Weekly Report #8 (10/27)

This week in ISM I have completed a research assessment, interview assessment, and display board plan. Through my research assessment, I was able to learn about the parts of the eye and was fascinated by its complexity. By doing this assessment, I was able to establish a better foundation in optometry so it will be easier for me to understand what optometrists are referring to. Through my interview assessment, I reflected on my experience interviewing with Dr. Christa Kim. Through the interview, I was able to learn about how the typical day of an optometrists is like, what the pros and cons of being an optometrist are, and the difference between working in a private practice vs. hospital setting. In class on Tuesday, we learned about the importance of creating a display board and how it is one of the only representations of our work that other people will see. Therefore, I worked extremely hard on designing a layout for my display board and thought carefully on what work I want to showcase. I would consider this week a success as I was able to learn more about the eye and also create a plan for my display board. Next week, I will be preparing for my research speech, and complete a research assessment as well as interview assessment.

Research Assessment #2

Research Assessment #2

Subject: LASIK eye surgery

Source: BoxerA, Brian S. "A Complete Guide to the LASIK Procedure." The LASIK Procedure: A Complete Guide. All About Vision, n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://www.allaboutvision.com/visionsurgery/lasik.htm>.

Assessment:

            As I prepare to conduct research interviews in the near future, I want to learn as much as I can about the surgeries that eye doctors perform. One of the surgeries I am most interested in is the LASIK eye surgery as I plan on having one done on me in the future. Based off my research, in a LASIK eye surgery a small flap on the surface of the eye is cut, and then a laser is shined into the eye, reshaping the cornea and correcting the patient’s vision. The whole operation is painless and can be complete within 15 minutes.

            What surprised me most about LASIK eye surgery is the fact that the patient is awake the entire operation. Only a few eye drops are used to numb the patient before a surgeon uses a small blade to cut a flap in the patient’s eye. One thing I am still confused about is how the surgeon can get the patient to stay still enough for him or her to cut out the flap. Any small movement the patient makes could be catastrophic and could cause the surgeon to damage the patient’s eye. This made me realize that even though technology has advanced rapidly, manual dexterity is still required from eye doctors. Many parts of the LASIK eye surgery are still physically done by the eye doctor, and even the most advanced technology can’t make up for a lack of manual dexterity.

One thing I found slightly discouraging about LASIK eye surgery is its cost. On average, LASIK eye surgery costs $2000 per eye while the entire operation only lasts for 15 minutes. I personally think this may discourage some people from undergoing a LASIK surgery as they will opt for cheaper solutions such as glasses or contacts. However, in the future as technology improves, the price of such a surgery will go down, and more people will enjoy the benefits of undergoing a LASIK.

            My research on LASIK eye surgery has also enlightened me about how optometrists and ophthalmologists work together. Patients typically see their local optometrists when they have problems with their vision and are often informed by their optometrist about potential treatments such as LASIK. However, optometrists themselves do not carry out such operations, but rather refer their patients to ophthalmologists who specialize in eye surgery. This is relevant to my field of study as I need to know what duties each eye doctor is responsible for and how different eye doctors work together in the grand scheme of things.

After reading the website and learning more about Lasik eye surgery, I feel I have a much better idea of what is required of eye doctors. In addition to being knowledgeable about the eye, eye doctors must have a lot of manual dexterity as any mistake they make could cause permanent eye damage to their patients. As well, even though optometrists and ophthalmologists have different duties, they must work closely with one and another if they are to give their patients the best experience. Lastly, I feel I will be able to use the information I learned about LASIK eye surgery to conduct deeper and more thoughtful research interviews.

Research Assessment #1

Research Assessment #1

Subject: Qualities of a good optometrist

Source: Wong, Andrew. "Berkeley Optometry Focus." Berkeley Optometry Focus. University of     California, Mar. 2005. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. <http://optometry.berkeley.edu/focus_magazine/focus02_wong.html>.

Assessment:

In order for my ISM journey to be successful, I need to know what qualities and skills are present in a good optometrist. As I researched, I came across many of the same characteristics and skills. Almost every site said that good optometrists are compassionate, caring, attentive, and have high scientific aptitude. But, one article in particular, written by Andrew Wong, stood out. Wong emphasized that everyone has different ideas of what makes a good doctor, and rather than let others dictate the doctor we become, we should “recall [our] personal vision of a good clinician and aim to become that kind of health care professional.”

