As a student, we are offered a free subscription to Review of Optometry, a well known optometry periodical, and I read an article in there that talked about Intrastromal Refractive Surgery. Basically, current refractive surgery techniques involve some kind of direct interruption of the outer layer of the cornea (the epithelium), either by incision (LASIK) or brushing off the epithelium (PRK). But with this newer technique, a surgeon can perform refractive surgery without having to cut through the cornea. It's basically like doing surgery without having to cut the skin! This procedure is still pretty new, but look out in the future for this technology!
Here is the online version of the article, make sure to check it out!
http://www.revoptom.com/index.asp?page=2_13739.htm
Archive for March of 2008
New refractive surgery procedure
March 30, 2008Full speed ahead
March 24, 2008
Things are now full speed ahead here at SCCO for the Class of 2010...last week, we had a couple of homework assignments due, including a huge contact lens evaluation packet where we had to fit a couple of rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses on a partner and prescribe them a lens that will work. Rigid lenses are pretty difficult to fit!!! There are all sorts of factors that come into play, and you'll learn all about them when you get into school.
Also last week we had our Vision Therapy (VT) proficiency, which involved the basic parts of a VT exam, including a patient's ability of their two eyes working as a team, their ability to focus, and a couple of other techniques. This proficiency wasn't nearly as tough as the OHP proficiencies we had last quarter, but it was still challenging in a sense that there are lots of patient instructions involved. Which brings me to an important point about optometry school - communication skills is a MUST! If you don't know how to communicate well, especially when giving instructions, your eye exam will be very difficult because your patients need to know exactly what to do or how to respond as you're doing all these tests on them. Just like I mentioned in the last blog, your classmates will always know how to respond to your instructions because they are learning it too, but patients won't have a clue!!! Not to mention, you have to use simple terminology all the time, and that can be challenging at times because we are buried in optometric nomenclature every single day here at optometry school.
Also last week we had our Vision Therapy (VT) proficiency, which involved the basic parts of a VT exam, including a patient's ability of their two eyes working as a team, their ability to focus, and a couple of other techniques. This proficiency wasn't nearly as tough as the OHP proficiencies we had last quarter, but it was still challenging in a sense that there are lots of patient instructions involved. Which brings me to an important point about optometry school - communication skills is a MUST! If you don't know how to communicate well, especially when giving instructions, your eye exam will be very difficult because your patients need to know exactly what to do or how to respond as you're doing all these tests on them. Just like I mentioned in the last blog, your classmates will always know how to respond to your instructions because they are learning it too, but patients won't have a clue!!! Not to mention, you have to use simple terminology all the time, and that can be challenging at times because we are buried in optometric nomenclature every single day here at optometry school.
My first primary care exam
March 18, 2008
Tonight I just conducted my first primary eye care exam, but on a "real" patient - we get to bring in a friend or relative and they get a free eye exam. I did a couple of exams in the clinic previously, but on my classmates. However, "real" (non-student) patients respond in a totally different way to the instructions you give them. Students already know how to respond, and so they give responses very quickly. However, "real" patients tend to sometimes misunderstand your instructions or take a longer time to respond. This results in a less smooth-running exam, and you end up taking much longer than with an "ideal" patient like a student.
My first exam was fine overall (there were some bumps and hesitations here and there) but what takes long is having to check in with the staff doctor at certain points of your exam. This also means waiting for the doctor if they are busy with other students. What also takes long is waiting for diagnostic equipment (like visual field screeners, non-contact/"air puff" tonometers, etc.) to free up since other students are using them too. And also, since most students have pretty much healthy eyes, seeing pathology on patients tends to slow you down as well. And did I mention paperwork! That takes REALLLLY long! So much to record, and so much to verify in making sure that your data is all there, and all correlates and makes sense.
My first exam was fine overall (there were some bumps and hesitations here and there) but what takes long is having to check in with the staff doctor at certain points of your exam. This also means waiting for the doctor if they are busy with other students. What also takes long is waiting for diagnostic equipment (like visual field screeners, non-contact/"air puff" tonometers, etc.) to free up since other students are using them too. And also, since most students have pretty much healthy eyes, seeing pathology on patients tends to slow you down as well. And did I mention paperwork! That takes REALLLLY long! So much to record, and so much to verify in making sure that your data is all there, and all correlates and makes sense.
Optometry as a Career Choice
March 12, 2008
Below is an article called "Optometry as a Career Choice" by Paul Farkas, MS, OD, FAAO, who is the website administrator for a very popular optometry forum called ODWire.org (unfortunately, only current optometry students and optometrists can apply for membership). It's very informative, especially for those of you who are new to optometry...
Optometry as a Career Choice
You will graduate college this year. You have a high grade point average and are strong in sciences. You enjoy dealing with people and helping them. You decide to explore the health professions that lead to a doctorate.
Your GPA will allow you to consider Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatry or Optometry. You rule out medicine, because you do not wish to have the stress of life and death decisions combined with unpredictable hours. Dentistry is unappealing because you have never enjoyed working with your hands and suspect you are a bit clumsy.
