This weekend, most of BC’s optometrists will be headed to the annual BC Association of Optometry conference. We go to catch up with our colleagues from across the province, attend lectures to learn about the newest treatments and procedures in our field, and check out the latest technology that we can add to our practice. All of us have our own reasons for choosing this profession and I often get questions about how I made this decision.
I grew up seeing optometrists regularly and got my first pair of glasses when I was in grade 2 because I had trouble seeing the blackboard at school. I didn’t like wearing them, but unfortunately there weren’t any other options for me at that time. I remember a bad experience when I was quite young because the optometrist told me I was giving the wrong answers during the examination even through I was trying my best. Thankfully that was my only bad experience among many great ones.
Throughout high school and university, I discovered a liking for biology and healthcare and decided optometry combines all of my interests. I decided to pursue optometry, a profession I was very familiar with, and hoped to give children a better experience. I like to emphasize that our examination is just a series of games and that there are no wrong answers. After I completed my Bachelors of Science in Biology, I went straight into Optometry School and the rest is history…