The archetype of an optometrist as a white male owner of solo practice focused on selling glasses, usually with his wife keeping the books and running the dispensary, was a fairly accurate representation for much of the profession’s first century. Changes within optometry and the wider American culture in recent decades, however, have demolished that stereotype. The workforce is now more ethnically diverse and predominantly female, and the mom-and-pop shops of old are being overtaken by large corporate ownership networks that are laser-focused on maintaining the bottom line. Optometrists’ personalities and priorities have changed, too. “Type A” workaholic ambition is out; work-life balance is in. Read More