Optometry: Personal Narrative

What began as mere admiration for my childhood optometrist quickly evolved into a fervent aspiration when I began working as an optometric technician at Eye & Vision Care. Having been myopic since the age of 6, I have always had an interest in the inner workings of the eye and decided to apply to this job, without any concrete career plans in mind.

When I began medical school, I wasn't sure which field of medicine I would be most interested in pursuing. Now that I have explored the range of possibilities through preceptorships, research, personal and clinical experiences, I have discovered that ophthalmology contains all of the elements of medical care that I have enjoyed during my training.

Many children and adults are unsure about going to the eye doctor. The word optometrist alone is difficult to say, but for many the fear may lie in the uncertainty of how the doctor can look beyond the general outside of the eye and tell exactly what is making vision difficult or the cause of pain. I began understanding this at an early age.

I have shadowed two physicians during my pre-medical years. These experiences have significantly shaped the type of physician I want to be in the future. Not in the sense of a medical specialty, but rather in the sense of demonstrating a clear compassion and understanding for my patients.

I shadowed Dr. Martin Skie at the University of Toledo Medical Center when I started contemplating a career as a physician. He is an orthopedic surgeon and I had the privilege to shadow during several surgeries, and throughout clinical rotations. I spent over fifty hours shadowing him over the course of a month. I also had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Zachary Ginsberg, an intensivist, in Kettering Medical Center’s intensive care unit. I was able to discuss the patients, their conditions, the lab results, imaging studies, medications, procedures, and the science behind the thought process while shadowing for over one hundred hours over several months. Both opportunities provided insight into different specialties and sparked my interest.Since

In addition to working full time as a research technician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, I have been trying to gain more clinical experience. I have shadowed a few physician-scientists from my laboratory who are oncologist while they are at clinics. I have also been in contact with a family doctor whom I plan on shadowing every weekend starting in September. Most of the physicians I have shadowed in the past were specialists in their field and I feel it is important to expose to all types of different physicians. Shadowing a family doctor will give me a better idea of what being a primary care provider entails.

“Eyes are like a telescope; you can see images that you could never imagine with the power of eyesight all you’ll be able to see is darkness.” This is why you should become an optometrist assistant so no one would ever see the darkness. You can help others with their problem of not being able to see clearly. Optometrist assistants are given the opportunity to help people see unbelievable images. They are under the supervision of an optometrist, along with some guidance.

I have recently began to shadow Dr. Richards, an ophthalmologist. I have always had an interest in medical care relating to the eyes since I have developed a good relationship with my employer, Dr. Thomas.

My inspiration for wanting to become an optometrist was jump-started by my aunt Rosemary. My aunt suffers from dry macular degeneration, and she first started losing her eyesight when I was about five years old. I have always been close to her, and I have seen her vision deteriorate. Today she can see peripherally. I have watched as she lost her driving privileges and was forced into an early retirement. I always viewed my aunt's condition without an appreciation of how lucky I truly was to have normal vision. However, In the summer of 2002 I visited an optometrist for the first time. Since that first visit to the optometrist 13 years ago, my eyesight has drastically deteriorated. I currently have a correction factor of -7.25 in my right eye, and a correction factor of -8.0 in my left eye. My vision has stabilized, but my high correction power, coupled with observing my aunt's macular degeneration, allowed me to understand that the gift of vision may not be an everlasting gift. I want to do my best to help people make the best of what may not be an enduring attribute of their lives.

Discovery Program at Grady Memorial Hospital has inspired me to pursue an career in the medical field. Shadowing professions has helped to expand my knowledge about various jobs in the medical field. I got to experience how it's like in a hospital setting, witnessing a death from a cardiac arrest, seeing how a lumbar puncture procedure is done, and hear incoming patients through the dispatcher.

What draws me most to the OD program at MCPHS is the fact that the university prides itself in maintaining a culturally diverse student body. I believe cultural diversity is an important quality to have especially when it comes to handling patients. I grew up in a culturally diverse city, went to an extremely culturally diverse university (Wayne State University) and believe my own cultural interests would make a fine addition to MCPHS.

twice about my career and it showed me a lot about how it works. Although the nurse I shadowed

A patient follows a nurse into a vacant room with a chair in the center. The patient takes a seat in the chair and starts to observe everything around her. There are machines connected to the chair and more machines surrounding it. On the wall parallel to her there are letters that increase in size row after row on a large white paper. The doctor comes into the room and examines the patient by using the machines and making her read the letters on the wall across. The doctor continues to exam the patient by using a flashlight to see how the eye will respond. All these tests will allow the doctor to see how poor the patient’s vision is. All of these details will happen

I have also come to realize that this particular practice focuses more on disease and disease prevention juxtaposed to only offering refractions and other optical solutions. This type of practice is what interests me most in the field of optometry. Having extensive experience in the health field, namely the field of pharmacy, I was unsatisfied with the level of patient interaction and patient care a pharmacist can convey toward his/her patients. I understand the field of pharmacy is more complex than that of a local practice and that I may have been in a particular situation, but I wanted to have more of a connection with those in need. Being able to see patients at the clinic progress through treatment is what drew me even closer to the field after I started observing. I know the field of optometry can give me the opportunity to have a direct effect on patients and their ocular health. Which is why I have never wanted anything more for myself then to have the chance to become an