In December 1996 I was entering my final year at BYU. I was the BYU Optometry Club president and I had the opportunity to interview at Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) over the Christmas break. It just so happened that I was flying in from Florida after meeting my fiancé’s parents for the first time. Needless to say, life was happening. It was an exciting time and things looked bright.
The in-person interview process at SCCO had three stages. First, I had to write two essays within a given time on topics that I drew out of a hat. Second, I was invited to meet with three faculty and an upper class student who grilled me with questions. Lastly, I was invited to tour the campus with the student.
During the question and answer session one of the faculty asked what appeared to me the simplest of questions: What’s the difference between an ophthalmologist, optometrist and optician? My answer was straight forward. Ophthalmologists perform eye surgery, optometrists perform eye exams and opticians provide the eyewear. Little did I realize how distinct each of these professions are and yet how much we have in common and truly overlap in our overall eye care efforts.
As health care professionals, each of us has a specific role we play in caring for our patients’ eye health and wellness, and we coordinate care with one another in providing appropriate and timely treatment for each of our patients. When one professional needs assistance, we refer to the other who specializes in that area of expertise.
For instance, I prefer to be in my exam lane providing comprehensive eye exams, yet I also provide eyeglasses following the exam. We’ve hired an ABO certified optician who specializes in helping patients select frames that best match their facial features, determine lenses based on lifestyle needs, and adjust and dispense eyeglasses. She also repairs frames as occasion requires. In other offices, the optician may even fabricate the lenses to fit the frames. We order ours from a lab that specializes in this.
For another example, as an optometrist, I see people who have cataracts. As long as their vision and lifestyle are not impaired I’ll continue to monitor yearly. When the cataract progresses and vision blurs without sufficient improvement from glasses or contacts, I then refer to an ophthalmologist who determines if it is time to perform cataract surgery. Following the cataract surgery, I’ll see the patient back for follow-up visits and glasses, and continue their annual eye health evaluations. On the flip side, the ophthalmologist may be following a patient due to a specific eye condition and when it comes time to help with vision, the ophthalmologist refers the patient to my office for eyeglasses.
Another area of referral most people don’t consider is the referral by the optometrist to the patient’s primary care physician to be evaluated for diabetes, high blood pressure and other systemic conditions.
As I’ve related these various examples that each of these eye care professionals participate in, one common theme permeates through them: doctors of optometry are the primary eye care provider. We act as the gate keeper in many situations in helping patients receive the eye care they need. We examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures as well as identify related systemic conditions affecting the eye. When it’s time to refer for surgery or more specialized treatment, we coordinate care. We see patients of all ages.
Healthy eyes and clear vision are important to everybody. For the child, vision is responsible for 80% of all learning. For the adult in the work force, comfortable vision on the computer can improve productivity and clear distance vision can improve safety. For seniors, age related eye conditions become more of a concern as they try to maintain quality vision.
Comfortable, clear and healthy vision is important indoors and out of doors for work, relaxation and recreation. As an optometrist, that’s what I do. I help people see clearly and comfortably. It’s my job to detect early changes in eye health and help maintain healthy vision throughout life. Yearly exams can detect vision problems that, if caught early, can be treated. Yearly exams can fine-tune glasses and contact lens prescriptions maintaining the crisp, clear image people like seeing.
We often take our vision for granted until something goes wrong. This month as you go about your day- to-day activities, take time to appreciate your vision and consider how healthy your vision may be. You may have noticed lately that you’re having a harder time reading. Perhaps, you get tired more easily as you read or work on the computer. You may have noticed that you’re having just a little more difficulty seeing at night or detail at far just isn’t as crisp as it has been in the past. Perhaps you’ve been distracted by glare as you drive to or from work. Or, perhaps your eyes frequently itch or feel gritty and dry.
If any of these things are bothersome or you’re noticing changes call and schedule an eye exam. If it’s been more than a year, let’s get you in for a comprehensive evaluation so that we can look at your eye health as well. Remember, healthy vision is more than 20/20 vision.
Dr. Joseph Fife, O.D.
Paradise Canyon Eye Care