A lot of people I know that need glasses usually all wear contact lenses. Usually for obvious reasons for example they don't like how they look with glasses, glasses are uncomfortable, or sometimes contact lenses are easier. However a lot of people that wear contact lenses do not follow the directions that Optometrists usually tell them to follow in order to wear the contact lenses and keep the eyes healthy.
A lot of people are unaware pf the damages that contacts can cause for the eyes if they are not cleaned, changed regularly, and taken out every night before bed. There are people I know that would wear their contact lenses day and night and some people that wear their contact lenses until their eyes feel uncomfortable or until they rip. Things that can occur to your eyes if contact lenses are not changed and cleaned regularly are pretty bad. Not changing contact lenses can cause bacteria to build up and therefore cause eye infections. Conact lenses are to be changed regularly in order to avoid infections and other serious damages to the eyes.
Precautions and ways to keep your contacts clean can be seen through this website.
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/caring-contact-lens
Many college students work in places that do not relate to what they are going to school for. Some are fortunate to be able to do so, but for those that have to work in fields that is completely opposite of what you want to be it can be hard. Many of the jobs that we would actually want and that relate to our career are usually jobs that require experience or some sort of degree, unfortunately some of us may not have that still. Now a days, a lot of grad schools and jobs require that you have some kind of experience in the field before they accept you into their school or hire you into their company. The reasons I believe they do this is because they want to know that they are accepting or hiring a person that won't get bored or tired of the spot they are given within a week, therefore wasting either the company's or school's time. Not only will they waste their own time and the company's and school's time, but they will also take the spot of someone who might really want to be there. For this reason it is always a good idea to volunteer or become an intern at an office or company that relates to your future career.
In my case I am planning to apply to Optometry next year, if I get all my classes done in time. For Optometry school Optometric experience is not required, but it is recommended. Currently I work at a dental office, which is a completely different field then Optometry, but I would like to believe that with this job I am gaining a lot of experience working with patients in a professional way, dealing with insurances, and also dealing with billing. These things are important for me because when I become an Optometrist I will be working with many patients and since I will open up my own office one day, knowing how to deal with insurances, payments and buying supplies for the office is a great skill to have. However, I have also volunteered an Optometrist office. During this time I learned a few things that Optometrist do and I also learned new terms that I had never heard before. I believe it is always a good idea to volunteer or become an intern in a field you are trying to get into because that can determine if you really actually like it or not.
During the time I have been in school, I have only volunteered in two different places. One of them being UCSF volunteer department. The experience I believe I gained from UCSF is patient experience. This experience will benefit me in the long run because it has increased my knowledge about how patients are and also the different types of patients there is.
I have also volunteered at an Optometry place inside of Mission Neighborhood Health Center which is located in the Mission District of San Francisco. This office is privately own and it gave me an insight of how it would be when I one day own my own office. In this office I learned other things as well such as how often patients need to get examined depending on the severity of their cases and also depending on their age. I learned a lot of other interesting facts about the eyes and the ways certain diseases can affect eye vision.
Even though I have only really volunteered at one Optometry place, I feel like I have learned a lot. I do plan on volunteering at other offices and I am trying to volunteer at hospitals and also with non-profit organizations. There are a couple of places that offer volunteer opportunities one of them being VOSH, (Volunteer Optometric Services To Humanity). The services they provide are mostly out of the country. What they do is provide vision care for places such as Nicaragua, Mexico, Phillipines, and many other countries that need assistance in vision care. Another place that offers the same types of services and accepts volunteers is Unite for Site. There are many other places that someone can volunteer or intern at that relates to Optometry, not only do you help yourself when you do these types of services, but you also help others in need.
In every field out there whether it is business, real estate, dentistry, or optometry there is always a current event that affects the field, whether it be in a good way or bad way they all get affected at some point. Things that can affect the field of Optometry is exactly what kind of things a Optometrist can do with their patients. Ever since Optometry came to be a career, there has always been a debate of what the difference is between an Optometrist and a Ophthalmologist.
