Location: Zoom

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 1 hour

Guest Speaker: Candace Johnson, OptomCas/Applications 

johnson.5380@osu.edu 

Agenda

• Candace is the director of admissions at OSU Optometry, managing the admissions process and its materials 
• OptomCAS: similar to CommonApp, all optometry schools utilize the OptomCAS for admissions. Sections include: personal information, academic history, supporting information and program materials. You can add schools from a list, with application deadlines still open, to send your application to (under the Add Program tab) 
  • Personal Information Section: mainly personal information (name, gender, pronouns, birthday), contact information, citizenship, etc. 
  • Academic History: a long section on the application, requires all enrollments in universities (transfers, etc), submit all transcripts and records for courses, manually input all courses, enter in OAT/GRE/other standardized test scores, etc
  • Supporting Information: includes letters of recommendations (optometrist, professor and a choice), experiences section is professional jobs and achievements, extracurriculars, clubs, etc., 
  • Program Materials is a custom section based on each school with questions specific to their program, possibly essay questions, additional scores or academic information, resume, observation hours, etc
• You can submit your applications and check application status on OptomCAS site
• Students can create accounts and begin working on their application whenever they chose, but can only submit when the cycle opens (July 1st)
• Timeline of application process: Schedule to take the OAT in the spring of your third year, to ease testing complications and allow time (90 days) between tests if you need to retake. Applications are submitted the summer between third and fourth year, schools will review applications. Schools will begin evaluations and inviting candidates for interviews, typically a couple weeks after receiving applications. 

Location: Zoom

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 1 hour

Guest Speaker: Dr. Nicky Lai

• Associate professor of clinical optometry
• Chief, Contact Lens Service
• OD, MS 2003 OSU Optometry
• lai.102@osu.edu

Dr. Lai is originally from California, and he attended UCLA for his undergraduate degree. He wanted to move out of California to experience new ways of life, so he interviewed for Ohio State Optometry. He felt very welcomed when he came to Ohio State and knew he would have a good support system as he moved across the country. After optometry school, he planned to move back to California, but he began working with a faculty member on a research project focused on eye movement. Although he realized research wasn’t for him, he appreciated his experience in this project, as it gave him insight into the field and was a good segway into academia and teaching. During his undergraduate career, he tutored many students and worked as a teaching assistant. Dr. Lai loved Ohio State’s curriculum because he was able to get a feel for every specialty, but he particularly was fascinated by contact lenses.  Now, he works as the Chief of Contact Lens Services, in which he manages the clinic, helps establish policies, and disseminates information as new technology and advancements come about. Dr. Lai really enjoys being able to not only interact with patients but also teach his students at the same time in the exam room. 

Types of contact lenses

1. Elective – refractive correction (near- or farsighted .. may just not want to wear glasses, so that’s why they’re referred to as “elective”)
2. Medically Necessary (patients cannot function visually without these lenses)
3. Myopia management 
4. Therapeutic lenses
   • Drug delivery (allergies make it difficult to wear contact lenses)
   • Glaucoma monitoring
   • Amniotic membrane

Contact lens

1. Soft lenses (hydrogel; silicone hydrogel)

• Water content
• Silicone is an element that allows more oxygen transmission

2. Gas permeable (“hard” lens; GP lens)

• 50–60% of people have refractive errors
• Contact lenses bend light, so the light can focus on the retina
• Every time you blink, your tears creep under the lens
• Must account for the power of lens but also the tear lens

Myopia, Hyperopia

• Nearsighted vs farsighted 
• Can correct really high prescriptions (i.e. -20,+20)

Astigmatism (Not all of what you see is in focus at the same time)

• Lenses to correct astigmatism have to sit on the eye and in the exact same spot every time or else it will move around, causing the patient to not be able to see.
• Don’t want the lens to be glued onto eye (should be floating on eye and moving freely)
• Some lenses are thicker on the bottom, so every time you blink, lens goes back into place

Presbyopia (Inability to see up close)

• Multifocal lenses; see far away and up close at the same time (Line going across lens)
• Bifocal contact lens
• When patient looks down, lens slides up a little and the patient can see out of bottom part of contact lens

Astigmatism and presbyopia lenses were considered “specialty lenses” for a while

Lens wear compliance is so important

• Patient abusing lens?
• Not cleaning/disinfecting?
• Not using as they should?
• Smoking?
• Buying contacts online is a risk factor (habit; if something is wrong with lens fit, no one is catching it; not going to optometrist regularly)
• Fungal infection if a patient sleeps in contacts?
• Optometrists like to encourage a daily disposable lens to ensure patients are wearing clean lenses everyday

