INTERVIEW WITH THE OPTOMETRIST – WHO IS IT? WHAT HE DOES?

• You are an optometrist. What does an optometrist do in his professional work?

On a daily basis, he works with patients and deals with their eyesight. The profession of an optometrist is included in the group of medical professions and consists in examining the eyesight, i.e. selecting the best spectacle correction for the patient so that he can see as clearly and sharply as possible. Optometrists also select contact lenses and conduct vision therapy if there are diseases of the visual system. In the case of clinical optometry, we also work in the operating room for ophthalmic procedures. Optometry is a really broad field and gives many opportunities and satisfaction from the work performed.

• What education do you need to get to become an optometrist?

Optometry is a combination of biology, physics, mathematics, but also psychology, empathy and the ability to work with people. Theoretical knowledge alone, unfortunately, is not enough, first of all, you should be able to listen to the other person, get to know his expectations. However, in order to become an optometrist, you must obtain a master’s degree. I personally graduated from the Wrocław University of Technology, Faculty of Fundamental Problems of Technology, majoring in optics. The road to becoming an optometrist lasted 5 years and was not always easy and clear, but I am very happy that I never doubted its sense and I always had support and motivation from my loved ones. Thanks to the work undertaken during my studies, in an optical salon, I had the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge I gained during classes. I could always count on advice from more experienced colleagues, thanks to which I learned from the best. I got to know this profession from the inside at a very early stage of learning, which only reassured me in choosing my path. Experience in the profession of an optometrist is very important because there are never the same cases. Each of us is different, has a different job, different expectations. Thanks to this, each working day is interesting and exciting. The smile of patients leaving your office compensates for all the inconveniences and hardships of this profession and the road traveled.

• What is the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist?

An ophthalmologist is primarily a doctor who deals with the treatment of the eye in various diseases and cases. Ophthalmologists perform medical procedures on open tissues. Ophthalmologists have patients they diagnose and guide them through the entire treatment process. They can also prescribe prescriptions and medications. Optometrists focus on a thorough eye examination and the selection of corrections for both glasses and contact lenses. They recommend the best visual solutions for individual patients because they know the products of many optical companies. After a thorough examination and interview in the office, they are able to recommend the best glasses to meet all the patient’s requirements. Optometrists also select contact lenses in terms of strength, size and their arrangement as well as mobility on the cornea. They control the condition of the cornea, tear film and the entire anterior segment of the eyeball in contact lens wearers. Optometrists also conduct vision therapy in people with visual dysfunctions, i.e. strabismus, paralytic strabismus, hidden strabismus, accommodation dysfunctions. Through exercises, they strengthen the eye muscles and restore the proper functioning of the visual system.

However, cooperation between an ophthalmologist and an optometrist, combining their knowledge and experience, is very important. Now I have the opportunity to work in a place where these two worlds come together and our work is even more effective. Thanks to cooperation, we can help more patients and we are sure that they are taken care of in the best possible way.

• What does a normal working day for an optometrist look like?

In the salon, we keep records for eye examinations, so I usually know in advance what my day at work will look like. How many patients do I have for an eye examination. We try to register patients at intervals of 45 minutes – 1 hour, so that I can devote enough time to each one. Of course, there are situations when someone comes to the salon and asks if they can have an eye examination at that moment. If we don’t have patients scheduled in advance, he is happy to perform a refraction test. After the examination, he recommends, recommends and describes the operation of individual spectacle lenses. It shows and explains the differences between them. If I have a slightly looser schedule of examinations, I really like talking to patients in the salon, helping them choose spectacle frames, choosing them. Often, by the time spent in the office, patients gain confidence in me and want to know my opinion on the choice of frames. I always assume that new glasses are to be a source of pride, something unique and adorning our face and the whole appearance! I do not want my patients to treat them as a sad necessity and a „prosthetic” for the eyes. Those times are long gone! Currently, we have such choices through shape, color, brand, etc.

Thank you for the interview! 🙂

Interview with a certified optometrist mgr inż. Laura Prystrom

Optometrist at the Focus Optical Salon in Jelenia Góra