Another semester is off and running. It seems like every semester we jump right into things faster and faster now that pretty much all of our foundational basics have been covered. By week 2 we were already learning a skill called gonioscopy, a technique where we use a special lens to view what is called the “angle.” The angle is where the fluid of the eye drains and if that is blocked, drainage of the fluid is limited and that can raise the pressure in the eye, leading to glaucoma. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States so it is pretty important we learn this skill so we can accurately determine how much or little the angle is blocked. Our practical for that is next week and I feel pretty good right now. We’ll see how I feel on Tuesday.
Otherwise, I enjoyed a chance to relax and enjoy winter break. I hardly did anything school related and I needed that. It really helped me recharge the batteries in preparation of the semester. Also, starting this summer we will be entering Third Year which starts right after spring finals so we do not get a summer break. Taking time over winter break to relax, get away from school, and travel to see friends on one of our last major breaks from school was much needed.
Speaking again about next week, we will officially see our very first real clinic patients! It really hit me this week during clinic, where we’ve been just practicing on each other, that the day many of us have been highly anticipating since getting accepted to optometry school is almost here. I have clinic on Wednesday mornings so as of this writing, it is exactly 4 days, 14 hours, 21 minutes and 25 seconds away. It’s been a long time coming and I’m definitely looking forward to it, but who’s counting? Expect a full recap of my first real patient experience in the near future!