Is It Time for Your Practice to Hire a Medical Optometrist?
If your surgeons are overbooked, patients are waiting too long for appointments, or your practice is struggling to scale clinical volume without adding another ophthalmologist, you’re not alone. Across the U.S., ophthalmology practices are turning to medically trained optometrists (O.D.s) to expand capacity, improve patient access, and free surgeons to do what only they can do—operate.
For 17 years, OjO Recruitment has helped ophthalmology groups nationwide hire experienced O.D.s as well as residency-trained, medically oriented optometrists. We’ve seen firsthand how adding the right Medical O.D. to your team doesn’t simply fill a staffing need—they transform the way a practice functions, grows, and cares for patients.
Why Demand for Medical Optometrists Is Rising
Ophthalmology workforce projections published in Ophthalmology (2023)
The need for ophthalmic care is growing sharply due to an aging population and rising rates of chronic eye disease. Workforce studies predict a 12–30% shortfall in ophthalmologist full-time equivalents (FTEs) by 2035 if current trends continue. And although hundreds of new ophthalmologists enter practice each year, retirements, limited residency growth, and rising patient demand are widening the gap.
Medically oriented optometrists are bridging that divide. With advanced ocular disease training, therapeutic privileges, and expanded scope in many states, today’s O.D.s can independently manage medical eye disease, chronic care, and postoperative visits—creating a sustainable model that supports both surgeons and patients.
The Strategic Benefits of Hiring a Medical Optometrist
1. Surgeons Get to Do What Only Surgeons Can Do
Your surgeons are the most highly trained—and most constrained—resource in your practice. Every minute an ophthalmologist spends on routine medical exams, post-ops, and lower-complexity disease management is time not spent doing what only they can do: surgery and advanced care.
A great medical optometrist absorbs those essential but non-surgical responsibilities, allowing ophthalmologists to concentrate on their highest-value work.
The result?
- More surgeries without increasing surgeon burnout
- Better utilization of profitable surgical time
- A practice that hums with efficiency rather than bottlenecks
2. You Expand Capacity Without Adding More Surgeons
As we noted above, demand for medical eye care is increasing faster than the number of ophthalmologists entering the workforce. Practices feel this pressure every day—longer wait times, overloaded schedules, and patients waiting months for care. Oftentimes, the online reputation of a practice suffers.
Optometrists are significantly easier to recruit than ophthalmologists, and the data make the reason clear: there are nearly three times as many O.D.s practicing in the U.S. as there are ophthalmologists. Bringing a medical optometrist into your practice expands clinical capacity immediately. They allow your team to see more patients, sooner, without compromising quality—and without pushing surgeons to take on additional workload. It’s a smart way to grow access and efficiency without the complexity and cost of adding another surgical provider.
3. Patients Experience Continuity, Convenience, and Care
Patients don’t want fragmented care or multiple stops to manage a single condition. They want one practice, one team, and one story about their eyes.
With a medical optometrist on staff, your patients enjoy:
- Seamless follow-up after surgery
- Ongoing chronic disease management
- Faster access to care
- Familiar faces and unified communication
This consistency improves compliance, satisfaction, and trust—cornerstones of any thriving practice.
4. True Team-Based Care Becomes a Reality
When MDs and O.D.s collaborate with shared protocols, mutual respect, and aligned goals, magic happens. Suddenly, the practice isn’t a collection of individuals—it’s a collegial, collaborative team.
This team-based model:
- Reduces duplication of testing
- Improves clinical oversight and safety
- Creates more predictable workflows
- Elevates the entire patient experience
Ophthalmologists aren’t “giving up control”—they are gaining a capable partner in care.
5. More Conditions Managed In-House = Happier Patients + Stronger Practice
Medical optometrists are not “refraction machines.” They are trained to diagnose and manage ocular disease—glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye, corneal issues, and more.
What this means for your practice:
- Fewer unnecessary referrals to outside providers
- More conditions handled by your own team
- Stronger patient loyalty and revenue retention
You keep the care under your roof—and the patient sees your practice as their lifelong eye care home.
6. Postoperative Care Becomes Smoother, Faster, and More Patient-Friendly
After surgery, patients often require multiple visits, reassurance, and education. A medical O.D. excels here—managing routine post-ops, identifying complications early, and freeing surgeons to continue operating.
Some practices even adopt a same-day model: pre-op visit, testing, and surgery, all in one coordinated experience. That’s not just efficient—patients love it.
7. It’s a Workforce Strategy, Not a Staffing Move
We are entering a new era of eye care delivery. The practices that will flourish are those that build adaptable, scalable teams—not those waiting for more surgeons to appear.
Adding a medical O.D. strengthens your practice for the long term by:
- Expanding services sustainably
- Supporting growth without overloading surgeons
- Creating a recruitment advantage in a competitive marketplace
This isn’t merely a hire. It’s a foundational investment in your future.
What to Look for in a Medical Optometrist
The best Medical O.D.s practice at the top of their license. High-performing candidates typically exhibit:
Proven Clinical Training
Either experience in an ophthalmology practice or Residency training in ocular disease or medical optometry accelerates onboarding and supports autonomous medical decision-making.
Experience in Postoperative & Chronic Disease Care
Competence in glaucoma, cataract follow-ups, anterior segment disease, and therapeutic prescribing is essential.
Billing, EMR & Co-Management Proficiency
Medical optometry isn’t retail optometry. Familiarity with postop note templates, medical billing, and ophthalmology EMRs keeps documentation compliant and efficient.
State Scope-of-Practice Alignment
Each state differs. Know in advance whether your Medical O.D. can prescribe therapeutics, treat glaucoma, perform injections or lasers, or manage specific in-office procedures.
Communication & Patient Care Skills
Excellent Medical O.D.s educate patients well, enhance the surgeon’s brand, and drive online reputation and referrals.
Partnering with OjO Recruitment to Hire Medical O.D.s
Hiring the wrong optometrist doesn’t just create inconveniences—it slows clinics, frustrates surgeons, and limits the care you can provide. It wears on team morale. But bringing the right doctor into your practice? That’s transformative. Workflows improve, patients are better served, surgeons feel supported, and your practice grows with confidence.
At OjO Recruitment, medical optometrist placement isn’t an add-on service—it’s who we are. We understand that the success of your practice—and the well-being of your team—depends on finding providers who are aligned clinically, culturally, and professionally. When we recruit for you, we approach the process with care, curiosity, and a deep respect for the work you do.
We take the time to understand:
- Clinical competencies needed to meaningfully support your surgeons and subspecialists
- What a medical O.D. hire will change—in workflow, revenue, patient access, and overall capacity
- Compensation norms and career motivations—so your offer attracts the right doctor, not just a doctor
- Scope-of-practice realities that vary state by state and shape who can do what, where
- How to recognize true medical O.D.s—the ones who thrive in clinical environments, not retail settings
Our insights are rooted in nearly two decades of hands-on experience. We’ve walked alongside practices like yours for years, solving real challenges and celebrating real wins. And we never forget that at the center of all this—recruitment, strategy, growth—are people.
If you’re looking for a partner who understands your recruitment needs, listens deeply, and cares about your success as much as you do, you’re in the right place.
OjO doesn’t just help you hire. We help you hire well.
Ready to Hire a Medically Oriented O.D.?
If you’re considering adding a Medical Optometrist to your team, reach out to OjO for more information on our optometry recruitment services.
OjO Recruitment
Your national partner for Medical Optometrist hiring.
828.514.9419