At one point, Optometrist where viewed more like Opticians, they were not allowed to touch or get near a patients eyes. As time passed Optometrists were able to get laws passed that allowed them to do more with patients therefore expanding there capability to open their own business and also not to have to work under an Ophthalmologist. This has had a big impact on Optometrist until this day.
Even though Optometrists are now able to have there own practice, there are still some issues that Optometrist are still dealing with. Across the United States, many Optometrist have certain restrictions that are different in every state. Some restrictions can include the prohibition of fitting contact lenses on a patient. Even though that might sound weird to us because many of us, here in California can go to our Optometrist and get fitted for contact lenses, in other states that is prohibited and the Optometrist would have to refer the patient to an Ophthalmologist. Even though many of these restrictions may not apply to us in California, they do affect a lot of people in other states.
The video above gives a good definition of what exactly is the difference between an Ophthalmologist and a Optometrist.
Throughout college we take
many courses, some that correspond to the major we are interested in, some that
are pre- requisites for grad schools or programs we want to get into after we
are done with our undergraduate studies, and some that are practically just for
a broader knowledge. Some of these courses are great for our future career, but
many of them have nothing to do with our future career and all they do is
increase our knowledge about side things. Since I just transferred to San
Francisco State University Fall 2011, most of the classes that I have taken
have been at City College of San Francisco; However, I have taken enough
courses here at SFSU that fit each category, therefore I will explain the
courses from SFSU.
There are so many courses
that I have taken that I do not feel correspond to my future career, but there
are also many that do correspond to my career. Since I am currently at San
Francisco State University, I will discuss courses I have taken there.
For Spring semester of
2012, I took a class called Introduction to Women and Gender Studies.
The Description of the course is " Introduction to origins, purpose,
subject matter, and methods of women and gender studies and the feminist
perspective on a range of social issues affecting women"(SFSU, class schedule website, WGS 200). I took
this class in order to fulfill my segment 3 courses, which are necessary in
order to graduate. This class expanded my knowledge on how women have been
viewed throughout centuries and how women have overcame many obstacles to get
where they are today. Even though this course was really interesting, it did
not have anything to do with the field of Optometry.
Another class I took was Calculus. This course is a pre-requisite for both my major and Optometry school. Even though this course is a major requirement, I do not see how it can relate to my field. It probably does in some ways, but since I am not in Optometry school yet, I am unaware of how it is directly related to the field.
Out of all the courses that I have taken for my career, the one that relates to Optometry the most is Physics. This course directly speaks about the eye, the field of vision, and also many other things that involve the functions of the eye. Physics takes a major part in the OAT, it is a pre-requisite for all Optometry schools, and it is also a required course for my major, Cell and Molecular Biology. Even though it is one of the key players for my career, Physics is a subject that I dislike. Hopefully I can get intrigued by it more, but for now the only part of physics that catches my attention is the area of the eye.
These are only a couple of courses that I have taken that have nothing to do with my career, fall under pre-requisites, and also are directly related to Optometry. I have taken so many other courses also that can fall under these categories. Many of them have been very interesting and I am glad I took them because it increases my knowledge on other aspects of life; However, it would be easier and faster to not have to take those courses because sometimes they are just a waste of time. However, I have come a long way and as much as I enjoyed some courses, I also hated some too, but once we are done with all those general education courses or segment 3 courses (from SFSU) we can be on the road to having courses that are directly related to our careers and that is exactly how I feel about my future courses.
I feel like I have been in school for far too long! However, my journey (of being in school) will one day end and I will be sitting in my own office as an Optometrist taking care of patients and providing my daughter everything this world can offer. For now, though, I have many milestones I have met and still need to meet in order to become a successful Optometrist.