After reading the article, I began to think and recall the first childhood image of what I thought was a good doctor. In my mind, the first image that appeared was one of my optometrist. I remembered the day when I entered her office and how I was extremely anxious as I didn’t want to get glasses. Yet when I finally met her, she was immediately able to calm me down and understand my worries. Instead of simply telling me to get over my fear of glasses, she actively worked with me to come up with a solution and prescribed me ortho-k contacts. One other quality I liked about her was how patient she was. Even though my ortho-k contacts didn’t fit right at first, she kept working with me and after three or four revisions they fit perfectly, giving me 20/20 vision. Thus, she never gave up on me, and kept trying until everything was perfect. To me, she represented the ideal doctor I one day hope to become.

Reminiscing on this encounter immediately made me realize the qualities I have and the ones that I need to work on in order to become a good eye doctor. While I think I have the scientific aptitude and work ethic to become an optometrist, I think what I need to work on most are my communication skills. I want to be able to make personal connections with my patients and make them feel like they are in good hands. As well, I want to make my patients feel like they are welcome and want them to enjoy coming to me. In order to achieve this, I will pay more attention to the subtle things I do such as how I use my body language to portray my feelings. As well, in my everyday life, I will try to hold more conversations with people and practice making connections with them.

One other thing I learned from reading Wong’s article was that student’s often try to impress their teachers or mentors and often find themselves, subconsciously or not, conforming to the qualities their teachers value. To make sure I develop the qualities I think are important in an eye doctor, I must choose carefully who I want to be my mentor. When I am choosing my mentor, I will be sure to look for someone with good communication skills. I want my mentor to be someone who is patient and compassionate so I can develop the same qualities he or she has. I will also be looking for a mentor who is not afraid to point out my flaws and tell me when I am wrong. I understand only through recognizing and learning from my mistakes will I be able to improve and work towards my goal.

In the end, the article made me realize that I didn’t need to spend the time searching for what qualities make a good eye doctor. The truth is everyone has their own ideas of what makes the ideal doctor and no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to impress everyone. Rather, I simply need to pursue and work on the qualities I think will make me a good eye doctor.

Weekly Report #7 (10/20)

This week in ISM I have finished my Business Symposium assessment, my third research assessment, and my topic proposal. In my Business Symposium assessment, I reflected on my personal experiences of the event and how I thought I did. Overall, I thought I did well at the Business Symposium as I was much less nervous than I thought I would be. On Friday, in class we wrote thank you cards to the professionals who attended the event as ISM couldn’t be nearly as successful as it is without their support.  For my third research assessment, I researched about eye dilation and why you should still choose to have your eyes dilated over having an optomap done. This research assessment was enlightening as it made me realize that new technology isn’t always better. Lastly, through my topic proposal I defined what I want to study throughout the year and why. Through the proposal I was able to reflect on the qualities and characteristics that will help me succeed in my pursuit of optometry. This week I would say I was successful in that I was able to meet all the deadlines. Next week I will be working on writing my first interview assessment, fourth research assessment, and display board plan.

Weekly Report #6 (10/13)

This week in ISM I have gone on another two research interviews and attended a business symposium on Friday. Through my research interviews, I have been able to further my knowledge of optometry and was amazed by the technological advances in eye care. In one of my interviews, I learned that optometrists can now apply a clear UV coating to glasses and that some contacts are even being made out of water. The knowledge I gained in these interviews will surely help me in writing my topic proposal as it expanded my horizon of what I thought was possible in optometry. My experience at the business symposium has also been positive. I was able to interview with three professionals and network with other students in ISM. I received a lot of positive feedback from my interviewers, and they all said that I did a great job and was on the right path. As well, I was able to learn from three former ISM students about the value of ISM and how it has helped them in college. I would say I was successful this week in that I learned a lot from my research interviews and was able to use the skills that I have been working on for the past six weeks at the business symposium. Next week, I will be working on my topic proposal, business symposium write up, and research/interview assessments.

Weekly Report #5 (10/6)

This week in ISM I have gone on two research interviews and constructed my portfolio for the first six weeks. For my portfolio, I added a cover page and organized/formatted all the assignments we have done this past six weeks. Through my research interviews, I have been able to learn a great deal of what it’s like to be an optometrist. The optometrists I interviewed both said that helping people see again was the favorite part of their job. It was also interesting to see both of their views on what a typical day of an optometrist is like. One said it was very routine while the other said it was full of surprises. I would say I was partially successful this week in that I was able to conduct two of the three interviews I had scheduled. I had to cancel one of my research interviews as I got caught in a severe thunderstorm and couldn’t make it. Next week, I will be working on several things. I will be conducting research interviews with two other optometrists and also work on writing my interview assessments. Last, on Friday I will be attending a business symposium where I hope to improve my networking skills.