A list of helpful optometric websites for new optometry graduates encompassing practice building, clinical knowledge, prescribing, and obtaining samples. Updated February 2022!
There are many optometric websites that can be extremely helpful for new clinicians as they graduate from school and begin to practice. This list contains few of these many resources. This is simply a starting point, and by no means represents a complete list of resources.
Staying up to date with clinical knowledge
- Review of Optometry: Great way to read up-to-date articles on a variety of eyecare related topics including all aspects of ocular disease, pediatric vision, legislation changes, new studies. Inexpensive online CE available too!
- Pubmed: Search the latest scientific research for yourself to see what's new in a particular topic.
Learning the latest on your specialty
- Optometric Retina Society: The most current trends, research, and literature on retinal disease, and provides a great resource to expand one's vitreoretinal knowledge. Gain access to great sources of information including countless links to online journals and educational resources.
- Optometric Glaucoma Society: The latest research and studies in the arena of glaucoma to help further an eye care professional's clinical acumen in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of glaucoma patients.
- Review of Myopia Management: The leading source on all things myopia, including clinical advice, practice management tips, the latest research, and emerging technologies and treatments for myopia management.
- The Journal of Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Disease: Sharing knowledge on all aspects of dry eye—epidemiology, pathology, new insights about tear film, treatment strategies, immunology, related systemic diseases—through high-quality research papers, review papers, and case studies.
Information on the state of optometry
- BLS.gov: Information, statistics, salaries, number of providers, and other data for all geographic locations in the United States. Very helpful for those graduates looking at different areas to begin a career or open up a new practice. Search the Occupational Outlook Handbook for the aforementioned information.
Practice building and growth
- My Eye Store: Create an online shopping center for optical sales and frame sales for your practice
- Review of Optometric Business: Considered the OD’s online business consultant, this weekly online publication provides a range of articles on how to effectively grow your practice and efficiently manage it as a business.
- EyeCode Education: A billing and coding resource with a variety comprehensive CME courses on a convenient web-based format to take the confusion out of coding and make billing a breeze.
- Moz Local: Find how and where your practice is listed on the internet by various search engines and what information is contained within these listings. Can show you which search engines lack listings for your practice and provides suggestions for additional entities of publishing ie: Foursquare, Google+, Yelp, Hotfrog, etc. Provides a means to utilize these services to provide increased awareness for your practice.
- Mailchimp: Design and send email marketing. Very helpful for those appointment reminders or if you want to send out a monthly newsletter regarding your practice and new developments.
- 20/20 Mag: An indispensable resource for optical dispensaries, 20/20 covers trending frame fashion, best branding, lenses, technology, continuing education, and product news.
Fitting contacts
- ODspecs.com: Lists all soft contact lenses, both currently available and discontinued, with the name, Dk, base curves, diameter, power, quantity per box, daily wear or extended, replacement schedule, and price range.
- GPLI: The GP Lens Institute provides RGP articles, educational videos, webinars, and a vertex conversion chart as well as a calculator that calculates initial RGP lenses based on refraction and K readings with helpful suggestions for unusual cases.
- EyeDock: Hands down one of the most comprehensive combination soft contact lens and RGP resources available online, allowing you to search by lens type, replacement schedule, brand, or refraction as well as for topical ophthalmic medications. It also features helpful calculators and tools. EyeDock does charge a small subscription fee, but is well worth it.
- Tyler’s Quarterly: This soft contact lens parameter guide requires a paid subscription to access, but includes full contact lens search for soft lenses, RGPs, and hybrids, contact lens solutions list, contact lens markings, discontinued lenses, and a make-up recommendation list as well as manufacturer lists with contact and location information.
Prescribing medications
- Parxsolutions: Helps you obtain prior approval for your patients so they can utilize any medically necessary therapeutic treatments.
- Goodrx: For patients who don’t have insurance, this site will list all the pharmacies in the area and their prices for specific medications, and coupons if available to help mitigate costs. Can also be used by patients who do have insurance but have large co-pays or need medications not covered by their plan.
- CoverMyMeds: Visit to get PAs for medications when prompted by pharmacies.
Obtaining sample medications for patients
- Mysamplecloset: Promotions from various drug companies, most recently Bausch and Lomb.
- Allergan JUMPSTART: Open to new grads up to 5 years out of optometry school. By enrolling in theAllergan JUMPSTART Program you can obtain samples and educational resources.
- Alcon New in Practice Program: Allows new grads to get sample medications and promotional items promoting Alcon products.
- Johnson and Johnson samples: Register to get a sales rep in your area—they will happily meet with you to train you and your staff in new products and provide sample drops.
Honorable mention
- Women in Optometry: As the name implies, this online publication is targeted toward female ODs with articles written from a female perspective and covering topics such as practice ownership and growth, work/life balance, personal and patient experience, innovations and breakthroughs, and more.
- ODs on Facebook: A private community of ODs, students, opticians, and industry/ophthalmic professionals created to help eyecare professionals connect and stay informed.