When I decided that I wanted to become an Optometrist, the first thing I looked into were the Optometry schools. In California there are only 2 Optometry schools UC Berkeley and Southern California School of Optometry. All together there are only 22 schools of Optometry all across the United States, which is not a lot compared to Dental schools (which have approximately 58) and Medical schools (which have approximately 180). When I saw this I was pretty shocked and concerned because I know and have been told that any of these types of schools are very competitive, therefore when it is time to apply, you have to apply to as many as you can and you have to have really good grades, grade point average, and also a good “portfolio”.
My school of preference is UC Berkeley because it is one of the best Optometry schools in the U.S and because it is in the Bay Area. After I knew that this was my school of choice and that Optometry was the career I wanted to pursue, I did a lot of research on pre-requisites, exams, and other things that I will need in order to get into the school. Even though I mostly looked at the requirements for UC Berkeley, they are pretty much the same for all Optometry schools.
Optometry School's main class requirements are Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, and English. Since most of these requirements require atleast 2 semesters of each, many students choose to major in a branch of Biology; However, Optometry schools do not require a Bachelor's Degree in any kind of Biology. They accept any kind of Bachelor's degree whether it is a business degree, arts degree, or whatever you want, as long as all the science, math, and english requirements are met. I havc met 2 Optometrist that did not have their degree anywhere near Biology. One of them had a degree in business while the other doctor had it in history. Even though I knew that was an option, I still decided to major in Biology: cell and molecular, because I love biology and I find it fascinating. Other requirements that some schools look for is volunteering, working, or being an intern at an Optometry office. The reason they sometimes require this is because they want you to make sure that you are in deed interested in the field and you have a sense of what it is about.
Besides the volunteering and required classes a major part of applying to Optometry school is taking the OAT (Optometry Admission Test). In this exam, you will be tested on the courses mentioned above. There are courses that can help you prepare for this exam, such as the Kaplan course. This course, from what I have heard, is very good at preparing you to succeed in taking the OAT.
After I am done with Optometry school, which takes about 4 years, I would want to work in someone else's office first and then open up my own office. This video discuses some tips on how to open up your own business.
Something else I would like to share about the my road to a career in Optometry is that I did attend UC Berkeley's Opto- Camp. In this camp we learned a lot about the school, the admission process, deadlines, what makes a good candidate for the school, how to prepare yourself for school interviews, and so much more. It was so helpful to attend this past summer, 2012.
What kind of material do Optometrists
read or write? This is a question I never thought about until now! When I think
about being an Optometrist, I think of how I will be helping patients with
their vision care. It never occurred to me all the reading and writing that I
still have to do in order to keep up with my practice, technology, and also to
be up to date with new research that will be necessary to provide my patients
with the best care.
Things To
Read:
There are a lot of things
that Optometrist have to read. Many times Optometrists may have to refer
patients to other specialists and the specialists send the Optometrist letters
of what is going on with the patient to keep the Optometrist updated and also
informed about the patient. Also there are many changes that can occur within
the Optometry field, therefore Optometrists must stay updated with the latest
news in order to better serve their patients.
For example the
AOA, American Optometric
Association, is a website that has the latest news on new
research about the eye and also it keeps the Optometrist updated with
conventions and classes that are needed in order to keep themselves registered.
Other things that they have to read are emails from patients, other
Optometrists, and doctors. Optometrist read many things including order forms
so that they can order equipment for their practice, frames, and other
necessary supplies in order to keep the practice running and also to make sure
they can always provide their patients with anything that may be necessary.
Other material that Optometrists may read are Optometric journals, these journals consist of
studies done by other Optometrist or other eye related doctors.
Things To
Write:
Just how there are many
things that Optometrists have to read, there are many things they also have to
write. Each day, an Optometrists has to document examination information for
each patient. They also have to write prescriptions for patients that may need
it. Just like they have to read emails, they also have to respond to emails.
