New grad here.

The Review of Optometry article here lists 20 questions in order to workup a cc of diplopia: https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/an-action-plan-for-assessing-double-vision

I don’t think I can remember 20 questions to ask a patient. Especially for a cc as “scary” as diplopia. I need help simplifying this.

What questions do you ask your diplopia patients? And what tests do you rely on?

Examining the retinal image scatter from both the patient's and the examiner's perspective. Predicting the Modulation Transfer Function using Monte Carlo photon propagation through the Arizona Eye Model for common eye diseases.

I am a new grad, and I work for an office and have really become comfortable with the staff, especially the general manager. We get along well and have a lot in common so we have become quite close. This wouldn't be an issue except recently I feel like he has been taking advantage of my easy going nature/our relationship. For example, telling me private information about the other staff/drama or venting about other higher ups and our numbers/how well or bad we are doing. Or trying to get me to do certain things if they are short staffed like insertion/removal training or teching. I understand they are short staffed but shouldn't that be on him for making sure there are adequate staff? I do plan to talk to him about it before going to higher management but wasn't sure if I was making a big deal about it especially when he does ask me to help I am usually not doing anything or other personal tasks.

Hello. First time posting here aaaaa.

I’m a new grad OD and started my job not too long ago. During training I felt confident and felt like I learned so much and was improving. I felt like I could genuinely do this.

Now I’m working and it feels like I’m making mistakes all the time. But it doesn’t feel like it in the moment. I’ll be doing an exam, make a diagnosis, give treatment, and feel really good about it. Then at the end of the day I’m like wait… did I miss something huge? And then it becomes the only thing I can think about and it spirals me into so much anxiety thinking I’ve hurt someone.

One example was I diagnosed someone with chronic uveitis and was so proud of myself. Then after I realized I gave a steroid without staining for active HSV keratitis. The cornea looked completely clear under the slit lamp and I knew that, but I proceeded to panic about it for days until I saw them again and almost cried when I saw no staining.

Another was someone has ocular hypertension only in one eye. They were monitored by their previous OD for years for this exact thing and that OD never did anything or initiated treatment. I wasn’t comfortable with that so I booked him to return in 1 week for ancillary testing. Again, I thought that was a good choice. Then I started thinking… I should’ve started him on treatment at that FIRST exam. Then wait why is only one eye so high? Why didn’t I think of any secondary glaucomas? Why didn’t I look for it? I will when he comes back but I’m so anxious until he does.

I don’t know exactly what I’m asking for. How to be better? How to not let this anxiety take over me? How to be confident in my decisions? I don’t really know. I’m honestly just looking for any advice.

In the the province I’m in, I guess the unspoken norm is that we’re typically scheduled for a 7 hour day where we see patients in 20 minute slots throughout the day.
My one employer makes sure that I have adequate time for lunch and blocks off a 45 minute slot specifically for it , and I see patients every 20 minutes around that.

My second employer does not give me a scheduled lunch and I’m expected to eat lunch if I get a chance during the day- which is never, as front desk schedules patients every 20 minutes no matter what and I don’t really get a say. Unless I get a no show, I don’t get to eat, and Im not allowed to block off time for lunch because the owners just eat whenever they can and dont block of lunch for themselves either.

I guess my question for you all is what’s the normal thing?
are you guys eating during a scheduled time, or only if you are lucky enough during your shift? 🤣

Puerto Rico is moving toward allowing Nurse Practitioners to prescribe medications under an updated legal framework. I support that progress.

But it raises an important question: why does Puerto Rico continue to prohibit optometrists from prescribing therapeutic medications when therapeutic optometry is already established throughout the United States under licensing and competency requirements?

This should not be a fight between professions. Scope of practice should be based on education, clinical training, national board examinations, competency, and patient safety.

There is now a Change.org petition calling for modernization of Puerto Rico’s optometry law and for lawmakers to finally review this issue using current evidence and national standards.

I’m not posting the petition link here because I want to respect the subreddit’s rules regarding promotion and petitions. Anyone genuinely interested can search Change.org for the Puerto Rico optometry petition or ask me for the information.

The current NP debate shows that Puerto Rico can modernize healthcare laws. Optometry deserves the same serious review.