Medically Necessary contacts may be able to assist in patients with corneal disease 

• Keratoconus (we don’t really know why it happens; genetics?)
• Cornea gets thin and bulgy
• Supposed to refract light, but not consistent (light won’t focus well)
• May get scarring on cornea
• Cornea should be clear, but as the tissue deteriorates, cornea may not be clear
• May need a corneal transplant, but may be able to get medically necessary contact lenses (Tears fill in behind the lens and correct the irregularities)

Location: Fry 33

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 1 hour

Guest Speaker: Dr Flom: Low Vision Rehabilitation

Agenda 

• Why does Dr Flom do this work? Dr Flom puts it into “mastery and meaning”, where mastery is feeling in the zone, feeling important and solving problems, and meaning corresponds to the satisfaction of having the ability to alleviate suffering of patients. 
• Low vision: a vision deficit that impedes performance of everyday tasks thats permanent and not correctable in typical ways (glasses, contacts, surgery, etc)
• Causes of low vision include albinism (missing pigmented layer in the retina), macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, etc
• Prevalence of visual impairment and blindness in US adults over 40: 1.5% of adults are considered visually impaired (< 20/70 visual acuity), 0.5% are legally blind (<20/200 visual acuity), functionally blind is 0.05% which entails mild degrees of visual impairment
• Risk factors of impairment and blindness include age, socio-economic status, gender (among low vision patients, males > females, among older low vision patients, females > males)
• Low vision approach: “We can’t give you vision back but help you use the vision that you have to be as active and independent as you would like”
• Optometric Low Vision Rehabilitation Purpose: help patient with visual impairment to overcome visual disabilities and handicaps by compensating for lost function
• Assessing nature and severity of visual impairment: 
  • visual acuity testing: for the purpose of assessing a baseline for that person, to classify them for eligibility for something in particular, gives an idea for how string prescriptions need to be , to describe visual capabilities
  • ETDRS: adapted eye chart for getting highly systematic measurements, adapted for the early treatment pf diabetic retinopathy study
  • Low contrast conditions prevent detection of objects, facial recognition, reading facial/emotional cues, walking and avoiding hazards
• The Low Vision Exam: Preparation, history (medical/ocular, goals), preliminary testing(
  Rx verification, SLE and optos eval), refraction (objective and subjective), reading assessment (initial and re-test), device evaluation, rehabilitation plan, ocular health testing, counseling, coordination of care
  • Options could include magnifiers, using your own phone/technology (seeing AI app)

Location: Fry 33

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 45 minutes

Guest Speaker: Dr Fries: Mode of Practice in Optometry 

Agenda:

• There are many ways to be an optometrist outside of private practice, including group practice, ophthalmology/optometry, public health/military/VA, interdisciplinary care, academic/research, corporate or professional affairs, etc.
• Most optometrists practice in some form of a private practice, corporate is second and the OD/MD or multidisciplinary is third in popularity. 
• Private Practice: individual, primary care, specialty (contact lenses, low vision, vision therapy, pediatrics, clinical trials, etc), or group practice. 
  • Advantages : freedom, quality of life, control, contentment 
  • Disadvantages: no freedom (?),  find work life balance, control, requires self discipline 
• Retail/Corporate Optometry: you don’t work for Walmart/Costco but lease the space within their facilities. The companies do all the marketing for you, but don’t pay you. You make an earning from patients; You are incharge of the exam fees but no investment is necessary within the business (ie. sign a contract for a couple years and then leave). Limited starting salaries and opportunities but easy to find openings due to high turnover.
• Interdisciplinary: hospital or clinic, FQHC, health clinic, hospital. As an optometrist, you would be a part of a team of providers for a patient, all coordinating care quickly. OSU has ties to an FQHC, Lower Lights Christian Health Center, students care for a diverse population with many conditions and lifestyles. 
• Military: 3 branches (air force, navy and army) employ optometrists. They offer scholarship opportunities for schooling in return for service as well. No basic training is necessary, opportunities to practice and travel around the world. 
• OD/MD: when optometrists work with/for opthamologists in a medical setting. Usually very large practices focused on pre/post surgical care or disease specific treatment. Examples: Cincinnati Eye Institute, Columbus Ophthalmology. 
• VA Medical Center: veterans administration, hospitals run by the federal government treating veterans. Optometrists can practice to the highest level of scope of practice (because it is federally run) , usually requiring a residency, traditionally in a VA, and offers a benefit structure. 
• Indian Health services: working on reservations, providing health care and eye exams. Unique patient population with unique eye conditions. Usually in rural settings, decent pay and benefits including loan repayment opportunities. 
• Public Health: combines optometry and the world of population health, community based care (promote eye health, epidemiology and biostatistics). Opportunities may exist within public health departments. Expanded role of a lecturer or educator, educating the general population instead of one person. Work in health policy and research, working in labs for federal agencies (CDC, FDA…)
• Academia/Research: Teaching at an academic institution (clinical or didactic). Research at an academic institution, government agency (grants, grant writing publishing, presenting). Usually requires advanced degrees beyond OD (ex. T-35 Program at OSU)
• HMO: doctors employed by insurance companies (such as an HMO) to see their patients. Working as a salaried employee for insurance companies. 
• Industry: Contact lens company (J&J, Cooper, B&L), Optical lab(Hoya, Shamir), Pharmaceutical companies, surgical companies. Less practicing more human relations. 
• Consultant: lecturer, practice consultant or key opinion leader. Older optometrists looking for a change/less practicing. Usually comes later in career when some experience and knowledge has been gained about the industry.

