Optometrists
Perform eye examinations and vision tests to determine the presence of visual, ocular and other abnormalities, ocular diseases and systemic diseases with ocular manifestations, and prescribe lenses, other optical aids, therapy and medication to correct and manage vision problems and eye diseases.
A Saturday with a full diary
You are an optometrist in a shopping centre practice, with a Saturday full of eye tests, new patients and a practice manager watching the clock. It is 9am. Eye tests are booked back to back, the waiting area is already filling and one patient has arrived forty minutes early. You will have to manage your time with care.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I only need my glasses updated. Just do the quick test and give me the same as last time. I'm in a hurry and I don't see why I need the full examination. My eyes feel fine.
Do only the quick test and update the lenses as he asked, since he says his eyes feel fine
You miss changes at the back of the eye that a full examination would show. The glasses fit his reading, but a problem that could have been caught is left to develop.
Explain that the full exam checks the health of the eye as well as the glasses
He grumbles, then agrees. The examination finds something that needs watching, and he is glad you pushed. He books a follow-up before he leaves.
Insist that you cannot update his glasses without the full exam and ask him to book another time
You are right, but he leaves and does not return for months. Insisting without explaining why can cost you the patient you wanted to protect.
We're running behind, and I've got a full afternoon. Could you speed up the tests a bit? A couple of minutes less each would help us a lot. The owner wants us to see more people.
Agree, and shorten the tests where you think nobody will notice the difference
A rushed test misses a small sign in a patient later in the afternoon. It is found by another optometrist a year later, and could have been caught earlier.
Explain what each part of the test is for and suggest ways to save time
Ms Okonkwo hears your reasoning and agrees to move some paperwork away from your room. You gain a few minutes, though not as many as she wanted.
Say that quality of care comes first, and refuse to change how you work at all
You protect the standard, but the practice feels you are not working with them. The afternoon stays tense and the waiting room fills with people who are annoyed.
I've been seeing flashes of light on and off for the last couple of days. I thought it would settle. It is probably nothing, and I didn't want to waste your time. Can you just do my usual check?
Take it seriously, examine her eyes closely and arrange a same-day specialist visit if needed
You find a sign that needs urgent care and ring the hospital eye clinic yourself. She is seen the same day, and she thanks you for not brushing it aside.
Do the usual check, note the flashes in her record, and tell her to mention them to her doctor soon
Flashes can mean something that needs prompt attention. A routine check on its own may not tell you enough, and every day matters.
Reassure her that flashes are common, and ask her to come back if it gets any worse over the week
Many flashes are harmless, but you can't know without looking. She goes home reassured, and has to rely on herself to know when to come back.
How it went
The last patient leaves, the lights go off in the testing room and you update your notes. Optometry combines careful science with the ability to explain what you've found. It also takes the courage to say we should look more closely. Would you enjoy being the person who notices?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The boy who hated his glasses
A fictional case set in an optometry practice in a suburban shopping centre.
The situation
Hana was an optometrist in a busy suburban practice. Leo, aged eight, had been struggling at school. His teacher thought he was not paying attention, but his mother suspected he couldn't see the board. When Hana tested his eyes, he clearly needed glasses. But when she fitted them and held up a mirror, Leo scowled, pulled them off and put them in his pocket. His mother was embarrassed. There was a queue of patients, and Hana could have left the family to work it out on their own.
What they did
Hana sat down at Leo's level and asked what he disliked. He said that the glasses made him look different and he was scared of being teased. She asked if he'd like to choose frames himself, and brought out a tray of bright and plain options. She showed him that he could read the chart from across the room with them on. She suggested his mum let him wear them at home first, and offered a quick call after a week to see how it was going.
How it turned out
Leo picked blue frames with a lightning bolt on the side and wore them to school the next day. His teacher noticed a change in how he paid attention. A few weeks later, his mother mentioned he had started reading in bed.
What would you do?
- Why did choosing his own frames matter to Leo?
- How would you help a child who is worried about looking different?
- What might happen if no one noticed that a child could not see?