That leaves Podiatry or Optometry. You learn that Podiatry has a low glamor rating but high income potential. Optometry has a median salary that is $88,000 versus Podiatry at $124,000. For more on glamor versus income visit ...http://netscape.salary.com/articles/...ce.asp?atc=544
You feel eyes and vision have a greater “glamor factor” than feet and ankles and are willing to sacrifice the potential income difference for what you perceive is a satisfying profession. What are your perceptions of optometry? You gain your knowledge from sources such as the Center for Advising and Student Achievement whose description...
Optometry as a Career Choice
You will graduate college this year. You have a high grade point average and are strong in sciences. You enjoy dealing with people and helping them. You decide to explore the health professions that lead to a doctorate.
Your GPA will allow you to consider Medicine, Dentistry, Podiatry or Optometry. You rule out medicine, because you do not wish to have the stress of life and death decisions combined with unpredictable hours. Dentistry is unappealing because you have never enjoyed working with your hands and suspect you are a bit clumsy.
That leaves Podiatry or Optometry. You learn that Podiatry has a low glamor rating but high income potential. Optometry has a median salary that is $88,000 versus Podiatry at $124,000. For more on glamor versus income visit ...http://netscape.salary.com/articles/...ce.asp?atc=544
You feel eyes and vision have a greater “glamor factor” than feet and ankles and are willing to sacrifice the potential income difference for what you perceive is a satisfying profession. What are your perceptions of optometry? You gain your knowledge from sources such as the Center for Advising and Student Achievement whose description...
Learn Something New #5: Eyelash Enhancement
March 06, 2008
Source
Did you know that there are many drugs out in the market that are used "off-label" - in other words, a drug that may be used for a particular reason other than the use tested by the FDA. This practice is legal in the United States! It so happens that the glaucoma drug called Lumigan (generic name = Bimatoprost) is used off-label for thicker, longer lashes! There are side effects, but the serious ones do not seem very prevalent. Despite this, my Ocular Pharmacology professor said that many doctors still prescribe this off-label, but of course, if prescribing for cosmetic reasons, insurance will not cover the cost so the patient will pay out of pocket. But hey, it's not the end of the world for those of you who wish you had longer eyelashes!
However, as a side note...I must add that if your patient for your slit lamp proficiency (in optometry school) has long lashes, you'll find it more challenging because it's hard to see the cornea past long lashes without holding up the lids. It may not make sense right now if you haven't been through it yet, but remember this and you'll be like "oh THAT'S what he was talking about!"
Spring quarter
March 04, 2008
We're now back to the grind again, with a whole new set of challenges ahead of us. This is only the first week and we are starting to get really busy already! We have a full schedule with lots of assignments thrown at us. Here are the classes that we are taking this quarter (a total of 21.75 units!!!):
- Ocular Pharmacology: we will learn about all sorts of drugs used for the eye in the OD scope
- Biostatistics & Research Design: part of the SCCO graduation requirement is to complete a research project, and this class will fill us in on how to design such a project
- Case Analysis and Prescribing II: lots of various topics regarding cases, including hyperopia, presbyopia, etc.
- Ocular Disease Diagnosis and Management I: the name says it all. This class is supposedly one of the most rigorous classes at SCCO - it is not a class to be taken lightly because there have been many people in the past who have had to remediate this class.
- Cornea and Contact Lens II: a continuation of what we learned last quarter, including toric RGP lenses, and soft contact lenses (both sphere and toric).
- Management of Non-Strabismic Binocular Vision Conditions: it's basically our first vision therapy class - I'll tell you more about it later since I don't know much about it right now.
- Optometric Clinical Service IV: we will be seeing our first non-student patients this quarter - we have to bring a friend or relative and give them a full, comprehensive primary eye care exam!
Stay posted for another exciting quarter here at SCCO...!
- Ocular Pharmacology: we will learn about all sorts of drugs used for the eye in the OD scope
- Biostatistics & Research Design: part of the SCCO graduation requirement is to complete a research project, and this class will fill us in on how to design such a project
- Case Analysis and Prescribing II: lots of various topics regarding cases, including hyperopia, presbyopia, etc.
- Ocular Disease Diagnosis and Management I: the name says it all. This class is supposedly one of the most rigorous classes at SCCO - it is not a class to be taken lightly because there have been many people in the past who have had to remediate this class.
- Cornea and Contact Lens II: a continuation of what we learned last quarter, including toric RGP lenses, and soft contact lenses (both sphere and toric).
- Management of Non-Strabismic Binocular Vision Conditions: it's basically our first vision therapy class - I'll tell you more about it later since I don't know much about it right now.
- Optometric Clinical Service IV: we will be seeing our first non-student patients this quarter - we have to bring a friend or relative and give them a full, comprehensive primary eye care exam!
Stay posted for another exciting quarter here at SCCO...!