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Shadowing and optometry experience

Schools want proof that you know what an optometrist's day actually looks like. Shadowing is the usual way to show it, and paid work in eye care counts too.

Last checked Oct 19, 2026.

How many hours do you need?

There's no single national number. Most schools expect documented optometry experience, and some set a minimum, usually somewhere between 10 and 40 hours. Pennsylvania College of Optometry, for example, asks for 25. A few schools also want hours with more than one optometrist or in more than one setting.

Minimums are a floor, not a target. Hours spread across a couple of settings, such as a private practice and a hospital or a retail clinic, tell a stronger story than a large number from one office. Check each school's admissions page for its exact requirement before you apply.

What counts

• Shadowing: observing an optometrist with patients. This is what most minimums refer to.
• Paid eye care work: jobs like optometric technician, ophthalmic assistant or optician give you hands-on patient experience, and schools value it highly. Many applicants list hundreds or thousands of hours this way.
• Volunteering: vision screenings and eye care outreach events show interest and service.

Paid work doesn't always replace shadowing, since some schools specifically want time watching a doctor make clinical decisions. Do some of both if you can.

How to find an optometrist to shadow

• Start with your own eye doctor. They already know you, and many optometrists remember needing the same favor.
• Ask local private practices. Call or stop by, introduce yourself as a pre-optometry student and ask whether any of the doctors take shadowing students.
• Use your school's pre-health office or pre-optometry club. They often keep a list of doctors who say yes.
• Look beyond private practice. Retail clinics, VA hospitals, community health centers and optometry school clinics can all add a different setting. Some school clinics don't allow shadowing, so ask first.

Keep your request short: who you are, that you're applying to optometry school, how many hours you're hoping for, and that you'll work around their schedule.

Make the hours count

• Log every visit with the date, hours, doctor and setting. You'll need these details for OptomCAS.
• Write a few notes after each day about cases or conversations that stuck with you. They make your personal statement and interviews specific.
• Ask questions between patients, not during exams.
• Build a relationship. An optometrist who has watched you over months can write the optometrist letter most schools want. See letters of recommendation.

Sources

• OptomCAS 2026–27 application walkthrough (University of Georgia pre-health advising)

Requirements and dates change each cycle. Always confirm with each school before you apply.

Keep reading

• The OAT, explainedWhat's on the Optometry Admission Test, how it's scored, what it costs and the rules for retaking it.
• What's a good OAT score?Entering-class OAT averages for every school, and what score to aim for.
• The new federal loan capWhat the $200,000 limit on federal loans means for every school's cost.
• OptomCAS application timelineMonth by month, from the OAT to your first interview, with every school's deadline.