Optometrists also write blogs, just like we do. For example, they can write
blogs so that they can get feedback regarding a certain topic. This feedback
can be from their patients or from anyone around the world that may want to
have their input in the same topic. Optometrist do a lot of writing and if they
want to go beyond their daily tasks of writing prescriptions and documenting they
will have to be highly involved in the Optometry association.
Before, I did not realize
how much Optometrists have to read and write. Even though I had an idea because
it is only right that someone that is in charge of the health of your eyes to
have to read and write a lot, I did not realize the intensity of it. I think
that reading and writing is something that we all must get used to, even though
we may not like it because every professional field always required some kind
of daily reading and writing. So even though I thought that after college I
would not have to do so much reading and writing, I was wrong. However, it will
be on material that I enjoy, therefore I probably would not mind doing it at
all!
Optometry has caught my attention ever since
my sister was first seen for vision problems at a very young age. The first
time I saw the anatomy of the human eye, I was fascinated. It fascinated me to
know that the human eye is the only part of our body that is connected to the
brain by only one nerve. The human eye interests me a lot, therefore I would
enjoy working in the Optometry field to help people that have eye problems
because, to me, the eye is an important part of our body that helps us view the
many wonders of the world.
As soon as I knew that I wanted Optometry to be my future career, I knew I wanted to open up my own office one day because I feel that with your own practice, you are able to build better relationships with your patients and you are able to have more control of your personal life. Therefore knowing
first hand, from an Optometrist, what the benefits are of owning your own
practice, how the office operates and also of what his day consists of, was
very helpful.
Before choosing to be an Optometrist I did
not know what field I wanted to get into as a doctor. A lot of people would
tell me that the only down side of being a doctor is that they are usually
always on call and most of them don’t get to spend a lot of time with their
family. I always knew that I wanted to have a family and be able to spend as
much time with them as possible and not get interrupted during a holiday dinner
to go attend patients. Being an Optometrist and having your own business
provides those abilities. The benefits that come along with having your own
office is that you can create your own schedule. With his own practice, Dr. V
is able to create his own schedule and take vacations whenever he wants in
order to spend time with his family. His office is located in So. Cal and half
of his family are residents of San Francisco. Being able to create his own
schedule is great because he is able to come to San Francisco during any
holiday to spend time with his family.
Being an Optometrist and owning your own
practice also comes with other benefits as well, one of them being that how the
patients are scheduled and how much time you spend with them is entirely up to
you. His day begins at 9 AM and he sees many different types of patients,
varying in age and each one having different types of needs for their eyes. For
regular exams Dr. V is checking for cataracts, retinal tears, macular degeneration,glaucoma, lazy eye, and evidence of systemic diseases such as
diabetes and hypertension. He treats patients for all of the diseases mentioned
above and when there are certain cases that he can not treat he refers patients
to specialists. Throughout the day he also treats patients for contact lenses and also writes prescriptions for glasses for each of his patients when they are required. After he is done examining the patients, the Opticians will help the patients fit frames and then send the frames with the prescription to a lab so that they can fit them in for the patient. Dr. V has different closing times for different days. He recommends many of his patients to get checked annually in order to detect any type of disease early before it gets any worse. Also depending on the ages of the patients, older patients that are more prone to acquiring diseases are required to get their eyes checked more frequently then younger patients.
After finding out what it would be like to be an Optometrist with an owned practice, I realized how much I wanted to become an Optometrist and also own my practice. Becoming an Optometrist is something I look forward to everyday. I am excited to one day be able to help people with their vision. Even though I do not wear glasses and have not gone through the experience of having bad eye sight I know a lot of people that have bad eye sight including really close family members. Because of their experiences I know the importance of having good eye sight and having contact lenses or glasses in order to correct your eye sight if its not well. The thought of helping people to see better is really fascinating to me. I'm excited to see how the experience will be of being able to work with people's eyes and also being able to have my own practice where I can create my own schedule and also have the capability of building good relationships with my patients.
