Manifesto

Jessyka Sweeney-Flowers

Dr. Oberlin

Intermediate Comp.

6 October 2011

Pre-Biology/Optometry Manifesto

            The discipline Pre-Biology is basically another gateway to enter any medical or science lab profession. I choose this discipline because all of its components made all of the requirements to enter optometry school. Attending optometry is a goal of mine to further complete my medical profession aspirations. My grandmother has been diagnosed with diabetes as far as I can remember and we all know that diabetes can lead to many other medical conditions. Not too long after I took my interest in Optometric practices, she became diagnosed with Diabetic Retinopathy. Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the many eye and vision problems that require immediate care from this profession. This condition causes the retina of the eye to become progressively damaged and causes the lining located at the back of the eye to become sensitive to light (AOA). Since her last optometrist visit it has been brought to our attention that she is encountering bleeding behind her eyeballs. This personal experience is one reason that has made my decision to join this profession that much easier. On the other hand, my other grandmother has had cataracts for a while and has recently undergone surgery to remove this eye disease. A cataract is a disease in which a cloudy substance covers the clear lens of the eye. This disease usually occurs in people over 55, but can occur in children and infants (AOA). Having these eye and vision conditions in my family medical history only solidifies the importance this profession has for me in a professional and in a personal aspect. Becoming a part of the optometric profession is something that I look forward to in order to help educate my family of the common diseases that are in our family, but also to help other patients who need optometric care. Like myself there are many people that are drawn to this discipline in the hopes of providing patients with quality and effective care (AOA).

            There are many philosophies that guide one into their preferred practice. Four important factors that guides an optometrist into their practice are to put the patients need above your own as a health profession, providing patients with the right diagnosis and care, staying on top of new and older diseases that affect patients health, by researching and keeping up on current changes in optometric profession, and lastly to. Putting the patient’s needs and interest above your own, I feel is the most important principle of all. In order to be in a practice a health professional needs to realize that we are in our profession to restore the patient’s health back to normal, with providing them with the best care possible. Being in the health care profession requires the doctor to keep the best interest of the patient in mind and provide them with “accurate care”. This is an important principle to have and base ones professional work style off of.

 Many health care professionals such as doctors and nurses are successful because they put their code of ethics before themselves; ex: to always leave your patients better than how you met them; to always be able to give your patient(s) the right diagnosis, and give them the correct methods to maintain and keep their disease or illnesses in check, or be able to send them in the right direction.

            Optometry requires such precision and correct diagnosis, that there is no room for error in this field. An optometrist is trusted with one of the most sensitive organs on the human body, the right diagnosis and treatment is critical in maintaining “eye balls”. Given the wrong treatment and one could lose one of the most precious senses known to man, so being accurate is vital to ones future eye sight.

            In order to give the right diagnosis, the optometrist should research family and patient history and have records of health issues to be able to give the right diagnosis. Being able to warn the patient of certain risks is critical. Some things may not be seen by just one visit, so frequent conversation with a patient is important to have as an optometrist. Building relationships helps one to build your practice and clientele.

Works Cited

"Optometrists." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, 17 Dec. 2009. Mon. 03 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos073.htm>.

What Is a Doctor of Optometry? | American Optometric Association." American Optometric Association - Serving Doctors of Optometry & Their Patients. AOA Board of Trustees, 21 June 2005. Mon. 03 Oct. 2011. <http://www.aoa.org/x4891.xml>.

* kinda got stuck, comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated :)