Optometry open house set for Saturday

The IU School of Optometry will hold its annual open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the school’s building at 800 E. Atwater Ave. The event will allow prospective students to take tours of the school and talk to staff members about the field. \n“(The open house) is important because it is the official opportunity for students to explore a career in optometry,” said Joe Boes, the school’s associate director for recruitment and marketing. During the open house, feature sessions regarding admissions and financial aid will take place at 1:30 and 3 p.m., Boes said. In addition to the information sessions, IU Optometry Dean Gerald Lowther will speak at 2 p.m., Boes said.\nAlso available will be building tours given by current optometry students. The IU Optometry lab, as well as the Borish Research Center and Atwater Eye Care Center clinic and dispensary will be part of the tour, Boes said. Staff members from each place will also be ready to answer questions. The IU Pre-Optometry Club and the Optician/Technician Program will be represented at the event as well.\nA table with representatives from the Air Force, Navy and Army will also be available to discuss optometry scholarship opportunities with students, Boes said. \nThe open house is available to anyone who wishes to attend. Boes said the average turnout for the event is between 60 and 100 people, mostly undergraduates. He also promoted the event to high school students in Indiana, and he said there are a few high school students from Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio who also come to the event.\nIU’s optometry program was rated “excellent” in a guide to careers that appeared in the March 19 edition of U.S. News and World Report, Boes said. He added in an e-mail that optometry provides a high cure rate, self-employment possibilities and six-figure average compensation.\n“I personally feel that optometry is a wonderful health career for those who have a passion for helping others,” Boes said.\n“This is a great opportunity to learn about the profession as well as specifics that our program has to offer,” Kyle King, current optometry student and tour guide for the open house, said in an e-mail.\nFor students interested in a career in optometry, prerequisite courses and an admission test called the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) are required, Boes said in an e-mail. For more information, Boes said he encourages students to check out the optometry Web site at www.opt.indiana.edu or to schedule an appointment with the Office of Student Administration at 855-1917.