What should be optometry's role? How should we prepare for it?
This is a position paper which broadly states the role which, in the author's opinion, optometry should adopt as its goal and the educational environment in which we can best prepare graduates to fulfill that role. The role briefly stated, is that of first contact supplier of vision care and of certain aspects of primary health care. The appropriate educational milieu is held to be the academic health center.
D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000639:trends; D009907:Optometry / Q000193:education / Q000639:trends*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012380:Role; D012576:Schools, Health Occupations; D014481:United States