When: March 1st, 2022 from 5-9pm

Where: North Campus Chipotle- 2130 N High St.

Proceeds of the donations will be given to Fighting Blindness Columbus!

See you there!

Location: Zoom

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 1 hour

Guest Speaker: Dr Yuhas, The Retina: An Overview 

Agenda:

• Dr Yuhas is a professor at the OSU Optometry school, teaching courses in glaucoma and ocular disease. He does research and clinical work with the retina, blue light exposure and traumatic brain injury.
• If the eye was a camera, the retina would be the film within the camera, light being focused on it via the lens and cornea. The retina transduces light into signals sent into the brain. 
• The retina is the only place in the body where we can observe the nerves and blood vessels as they are, which is a powerful diagnostic tool. In the cross section, the macula shows a dip in the tissue and all the layers of tissue, 10 layers total within the retina. In the bottom layer are the rods and cones which collect the light information. 
• Time spent on screens is increasing for all age groups, will it damage our eyes? Blue light is the wavelength of light that is emitted from computers, phones and most/all technology. The danger with blue light has to do with the amount of energy the short wavelength light emits. Blue light lies within 400 nm wavelengths, so among the shortest wavelengths we can register.
• Sunlight is mostly blue light, similar to electronics. When its absorbed by the retina, free radicals are created within the back of the eye, which can damage cell membranes, proteins and DNA. Studies have shown RPE cells % of survival decrease with longer exposure time to blue light. 
• Blue light can also cause damage to photoreceptors, causing an overall loss of them within the retina. The rods will shrink down in response to blue light and will become encased within inflammatory material and be destroyed. A study done on genetically modified cells shows that as blue light exposure increased, an increase of calcium intake also occurred into the cell. Too much calcium can cause apoptosis of the cells, showing “that retinal cells can die of an over saturation of calcium in response to blue light.”
• Most studies show no risk of blue light exposure and retinal disease , even though some suggest eye damage and worsening of existing diseases. In summary, lab studies show its danger, but evidence in humans contradicts this correlation. 
• Melanin is a protective element pigment that absorbs high energy light in the retina, and as an antioxidant. It “eats” the free radicals and prevents the damage they can cause. Studies show higher levels of melanin can withstand higher blue light exposure in comparison to those with less. MAC pigments also act as antioxidants within the retina. 
• How can electronics be worse than the sun? Screens we view daily can be as high as 50 lux (units of brightness). A cloudy day is also about 1000 lux, but a sunny day is roughly 100,000 lux. Even under long term viewing conditions, none of the current technology screens can cause serious concern to damage the retina. This also means blue light blocking products don’t do much to protect us or make us more comfortable when using our technology. This does not mean the light cannot affect sleep, only that it is not significantly more dangerous than the sun itself.

• TBI: an acquired brain injury that occurs when a sudden trauma causes damage to the brain. Globally about 10 million cases a year, in America, about 2.5 million but TBI is severely underreported. 70-90% of cases are mild, meaning brief or no loss of consciousness and no more than a day loss of memory. 
• TBIs are often repetitive, 35% of sports related TBIs follow a previous injury. 
• Diffuse axonal injury: coup countercoup injury, when we initially bang our head nut its movement within the skull damages another area. Causes DAI, axonal deformation and swelling. Damage to the axons causes malfunctions. Enough of these injuries can cause an inflammatory response and an increase of white matter surrounding damaged neurons and tau protein phosphorylation, which disables it to no longer support microtubules within neurons. Changes to neurons within the brain alter cognitive function.
• This pathology is not able to be detected with MRI or any other imaging systems, it can only be observed postmortem. 
• There is possible potential for the retina to tell us about these conditions in patients before they die. The retina is like a “brain slice”, showing us neural tissue, and it is susceptible to this pathology change. As the axons that travel from the eye to the brain, they are able to be damaged in a TBI accident. There can also be transsynaptic degeneration, the spreading of neurodegenerative disease to healthy tissues. This begs the option that the disease can spread to the eye even if the eye is not initially affected. 
• TBI can decrease the amount of retinal ganglion cells due to a blast injury, studies show. It also occurs for repeated TBI injuries. This could allow clinicians to observe evidence of brain damage by using the accessibility of the retina. Some human based studies have come out in support toTBI causing an increased thinning in the retina, but not all studies show significance in this finding. 
• Dr Yuhas’s research is incorporating microtubule structural damage within the retina and repeated TBIs. 

