Pupillary Pathways

After months of studying and preparing for Part 1 of NBEO can you believe that it is finally over?!

All those long days studying at the library without even showering or putting normal clothes on, all those nights you stayed up well into the morning trying to memorize all of the details of the visual pathway, all of those fast food meals you ate because you didn’t have enough time to cook a real meal, and all those opportunities you missed to hang out with your friends and family because you had a study session have finally come to an end! Now how do you feel? Relieved? Tired? Happy? Nervous?

And what are you now going to do with a little extra free time (until the next set of exams comes around)? We’ve come up with a few ideas to help you celebrate and get your life back on track! 

Dr. Walt Whitley of Virginia Eye Consultants speaks with Dr. Bridgitte Shen Lee at SECO about the role of prescribing oral medications for the treatment of ocular conditions in this video.

With the continued growing popularity for surgical options to correct one’s refractive error, you are likely to encounter patients that will ask you if LASIK surgery is a good option for them on a daily basis.

In order to properly answer this question, careful patient history, evaluation, and discussion are essential pieces of determining a patient’s candidacy for LASIK surgery.

Mark E. Wilkinson, OD wrote an article that appeared on Review of Optometry called "Sharpen your Subjective Refraction Technique". This article has some great advice on maximizing efficiency and accuracy, and on minimizing common mistakes that can slow you down through you off during your refractions.

On Monday we reviewed the most important concepts associated with prostaglandin analogs and beta-blockers.

Today we will continue on with reviewing the mechanisms of action, dosages, side effects, contraindications, and preparations of topical alpha-2 agonists, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, miotics, and combination medications. 

Last week I attended a continuing education course in which we reviewed several difficult glaucoma patient cases. These were all patients with moderate to advanced glaucoma who showed progression and the subsequent need for adjustment of their current glaucoma treatment plans.

Additionally, most of these patients also presented with complicated medical histories, had allergies to certain classes of medications, responded poorly or ineffectively to prior topical glaucoma treatments, and had difficulties with compliance when multiple medications were needed. 

With NBEO Part I fast approaching, we want to ensure that you are completely prepared for what to expect during the ABS (Applied Basic Science) exam so that there aren’t any surprises come testing day!

We want you to know what to expect on NBEO Exam Day!

You’ve registered for the Optometry Residency Match (ORMatch), sent in all of your application materials to residency coordinators, interviewed at residency sites, and now comes the HARDEST part of the entire process, submitting your ORMatch Rank Order List!

This part can be extremely stressful as it determines the next pathway that you will take in your optometric career. 

Where you end up for your residency year is a huge stepping stone that will help you determine where you want to practice, what type of setting you will practice in, and which specialty that you will focus on within the profession. 

We are all very aware that light is made up of electromagnetic particles that travel in waves. These waves emit different amounts of energy depending on the length of the wave. Shorter wavelengths emit higher amounts of energy, while longer wavelengths emit less energy.

Each wavelength is represented by a different color and is grouped into a certain category based on its range of wavelengths. These categories include gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet (UV) rays, visible light, infrared light, and radio waves. All of these groups combined make up the electromagnetic spectrum. 

Are you finding yourself feeling overwhelmed by the length of the NBEO and the amount of knowledge you’ll be tested on for the upcoming Part 1 exam?

Does test anxiety tend to keep you from achieving the results that reflect how much effort you put into your studies? We all know that the best way to improve your chances of success is to study carefully and fully understand the material; however, even well-prepared students can make silly mistakes on a multiple-choice exam, or can fall prey to distractors that appear very similar to the correct answer.