry is a uniquely "American"
profession, at least back in its infancy. Ophthalmology dates back to
the earliest days of the medical profession, as ray diagrams and
spectacle lenses were among the works of Da Vinci. According to the
the classic text "The Optometric Profession" by Hirsch & Wick
(1968), the profession of optometry in the US started in 1901, and the
first practicing optometrists were recognized as "optometrists" after
completing a two week course. The course of study grew in just 65
years from 2 weeks to 6 months, then one year, then two years, then
three, then four, then 5, then six...and in most states it is now
eight. The optometric craft that was practiced by refracting opticians
in Euroipe became a profession when it came to the states.

To read a 40 year old text like Hirsch & Wicks is like opening a
fascinating time capsule that can't help but make the reader reflect on
the fundamental differences in philosophy that are taught to
ophthalmology residents versus optometry students. But, that's a lot
of other threads, eh?

 

That doesn't sound like much of an explanation to me.

How about the fact that the US has 9.2 times the population of Canada, and
has 8.5 times as many optometry schools.

 

O.K. Yours is much better than mine.

 

Well, the population ratio between Canada and the US is about 1:10 I think
(?). If that's true then the per capita ratios are about the same. If only
one of the two schools in Canada is english speaking, then perhaps that
throws the ratio off some.

Admission to optometry schools in the US is quite competitive as well.

 

Actually, for a country with a population of around 33 million, 2
schools of optometry is about right, assuming they each graduate about
50 new o.d.s every year, assuming each o.d. can do about 20 exams per
day, and assuming the average person needs an exam every 2 years or so.
Obviously, if they need more frequent exams, or the o.d.s want fewer
exams per day, or longer vacations, etc., you would have to adjust class
size accordingly...

w.stacy, o.d.

 

The program at McGill University (a top notch english & french medical
school) is in french only.

The University of Waterloo, Ontario (more known for having one of the top
three computer programs in North America, as well as Canada's top
engineering school) is the only english language program in Canada.
According to their web site, they are currently accepting 75 students per
year, and will be increasing to 90 per year.

http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/prospective/fastfacts.html

Their faculty was across the road from my residence 30 years ago during
my brief sojurn at U of Waterloo.

Dennis