Yes, your glasses are clean and you read that correctly — this list is all about the highest paying countries for optometrists.
I have extremely poor vision. If I stand more than about a foot and a half away from something without glasses on or contacts in, I can’t see it. It’s just a blur. Whenever I go to the eye doctor and they turn the lights out and turn on the screen that has the big letters, I can’t see them until they start putting lenses in front of my face. It just looks like a giant white blur. I can’t even see a semblance of letters. Not even the big “E.” It’s a little heinous. Granted, I hate carrots, so I might have done this to myself, but you wouldn’t think carrots would impact vision so significantly that each and every morning I have to try not to stab myself in the eye just to place a piece of what feels like rubber on my eyeball.
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Going to the eye doctor is not as bad as going to the dentist because I can still sustain a conversation, but it’s worse than doing most things when you’re someone like me who can’t see and it’s necessary in order to renew a contacts prescription. The worst part is when they blow a puff of air in your eye because, obviously, you’re going to flinch so they have to do it over and over again until they get an actual pressure reading. Then you get to suffer while they shine a bright light at you that you have to focus on and blind yourself further with. It’s not too fun for me and it never has. I admire the work they do, though, so that people like me can actually see and function in society with clarity.
In order to make this list, we first looked at the 30 most developed countries using the Gazette Review, Investopedia, and Before It’s News. This is because there aren’t specific statistics about salary in every single country, so these sources helped give us a starting point. From that top 30, we searched for their median salary from PayScale and Glassdoor. These come from online surveys, so they may not be completely accurate, but they’re a great estimate. This is similar to the construction of the highest-paying countries for nurses list.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the highest paying countries for optometrists.
7. Canada
Median salary: $62,475
Canada is one of the most developed and stable countries. It’s open for expats and offers great living with universal healthcare.
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6. Australia
Median salary: $63,704
Australia is a beautiful country with well-organized transportation, a great healthcare system, and some of the best universities.
5. Italy
Median salary: $64,996
There are limited English speakers in Italy compared to some other countries on this list, but the beautiful country is open for all. It’s fairly inexpensive to live in Italy, so you know your salary will go far.
4. France
Median salary: $76,062
France is a gorgeous place to live, and though the cost of living is a little high, it’s still one of the highest paying countries for optometrists and deserves a spot on this list.
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3. Netherlands
Median salary: $76,257
Netherlands has a lot of beautiful scenery to look at in your off time. The crime rate is pretty low, but you should watch out for bicyclists!
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2. Sweden
Median salary: $86,745
Sweden is a highly developed country that’s clean and has low crime rates. While the cost of living is high, the salary balances it out fairly well so you can afford a comfortable life. Most expats are secured with good healthcare, too, which is always a plus.
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1. United States
Median salary: $99,698
The US has countless opportunities for careers and plenty of options for where to live, which is why it’s a great place to start your optometry career. You’ll make a high salary that will get you far. Even though the healthcare system is under reform that could either be incredible or detrimental, it’s still a great place to live.
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That was our list of the highest paying countries for optometrists. We hope we managed to show you the top places to start your optometry practice if you’re looking for a little adventure.
