The sense of sight is very complex, yet fascinating. Optometrists have the amazing opportunity to further explore this sense and help patients feel their mere existence to be nothing less than a miracle. The onset of illnesses of the body also manifest in the eyes and can be diagnosed through changes that occur within them. Upon screening for changes in the eyes, diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes can be diagnosed. Given that I already have a background in vision care, I ultimately find no other rewarding career for myself than one that serves patients to see and appreciate the simple pleasures around them. I treasure my experiences because I learn how to be more attentive. It is important for one to be skillfully unique; which can be achieved by holding the capacity to mold from personal experiences as well as consider opinions of others. I believe a person’s identity is refined by strong values that stem from education, religion, and culture.
My background in vision care and volunteer experience demonstrates my appreciation and interest in optometry. I have always been drawn towards the health care field and had opportunities to be exposed to a range of optometric work. I have graduated from the Vision Care Technology Program at City College. The course work offered by the program has helped me come to the conclusion that optometry is the professional field I wish to pursue. It gave insight into both the medical and business aspects of the optical world. I wanted to surpass my vision care knowledge and excel by becoming an optometrist. As I rotated at the on-sight clinic in college, I worked with patients alongside optometrists and learned how to function optometric equipment. I wanted an optometrist’s perspective about the profession so I spoke to my professors. One professor was a young optometrist who had just graduated from optometry school. I was impressed at her flexible timings because she taught and also practiced. Teaching is also something I will look into in the near future. After graduating with honors in Ophthalmic Dispensing, I transferred to State University. I am currently in the B.S/M.S program and will complete my Master’s in Biology by May 2016.
The B.S/ M.S program requires taking graduate courses along with undergraduate courses, a challenge I have taken head on. Being a full-time student and taking the maximum amount of credits can be overwhelming at times but not once has it discouraged me.
Patricia Bath, an inventor, scientist, ophthalmologist, mother, and wife, achieved more than any black women at her time. She always worked her best in school, trying to achieve her personal best and always testing the limits of science. “The ability to restore vision is the ultimate reward. It is a really great joy to remove eye patches the day after surgery and the patient can see again.” (source 8 page 29) Patricia was always happy to help a patient become able to see again. This shows how wonderful it truly is to tremendously help a person in need.
Seltzer, Jo. "Ophthalmologists Express Skepticism About Vision Therapy." Stlbeacon.org. N.p., 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 1 Mar. 2014.
“The Doctor” presented interesting and emotional concepts accurately representing the philosophies and behaviors of many medical professionals. Perhaps its viewing would be beneficial by members of our medical community, and provide a framework to the personalization of patient care.
I find myself privileged as I am the first generation from my family to complete Bachelor Degree. Therefore, "reaching perfection through adversity" is what inspired my journey of Physician Assistant studies. I am originally from small South-Asian country called Nepal, where I completed my High School education with science major. As a science student, I was always curious to know the cause, symptoms, prevention, and precaution of diseases. Unconsciously, I was trying to pursue medical profession. With a strong desire to help community and undeserved population, I got associated with organizations like: Red Cross and Rotary International during my High School education where I worked as a volunteer. These further strengthen my endeavor to pursue career in medical sector.
My father made a successful recovery and I became inspired. I realized that having the gift of sight is something people take for granted. Therefore, when I embarked on my undergraduate journey, I partook in several activities to help foster my thirst for knowledge about optometry. For instance, I became the treasurer of the pre-optometry club at the University of Florida. As an executive board member, I opened doors for others to find their passion for optometry through managing our budget and finances to sponsor trips and activities. Meanwhile, I also worked as a secretary and shadowed at the Eye Associates of Orlando, where I gained practical knowledge. I also volunteered for the KidSight Vision Screening Program where I entered data of visio...
1. Please briefly share the influences on your decision to pursue the field of medicine, including shadowing experiences and other medical related activities.
