Careers

Career Description

The experiences of an Air Force Ophthalmologist are quite different than those of a civilian ophthalmologist. One day you could be prescribing glasses for a child, the next you could be performing emergency surgery in the field. Whether you're based in the United States or deployed as part of a medical team to third-world countries, your skills will make a difference in ways they simply can't in the civilian world.

Career Tasks

• Provide a full spectrum of care, including routine eye exams, diagnosis and medical treatment of eye disorders and diseases, prescription for eyeglasses, surgery and management of eye problems that are caused by systemic illnesses
• Provide care in inpatient and outpatient settings and evaluate and treat medical and surgical conditions of the eye
• Specialize in the surgical and medical care of the eyes and visual system and in the prevention of eye disease and injury
• Opportunities exist to practice as an ophthalmic surgeon in various settings, including third-world countries and theaters of war
• Perform laser refractive surgery

Relevant Interests & Skills

You might like this career if you have interests in these areas:

• Health and Medicine
• Natural Science
• Business Operations and Administration

Becoming a Direct Commission Officer

To ease your transition into the Air Force, you'll enter a five-week training regimen designed to educate you on the ways of both the military and military healthcare. You'll participate in physical conditioning five days a week, leadership training and classroom studies.