OPTOMETRIC EDUCATION BLOG

First Year Optometry Student’s First Day of School!

The school year is in full swing and we wanted to share this cute video from Joan Cmar, The Ohio State University, College of Optometry, Class of 2022, from her first day of school!

Kids with Vision: Schools and Programs Support Aspiring Optometrists as Early as Middle School

A few years ago, when Jessica Rodriguez was about 10 years old, she got a stye in her eye. She wondered why and how and she thought, “What if l become a doctor and treat kids like me with the same illness?” Now starting eighth grade at Indio Middle School, part of the Desert Sands […]

Things I Wish I Had Known Before My First Day of Optometry School

No matter how much you prepare for the start of your four years in optometry school, there will no doubt be some things you end up learning as you go. To help you avoid learning “the hard way,” as they say, we found four students nearing the end of first year who were willing to share what they eventually realized about situating themselves for success. Here’s what these members of the class of 2021 had to say.

Job Opportunities for Optometrists: Seek and You Shall Find

Optometrists are in demand!

Patients Benefiting from Interprofessional Education

The buzzword throughout health care and especially throughout optometry is interprofessional communication and care.

While sounding simple on paper, interprofessional education (IPE) presents a series of challenges, but that does not mean that we should not endeavor to reach this destination, especially as the health care model continues to shift in this general direction.

The Important Role of Optometrists in Today’s Dynamic Market

I’m often asked by students for advice as they begin their career. My answer is simple and consistent—never lose sight of why you chose to be an Optometrist.

I remember, early on in my career, I was taking care of a patient who had just returned from the war in Iraq. He was only 20 years old and had recently lost all his limbs following an IED explosion. Despite needing visual correction, with the physical limitations he was experiencing, he craved the freedom of not needing to continually ensure spectacles remained on. My desire was to give this young soldier, who gave us all so much through his sacrifice, the gift of sight.

CooperVision’s Student Ambassador Experience

Each year, a third or fourth year student at each college of optometry has the opportunity to serve as a CooperVision student ambassador. The program is designed to give a student with an interest in the contact lens industry an opportunity to partner with CooperVision and to facilitate sponsorship and other opportunities at their school. The Student Ambassador acts as a liaison between the optometry school and CooperVision and receives a $500 educational grant for their time and effort.

Company Description: CooperVision’s dedication to prescription contact lens design, materials and manufacturing excellence enhances the wearing experience of contact lens patients the world over. CooperVision concentrates on all day wearing comfort in the widest variety of lens designs, materials and wearing options.

Retina Focus: How Do You Know if Treatment is Working?

Determining the effectiveness of treatment in a patient with suspected retinal pathology can be challenging. While visual acuity can serve as a benchmark, vision gains do not necessarily correlate with improvement in structure or global function. Despite the array of diagnostic modalities available to the eye care expert, very few of them deliver actionable information that is helpful in deciding if treatment is working, when to change course, or perhaps even when to cease treatment because risks outweigh the potential benefits.

A Visit to Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University – Education Strengthens our Ability to Serve our Customers

The vision care field is continually evolving, with new technology and techniques being pioneered at a fantastic pace. Continuing education is required of optometrists to keep up with these innovations; why shouldn’t we as industry partners engage in ongoing training in order to serve our ODs better?

Volk has a comprehensive in-house training program for employees. With slit lamps, BIOs, lenses and model eyes, we can get a really great understanding of basic eye anatomy. However, static model eyes, 2D textbooks and videos just can’t effectively simulate the tremendous variety of real patients our ODs see in their practices. In an effort to see what our customers actually see, we were fortunate to partner with Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University.

Top 10 FAQs for Opening a New Optometry Practice

Along with the excitement of going into business for yourself, there’s often a bit of apprehension. Sound guidance and tips from someone who’s already successfully traveled the journey of business start-up and ownership can be an invaluable resource. In this brief article, I share my own experience to answer some of the most common questions asked by doctors just starting out in practice. I hope you find this information helpful and I wish you the best in your new endeavor!