My interest in the career of optometry stems from my first experience in the optometry office to receive my first pair of glasses when I was in middle school. I distinctly remember the moment when my optometrist slipped my new glasses over my eyes for the first time. Suddenly, everything in the room came into sharp, clear focus. I knew that the glasses would help me see the board in school, but I was astonished to find that I could see small details about the room, as it had never before occurred to me that I should have been able to see these details. I was also surprised that I was even able to see the expressions on the faces of people who were standing far away from me. It was one of the most incredible, freeing, and empowering moments of my life. As I walked out of the optometry office, I felt
One part of the practice in particular that I really enjoy is working with our patients. I believe that in order to become an effective health care professional one must have the ability to transcend the medical jargon and communicate on a more personal level to turn the patient’s experience into something more than a “checkup”. This patient-doctor relationship is what motivates me to become an optometrist. I aspire to instill trust and confidence in patients under my care with hopes that it will lead to consistent and reliable experiences for
Just as everyone’s perception differs their comfort zone also differs. People are born and adapt to the surrounding physical world but if it is limited that does not mean these people are bound to be uncomfortable. In “Seeing Annie Dillard shows, “a twenty-one-year-old girl, the doctor relates, ‘Her unfortunate father, who had hoped for so much from this operation, wrote that his daughter carefully shuts her eyes whenever she wishes to go about the house, especially when she comes to a staircase, and that she is never happier or more at ease than when, by closing her eyelids, she relapses into her former state of total blindness ‘“ (414). The girl was only familiar with her blindness and not aware of her new sight, so she preferred to close her eyes in peace. Dillard describes in her book, patients recovering from cataracts surgery and being given sight. Some patients cherish their sight, thinking it is an absolute miracle, but others hate their sight because it is so unknown to them. Dillard then tries not to take her sight for granted but cannot see as the newly sighte...
I want to learn more about the medical field. I am very fascinated in the science aspects. You need to be attentive; sensitive to people’s needs and have a drive to address their needs in an utmost concerned manner. It is one of those jobs that require long working hours and often one must overlook one’s needs and cater to patients. I am a sensitive and very hard-working individual.
Eyes are the ‘organ of sight or vision; the visual sense; the sense of seeing’ (Biology-Online). The eye is an organ that detects light and sends signals along the optic nerve to the brain. The eye allows for light recognition and the ability to differentiate between colors, and light and dark. The eye is approximately 2.54 cm wide, 2.54 cm deep and 2.2 cm tall. The human eye has around 200-degree viewing angle and can see and detect more than 10 million colors and shades. This essay is going to look at ways of seeing. The possible problems with eyesight, and eyes of various kinds. It is one of the most rare problems today that is affecting people, all over the world. Around the world an estimate of 4 in 10 people have perfect vision/sight (BBC). The population of the world right now
Medicine has proven to be an elusive, tempestuous creature. It has appeared to me in visions nightmarish and calm, despairing and joyous. My pursuit has been an odyssey, taking me farther into my heart than I ever dreamed possible. However, before I could even begin to approach the emotional, physical and Intellectual demands of a physician's life, I had to gain a better understanding of myself, my identity and beliefs. Only with this stronger sense of self have I felt the confidence to give my best and my all, and to make my contribution to society.
Starmans, C., & Bloom, P. (2012). Windows to the soul: Children and adults see the eyes as the location of the self. Cognition, 123(2), 313-318.
...t in the field of optometry. Dr. Peterson showed me that it is important to understand how to deal with insurance companies, and how important it is to follow-up with paper works because there will be times one is required to run the front desk when the receptionist is not available. At Eye Maxx I also learned how to take the distance between the pupils using the pupilometer and how to manually measure it with the ruler. I was given the opportunity to take patients PD, which excited me as I felt that gratifying feeling that I was hoping to obtain in my career.
Dr. Anderson was successfully able to see a large number of patients per day, largely in part due to the help of staff members. Technicians perform pretesting on patients (including visual acuity testing and Optos imaging) and then direct patients to seats in the hall. This patient flow opens more chairs in the waiting room/dispensary and ensures that patients are ready to be seen by the doctor at the time of their appointment. Unfortunately, these chairs are immediately outside of the exam room, which necessitates exam room doors be completely shut for privacy. Overall, this process was a creative way of increasing the number of exams per day without increasing the number of exam lanes needed. Additional practice management advice gained was Dr. Anderson’s opinion on instrument importance and productivity. New optometry graduates must prioritize purchases due to large amounts of student debt and limited funding. Interestingly, Dr. Anderson advocated that the Optos retinal imaging instrument was his favorite and most profitable instrument. He explained that this technology provides a wow factor for patients, while also cutting down on exam time. For non-medical, routine exams, the retinal imaging allows for a complete exam without dilation (an added bonus for patients as well!). Furthermore, the advanced technology allows for sustained viewing of the retina and provides an opportunity for