My Interest in Optometry :: Career in Optometry

The sense of sight is very complex, yet fascinating. Optometrists have the amazing opportunity to further explore this sense and help patients feel their mere existence to be nothing less than a miracle. The onset of illnesses of the body also manifest in the eyes and can be diagnosed through changes that occur within them. Upon screening for changes in the eyes, diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes can be diagnosed. Given that I already have a background in vision care, I ultimately find no other rewarding career for myself than one that serves patients to see and appreciate the simple pleasures around them. I treasure my experiences because I learn how to be more attentive. It is important for one to be skillfully unique; which can be achieved by holding the capacity to mold from personal experiences as well as consider opinions of others. I believe a person’s identity is refined by strong values that stem from education, religion, and culture. My background in vision care and volunteer experience demonstrates my appreciation and interest in optometry. I have always been drawn towards the health care field and had opportunities to be exposed to a range of optometric work. I have graduated from the Vision Care Technology Program at City College. The course work offered by the program has helped me come to the conclusion that optometry is the professional field I wish to pursue. It gave insight into both the medical and business aspects of the optical world. I wanted to surpass my vision care knowledge and excel by becoming an optometrist. As I rotated at the on-sight clinic in college, I worked with patients alongside optometrists and learned how to function optometric equipment. I wanted an optometrist’s perspective about the profession so I spoke to my professors. One professor was a young optometrist who had just graduated from optometry school. I was impressed at her flexible timings because she taught and also p racticed. Teaching is also something I will look into in the near future. After graduating with honors in Ophthalmic Dispensing, I transferred to State University. I am currently in the B.S/M.S program and will complete my Master’s in Biology by May 2016. The B.S/ M.S program requires taking graduate courses along with undergraduate courses, a challenge I have taken head on. Being a full-time student and taking the maximum amount of credits can be overwhelming at times but not once has it discouraged me.