Photo Credit: Gil Brown. Dr. Pamela Miller with her husband, Joel, in front of their plane, which they use to transport animals from kill shelters to safety as part of the Pilots N Paws program. Dr. Miller offers pointers for distinguishing between boredom and burnout. Participating in charities, she notes, can be reinvigorating.
Distinguishing between boredom and burnout
By Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD, FNAP
Oct. 1, 2025
It’s common for optometrists to hit stretches where work feels off. Maybe you find yourself dragging your feet in the morning or noticing that seeing patients isn’t as fulfilling as it once was.
But what exactly are you dealing with—boredom, burnout or something else?
Here are points to keep in mind when you start to wonder if you’re bored or burned out in your optometry career, and what to do about it.
Distinguishing Boredom from Burnout
The terms can sound interchangeable, but they mark different experiences with different solutions. Both can impact your mood, your ability to focus and how you show up for your team and your patients.
Boredom, for most of us, shows up as a lack of motivation. You find yourself less interested in your daily tasks. You may have trouble staying focused or feel like you’re on autopilot. Work feels repetitive, and you just can’t remember the last time you were excited about any part of it.
Burnout is different and deeper. You may feel depleted—emotionally, physically or both. Instead of simply feeling checked out, burnout comes with a sense of being overwhelmed. Every task feels heavy. Rather than just waiting for the day to end, you start feeling hopeless about the future of your work.
You may even be experiencing physical effects, like headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances and even a weakened immune system, etc. You may find yourself being overly ambitious, neglecting your personal and family needs and even denying the problem.
Burnout is often associated with increased patient volume and an increased number of days/hours in the office and even a feeling that you are ‘underwater’ with respect to finances and personal obligations, etc.
What Should I Be on the Lookout For?
When boredom is in play, you may:
- Notice you’re zoning out during patient appointments.
- Feel restless or like no part of your typical routine is interesting.
- Spend more time than usual scrolling your phone or procrastinating.
- Catch yourself wondering, “Is this all there is?”
On the other hand, signs of burnout often look like:
- Constant fatigue that doesn’t go away with rest or time off.
- Irritability with staff or patients that wasn’t there before.
- A sense that you’re never really catching up, no matter how hard you try.
- You may even find yourself fantasizing about quitting optometry altogether, or even actually running away and leaving everything and everyone behind.
Knowing which side of the line you’re on is important because boredom and burnout require different solutions.
What Causes Boredom and Burnout?
Boredom often creeps in slowly. Maybe you’ve been following the same routine for years—same exams, same procedures, same office banter. Life can feel flat when you’re not challenged.
Burnout usually results from chronic, unaddressed stress. Common contributors in optometry include juggling high patient loads, administrative headaches or feeling isolated in private practice. Sometimes, personal life circumstances—childcare, aging parents, relationship changes—pile on top of it all.
What Can You Do?
If you suspect boredom is the culprit, consider small changes first:
- Switch up your schedule, even in a small way.
- Take on a new area of clinical interest or continue your education in a different direction, or even in another field, profession or specialty within optometry.
- Engage more with your professional and/or local community, or even revive an old hobby.
You might discover that what you need most is a different kind of challenge or connection, inside or outside of work.
If, instead, you realize you’re burned out, it may be time to step back and reassess. The main thing is not to ignore it or assume it’s just normal. Here are some steps to take:
- Give yourself permission to admit how you’re feeling.
- Talk to someone—a mentor, counselor or trusted OD colleague.
- Look at your workload—could you cut back on hours, refer out a particular service or bring in extra help?
- Let those closest to you know what’s going on. Burnout rarely resolves in isolation.
As with any mental health or emotional concern, don’t hesitate to reach out to a qualified professional if you feel stuck. Sometimes a neutral party is what’s needed to get clarity and make a plan.
Be Mindful of Your Own Needs
Boredom and burnout can both erode your enthusiasm and sense of well-being. I encourage you to check in with yourself regularly. Is your lack of joy at work something mild and new—or are you so depleted that it’s hard to see a way forward?
Don’t judge yourself for what you’re feeling. Instead, treat it as a sign that something deserves your attention.
The Bottom Line: You Should Feel Energized by Your Work
Every OD goes through ups and downs, but if you can’t remember the last time you felt enthusiastic and energized by your work or life, it’s worth pausing to figure out why. Both boredom and burnout matter, and both can be remedied—so long as you recognize what’s happening and take your feelings seriously.
Read another article by Dr. Miller here.
Pamela Miller, OD, FAAO, JD, FNAP, has a solo optometric practice in San Bernadino, Calif. She holds a law degree and a therapeutic license, is California State Board-certified and glaucoma-certified to prescribe eye medications, and offers comprehensive vision care, contact lenses, visual therapy and low vision services. To contact her: drpam@omnivision.com