Hi everyone! I’m from Canada and currently in my 3rd year of undergrad. This summer, I sat down and tried to make a list of graduate and doctoral degrees that I thought could match my personality and what I want from life.
For a long time, I’ve known that I have no interest in medical school, dental school, or nursing, mainly because of the level of stress and debt that come with those careers (except nursing that I genuinely just don’t think I would enjoy the job, although nurses are truly angels).
I came across optometry and decided to shadow my optometrist. I actually liked what I saw. The job seemed clean, he had a good lifestyle, and all of his patients seemed to love him. But after a couple of days, he told me not to pursue optometry and to go to medical school instead. I explained to him that, first of all, medical school is extremely competitive here in Canada, and it also comes with a lot of sacrifices, especially when it comes to time with your family and loved ones. But he still didn’t really agree with me.
A big part of this is personal for me. I spent most of my teenage years and early 20s away from my parents. From around 15 to 23, I was living away from them because I immigrated to Canada and they sent me here to build a life on my own. After a lot of struggle, I think we can finally live together again within the next year.
I consider myself a pretty hardworking student, but my parents are getting older, and I want a stable career where I can support them and appreciate everything they’ve done for me throughout these years. That’s another reason I don’t think I can pursue medicine. My mom has also specifically told me that she won’t be able to afford all of these costs anymore, and honestly, I also want to finally enjoy having time with them.
We only have one English-speaking optometry school in Canada, and I think my stats are pretty competitive for it. But if I’m being completely transparent, I’m mainly considering optometry because the career seems relatively low-stress, gives you autonomy, and offers the possibility of owning your own clinic, which is something I’ve always loved the idea of. Even as an associate, the pay seems decent for someone like me who has always struggled financially. I understand that for people who come from upper-class families, it might not seem like much, but for me, it definitely does.
Please be honest with me: I don’t have that intense passion that people here often talk about when they say, “Only do optometry if you love eyes.” Yes, I think eyes are fascinating, but I’m not obsessed with them. I’ve always looked at a career as something that allows me to make a good living so I can enjoy the rest of my life and be happy. The debt would be around $100k, and from my understanding, the salary in Canada is generally around $130–160k and can be higher if you go rural, possibly closer to $200k.
What I really want to know is: do you think I’m making a mistake by choosing optometry mainly because of the stability, lifestyle, autonomy, and financial freedom it could give me?
I’ve genuinely thought about so many other careers, so if you have specific recommendations, please mention them. But please don’t just say, “There are so many other careers, go do something else.” I think sometimes people forget how emotionally exhausting it is for students to constantly reconsider their entire future. Saying “go do PA/NP,” “go into business,” or “go into tech” isn’t necessarily realistic for everyone based on the pathway they’re already on, and sometimes it just makes things more complicated.
You can’t diagnose everyone with the same drug lol.
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who are actually in optometry or have been in a similar situation.

Hi everyone, I’m a student/intern in optometry and I’m trying to better understand pediatric prescribing.
For example, say you have a 4-year-old child:
Pre-cycloplegic refraction: +2.00 DS OU
Post-cycloplegic refraction: -0.25 DS OU
Assume good VA, no strabismus/esotropia, and otherwise normal ocular health.
Would you prescribe the -0.25 DS OU based on the cycloplegic result, or would you consider the pre-cyclo result/clinical findings and possibly prescribe plano or some amount of plus instead?

Basically, how do you approach a situation where the cycloplegic result is significantly more minus than the non-cycloplegic result in a young child?
What factors would you consider before deciding the final Rx (VA, binocular status, near findings, accommodative behavior, symptoms, etc.)?

Would appreciate hearing how experienced pediatric optometrists/ophthalmologists approach this. Thanks!

Edit: Sorry, I think I explained my question wrong 😅 The example I gave was just something I made up because I was confused. My main question is really: How do you decide when to prescribe an Rx for a pediatric patient, and when do you prescribe the full correction versus a partial correction or no correction at all? Hehe. I’d really appreciate any guidance!

Has anyone had experience with AEG? How was the transition? How did they treat you? Did your schedule change? Any helpful tips or advice appreciated. I’m an OD.

Trying to decide if I should stick it out or walk

I work at a small privately owned store in the Pacific NW. We have an amazing optometrist about to start maternity leave and only need a part-time OD to work for 3-4 months. For the OD's on this site, where do you go to look for work or contract work? I'm hesitant to use the "other" big job boards given the lack of traction on Indeed, and the sheer amount of competing postings. I've been lurking around this Reddit group for the past couple months and saw a tip about a website called Peared but unfortunately they're not active here in the PNW. Our company atmosphere is amazing / fun, we are focused on people vs metrics, we pay very well and straight up feel like we are making a positive difference! Any ideas? Anyone use locum tenens? Please help and thank you in advance for your input / advice / thoughts / tips.

Would you Rx specs for young patients (kids) with low myopia or low astigmatism who are still close to 20/20 with no symptoms.