Location: Zoom

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 1 hour

Guest Speaker: Jen Bennett, Director of Student Services: Interview Tips and Tricks

Agenda: 

• Jen gave the club a background on her experience in interviewing and her professional career leading up to working at OSU Optometry. 
• Interviews require preparation, just like any exam or test. Many people just wing their interviews but solid preparation can improve the experience and outcome. Jen compares interviews to conversations, some people are more inclined to the setting but with effort, interview skill can be developable for all.
• Key topics: knowledge of the optometry profession, academic preparation, resiliency, empathy and exposure to diversity, uniqueness, leadership potential and interpersonal skills. Our mission: Use your experiences to demonstrate competency, skill, and potential in these areas.
• Know yourself: 
  • Self-awareness is a course of confidence; it’s easier to talk about something you know well
  • Find my stories that demonstrate the “key topics”
  • Learn your: personality type, core values, goals/dreams, strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments, your competitive advantage 
  • Ask a friend! Get a sense of your characteristics from people who know you well
  • Can always learn more, take feedback, ask a counselor, explore assessment tools ( via character strengths, gallup strengths finder), reflection on lessons you are learning 
  • Know your stories, they are your content for your responses. They bring specificity and concrete examples and hold attention and capture attention. 
  • Begin by listing your experiences: use your resume, look for experiences from jobs, academic, research, tutoring, mentoring, hobbies, unique skills, etc. 
  • Develop 6 basic stories: when you solved a problem, when you overcame a challenge, when you made a mistake, when you acted as a leader, when you worked with a team, when you did something interesting or innovative. 
  • Practice telling the stories to a friend, mirror, recording. 
• The S/TAR Method:
  • S/T: situation/task: describe the situation and what needed to be accomplished, be specific 
  • A: action: describe the action you took, focus on your own actions
  • R: results: what happened, how did things turn out, what did you accomplish and what changed 
  • If questions starting with “tell me about a time…” work well with STAR
  • When not to use STAR: tell me about yourself, why should we select you, why optometry, where do you see yourself in 5 years
  • Avoid the standard script: “I love working with people”, “I am dedicated/organized/passionate” etc. 
  • Interview the interviewer: ask thoughtful questions, nothing found on the website but allow the interviewer to go deep
• Virtual interviews: articles on outlining unique aspects of zoom interviews will be sent out
• The performance aspect: 
  • Interviews are similar to auditions or other performances 
  • Improv comedy exercises can help with flexibility and agility in delivering question responses: flec your imagination, harmless the power of pretend, yes… and …
  • Practice on zoom, practice feeling uncomfortable, performance improves with practice 

Location: Zoom

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 45 minutes

Guest Speaker: Grant Erhard, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Kentucky College of Optometry (UPIKE)

Agenda 

• Grant covered the idea of what a Doctor of Optometry degree entails, including: examinations, diagnoses, treatments, therapies, and prescription duties. ODs can practice almost anywhere, from private practice to rural communities, hospitals, etc. 
• Kentucky College of Optometry mission: “To develop leaders in therapeutic optometry through innovative education and a commitment to caring for the underserved.”
• School was established in 2016, the only one in Kentucky. Kentucky is one of seven states that allow ODs to use and practice with in-office laser eye procedures. 
• Study rooms, “kinetic” learning style classrooms and the #D virtual anatomy lab are all aspects of day to day learning at UPIKE. 
• Prerequisite courses: standard natural science courses, and psychology and english. All courses require a C or higher. 
• KYCO advantage: the specific area is underserved and has large numbers of the population being diagnosed with ocular diseases and conditions. All entering students are given approximately $15,000 of materials upon entry into the program: medical  and ophthalmic equipment, IPad pro, required texts, NBEO prep program, white coats, diploma frame, membership dues, etc. 
• Admissions through OptomCAS, OAT is preferred test (GRE is not excepted), minimum of 90 credit hours along with required courses. Averages: 300+ OAT, 2.75 GPA. Two letters of recommendation are also required for application. Average graduating class size: 64 students.
• Block Exam style: one large exam every 4 weeks covering multiple classes and topics to mirror board exams in terms of formatting and question styles. Allows students to structure study habits around exam style while also having enjoyable experiences outside of academics. 

