Until recently, I didn’t realize how important it is to assess the size of the optic nerve head along with the cup-to-disc ratio. Now I know that evaluating the C/D ratio without considering optic nerve head size is a lot like categorizing someone’s body mass index based only on weight without considering height! The overall […]
4 Quick and Easy Ways to Assess Optic Nerve Head Size Read More »
Learning from your mistakes is a crucial step in improving yourself as a clinician. After providing regular patient care in the school clinic for a few months as a third year, I’ve seen and made some common mistakes. Here are the top 10 most common mistakes optometry students can make in clinic: Occluding one eye
Top 10 Mistakes in Clinic Read More »
Do you ever feel like you have so much you want to do but not enough time to get it all done? Vision Expo West had a lot to offer – between exploring the exhibition halls, getting free swag, networking with doctors and exhibitors, and partying the nights away, it seemed impossible to cram in
3 Valuable Lessons I Learned Attending a CE Course at Vision Expo West Read More »
I can’t believe how quickly the first semester of optometry school is flying by! At PCO, we’ve already had our white coat ceremony, purchased our trial lens sets, and survived our first round of midterms. Now it’s time for the first years to make another exciting (and expensive) purchase… diagnostic kits! The diagnostic kits include
Tips for Selecting Your Diagnostic Kit Read More »
Retinal hemorrhages are often hallmarks of many ocular and/or systemic diseases. Thus, finding them in asymptomatic patients during comprehensive eye exams may require further evaluation to determine the principle cause. It is crucial to identify and classify various types of hemorrhages because optometric management is influenced by the underlying etiology. The following are the most
4 Most Common Retinal Hemes You’ll Find: Location and Etiology Read More »
David Cartwright’s case has been selected for our Clinical Case of the Month! David is a 4th year optometry student at State University of New York College of Optometry. Here’s the case: Age/Sex/Race 78 yo white male Chief Complaint He complained of complete vision loss OD following a “stroke” that occurred 6 weeks prior. His
Clinical Case Review: Complete Vision Loss OD Following a “Stroke” Read More »
At the beginning of orientation I was told that time spent in optometry school had a strange ability to pass both incredibly slowly and quickly at the same time. Without getting sappy, I have to agree with this statement. During second year at PCO, the curriculum’s focus changes drastically from the broad optical and physical
My 2nd Year at Pennsylvania College of Optometry Read More »
Insurance is an important part of our profession, since it gives patients the ability to afford our services. Medicare is particularly important, but can be confusing. I’ve laid out answers to some of the basic questions about Medicare that incoming optometry students should know about. 1. Who is eligible? Medicare is for those individuals who:
4 Things Incoming Optometry Students Should Know About Medicare Read More »
As primary eye care providers, optometrists play a key role in preventing, identifying and treating vision loss in the general population. To effectively assist patients with visual impairment, optometrists not only need to be competent clinically, but must also display compassion and patience. Never tell a patient, “Nothing more can be done.” (1) Though it
5 Tips for an Effective Low Vision Exam Read More »
Hallucination vs. Illusion: Hallucination is sensory perception of things that are not there and persist with eye closure. Illusion is misperception of viewed objects. What is Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS)? CBS is classified under hallucination and may occur in patients with visual acuity loss, visual field loss or reduced contrast sensitivity (1, 2). It may
Quick Facts and Management of Charles Bonnet Syndrome Read More »