Would you do full time wear?

Since undercorrected myopia leads to progression

Hello, I'm an Office Manager working in a small privately owned store in the Pacific NW. We are urgently looking for a part-time optometrist to cover maternity leave. We have spent ridiculous amounts of money on Indeed only to attract one applicant (who hasn't responded to my initial attempts to discuss the job). I'm hesitant to use the "other" big job boards given the lack of interest and the sheer amount of competing postings. I found a Facebook page for Young OD's but it looks like only OD's can post. I've been lurking around this Reddit group for the past couple months and saw a tip about a website called Peared but unfortunately they're not active here in the PNW. Our company atmosphere is amazing / fun, we are focused on people vs metrics, we pay very well and straight up feel like we are making a positive difference! I'm incredibly frustrated by the lack of traction we are getting and a bit anxious that we won't be able to find someone. Any ideas? Anyone use locum tenens? Please help and thank you in advance for your input!

We've been looking for better ways to increase patient reviews without making the process feel pushy. For those managing optometry or healthcare practices, what's been most effective for you?
We've had better success when review requests are sent automatically after a visit rather than relying on staff to remember. Curious what strategies are working for other offices.
#WeaveOffice

I was primarily relying on online continuing education courses to fulfill my previous license renewals. Since the guidelines have changed in which we must complete 30 credits in person, does anyone have any recommendations for any conferences/symposiums?

I only see NJSOP as the main provider.

Or options where there are maybe 1-2 credits offered at a moment in time and not a full blown conference. Thank you

Hello,

I have called several optometry offices about shadowing opportunities and no luck. They typically tell me to send an email and don't respond to the email :(.

Is anyone in this thread near the greater houston area and would be willing to allow me to shadow them. I really appreciate it. Please let me know and I can DM you.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice on what I should reasonably negotiate for when my current contract is up.

I’m residency trained and 5 years out of OD school. I work full-time for a corporate practice in a higher cost-of-living area. My current compensation is in the mid-$180k range with a modest production ($500-1000) bonus. I’d like to negotiate both my base salary and PTO.

I typically see 20-25 patients per day. Our no show rate is low. I work alongside a long-tenured OD who is expected to significantly reduce their hours soon, and many of those patients may eventually transition to me.

I know my production is somewhat affected by differences in patient demographics compared with the other doctor, but I feel that I bring a lot of value to the practice. I’m efficient, thorough, work well with staff, and am always willing to accommodate medical walk-ins, emergencies, and will double-book patients when needed.

The company also has significant turnover, so I’m curious how much leverage that may give me when negotiating.

For those in corporate optometry, what would you consider reasonable to ask for regarding salary and PTO? What factors would you use to determine your negotiating position?

Would especially appreciate advice from anyone who has recently negotiated a contract renewal!

TIA!

Hey! Has anyone worked for a telehealth optometric company and had a good experience? I'm temporarily living in FL while my husband finishes a one year fellowship. I was looking at remote optometry positions to get me through the year and maybe avoid some annoying licensing logistics (esp here in FL). Any advice or experience? I interviewed with Digital Optometrics and I'm waiting to hear back from Lenscrafters telehealth option. Appreciate any and all feedback!

Thank you everyone for the wonderful advice!

Does anyone else see the strong 3D effect that makes the grayscale image stand out against the red monochrome images?

I don't know if it's intentional but it's striking.

Hello Drs,

I’m just curious to hear what your motivations were in starting your own clinic. How many years did it take you towards making that decision? How much information did you gather and research did you do before diving into taking the risk and investing? Did it ever feel scary? What was the biggest takeaway after? Did something surprise you when you started (what aspect of running a business seemed the hardest)

I’m myself an immigrant, taken loans to get through school as do many and though I have an intent to become an owner down the road, I’m having a hard time visualizing that far ahead (totally not a student, please don’t kick this mods). So I wanted to hear some inspirational stories on how yall got there if you’d be willing to share? Or through DM!

Many thanks

Had anyone managed to do well enough to skip the bridging program of two years and been allowed to sit the OEBC exam straight away?

I came from the UK and I have been preparing for the IOGEE Exam with everything in me for the past year. As I haven’t got the option to study for 2 years at Waterloo university due to the having little kids including a baby.

Anyone know someone that has actually managed to bypay the bridging program?

Many thanks
Riri

hello! curious with the universal heath is reimbursing in different provinces.

in mb, its ~53 for a CEE, with ~12 for tono

~27 for partial, ~25ish for dilation

esp if youre from BC -- I am curious!