Location: Zoom

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 1 hour

Guest Speaker: Melissa Cinciruk and Rebecca Heinz, Pennsylvania College of Optometry – Salus University (PCO) 

Agenda:

• Salus means health and well-being in Latin
• PCO mission: innovation and leadership in development of Optometrists 
• PCO founded in 1919, many “firsts”in the college’s history. 
• Program and Curriculum:
  • Interdisciplinary approach
  • Integrative primary eye care and early patient exposure
  • Advanced studies options (anterior segment, contact lens, binocular vision and vision therapy, neuro-ophthalmic disease)
  • Dual degree options (low vision rehab and biomedicine)
• Small group learning settings, visual system and eye introduced immediately, increased focus on neuro and traumatic brain injury patients, etc 
• Early clinical training: begins in the first week in the first year, includes a Clinical Program Solving Module (CPS) in the second year, and a total 70 hour clerkship during summer between first and second years.
• Externship Program: one and a half years of full time clinical experience. Approx. 3000 patient encounters by graduation. Includes one rotation during 3rd year and 4 rotations during fourth year. TEI (eye institute) deals with ocular disease, contact lens, etc.
  Selection is collaborative with an externship director, not chosen based on a lottery system. 
• The Eye Institute: approx. 43000 patient visits annually, and 85000 across all three locations (2 satellite locations in area). Composed of a diverse patient population and will provide a comprehensive clinical experience. 
• Research: many opportunities, found on the research department website (www.salus.edu/research/idex.html) 
• Admissions Process- Averages: 150 entering students from 900 applicants. Average GPA: 3.4, OAT: 304. Additional requirements (course hours, grades for prereqs, tests, etc) on the website. 3 letters of recommendation, at least 10 hours of shadowing/observation are required. Interview: traditional one-on-one (currently virtual)
•  Accelerated Scholars Program: 3 years of study, same requirements but higher scores are encouraged (OAT, prereq grades, GPA). Also recommended 100 hours of experience in healthcare. Have an interview conducted by faculty instead of the admissions board. 
• Application Evaluation: a holistic approach is taken: academic, personal and interview index are all considered. 
• OLE: optometry learning experience, 2-3 day (virtual and on-campus) interactive event to experience campus and see faculty and staff presentations. Tour venues and observe clinical skills labs as well. Application includes a transcript, personal essay and biographical information. Email salus.edu for more information. 
• SEP: summer enrichment program, serves to improve rates of underrepresented applicants. 5 weeks long to introduce participants to the rigorous academic program. Classes mirror 1st year 1st semester curriculum, including hands on labs and clinical experiences.

Location: 33 Fry Hall

Meeting Called by: Pre-Optometry Club

Duration: 30 minutes

Guest Speaker: Dean Zadnik, Dr. Fries and Jen Bennett

Agenda: 

Jen Bennett:

• Director of student services at OSU optometry
• Works in professional and developmental programing 
• New advisor!

Dr Fries:

• Teaches business and practice management curriculum 
• Owner of private practice, CEO of 9 locations 
• Graduate of OSU optometry school
• New advisor!

Dean Zadnik:

• Has performed research on children’s sightedness; principal investigator on a drug study for an eyedrop of atropine administered at night to slow down the growth of the eye (ie myopia treatment). 
• Dean Zadnick opened with a theory of “myopia control”. Mypoic eyes have grown too long, resulting in focal point for incoming light as being in the middle of the vitreous, resulting in blurry images. She continues to elaborate on long term problems that can happen due to myopia (retinal detachment, deterioration, etc). Because myopia happens in childhood, myopia treatment and control studies aim to slow abnormal eye growth early in life. 
• The numbers for myopia treatment have grown exponentially in recent years. This is an area of clinical growth for optometrists because they are exposed to the most patients with myopia.
• Answers Questions:
  • SocialEYES: 8-9 OSU optometry students are assigned to a faculty member that receives funds to take students on activities and social events. This program allows for all students to spend time with other peers, faculty they may have not met, etc. 
  • Licensure in Optometry: Students take 3 national board examinations in order to receive licensure in optometry. Average passage was 74% in the country in march 2021, OSU optometry passage of that same exam was 94%.