Time flies when you are having fun!
It’s crazy to think that there is only 1 month left of my first year of optometry school at Pacific University College of Optometry. Looking back on the year, I am proud to say I’ve learned so much in what seems like such a short time. As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun!
I have really enjoyed my classes so far in optometry school and some of my favorites are the ones where my classmates and I work together to learn the fundamentals of an eye exam. For all of you hands on learners, Clinical Procedures and Ocular Disease are perfect for you. In these classes, we have learned some of the essential skills of any professional optometrist. As with any skill, a lot of practice is necessary and may be frustrating at times, however having the ability to lean on the support of my classmates is the key to our success!
A really fun skill we’ve learned is Retinoscopy. To perform this skill, you take a retinoscope and shine the light into the patient’s eye, looking for a reflex response. Retinoscopy gives us an objective estimate of the patient’s prescription. With this method, the patient does not tell you which lens they like better, it is completely up to the doctor to find the correct lenses that the patient can see through. It is really fun because you get a chance to work with the phoropter, and you can feel very accomplished after you nail your classmate’s prescription. I really enjoyed such a practical application; it helps me remember why I am working so hard in my studies.
"Retting” Kevin’s Prescription
Currently, we are learning direct ophthalmoscopy. With the ophthalmoscope, we are able to see in the back of the eye and assess its health. If you have ever seen a picture of the back of the eye, what you see in the photo is similar to what you would see with the ophthalmoscope. It can be a bit tricky, but it’s always exciting to see into the eye. If you have ever heard your optometrist say, the eye is the window of someone’s health, it’s true. Just from looking into someone’s eyes, you can see if they are at the risk of developing glaucoma, or have high blood pressure, and you can learn so much about their overall health, which in my opinion, is pretty amazing.
Getting close with the ophthalmoscope to see the back of my classmate’s eye
Can you see the heart formed by the blood vessels of the optic disc in one of my classmate’s eyes?
First year is not all about the books, you really do get to practice what you learn!
By Goretti Chan, first year Pacific University College of Optometry Student Ambassador.