"The World of Optometry": My Thoughts and Reflection on Leadership

Being a Community Leader with Illuminate Universe is something I wanted to partake in with the sole purpose of learning about different careers while giving back to the community. I had the opportunity to review and learn from their “The World of Optometry” work-integrated learning experience. “The World of Optometry” introduced me to the responsibilities and duties an optometrist upholds. During my time leafing through this experience, I seemed to realize there are a lot of areas where I could tap into certain leadership qualities I have yet to discover. Although, I managed to reminisce about the progress and positive impact I have made from the leadership I have demonstrated so far. Here is a reflection of my overall reviews from this learning and leadership journey and what I have learned. 

Diving into the Ethics

One module in the learning experience emphasizes the ethical code between the patient and optometrist and how it outlines the interaction between them. Every career field has a sense of ethics to it, especially for careers that involve helping someone else. Biomedical engineering, the field I aspire to get into, is no exception to dealing with ethics. The module discusses that optometrists must maintain respect while valuing patient confidentiality and autonomy. They should correspondingly adhere to complete transparency and honesty and ensure fair treatment to patients from all backgrounds. Going through this concept made me connect the way an optometrist tends to a patient is no different from how a leader should lead a group. Reflecting on past situations where I led a group, I have possessed qualities such as respect, honesty, and autonomy to group members. Such qualities allowed my group and I to reach a step closer to accomplishing a desired objective. Hence, what I take away from this section of the learning experience is that ethics is always pertinent and the way to treat your peers should be established when leading a group. Likewise, I advise everyone that ethics must never be compromised in the name of accomplishment. Otherwise, I believe the ‘progress’ made by a team remains stagnant.

Connecting Newfound Interests with Leadership

Something else I took away is how there is a wide variety of methods used in optometry to detect eye abnormalities. The module discusses that to detect refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), a retinoscopy is used, where a retinoscope (a handheld instrument) shines light into the eye and observes its reflection, estimating refractive error. This data

goes into the prescription for eyeglasses and contacts. Other methods like biomicroscopy and non-contact tonometry; to name a few, are equally used to check for disorders like glaucoma and optic nerve damage. What I mentioned is only the tip of the iceberg, there are numerous other exams optometrists use to check our eyes, further expanding my newfound curiosity.

Even though many modern strategies exist to detect and treat eye diseases, the scope for innovation in the field is endless. Areas of development include retinal imaging devices, wavefront technology in creating custom contact lenses and LASIK surgery, and smart contact lenses that can monitor eye health. What I am taking away is that such advancements are a direct crossover with my intended career field of biomedical engineering. Innovation in optometry is one of the many specializations biomedical engineers can go into, which is an option I can consider. Taking up opportunities that

correlate with my aspired field further enhances my goals and intentions for the future; even giving me a chance to exhibit my leadership skills. Being able to come up with an idea that can help society drive initiative; being a core quality fueling my leadership capabilities. Based on previous leadership situations, once I possess initiative and have a clear goal, the next steps of forming a team, using open communication, and steering us toward a desired outcome are set. This is why I want to make it a crucial suggestion, where the ability to lead can only stem from a passion for the journey and final result, just like my interest in biomedical engineering. Therefore, being motivated to do your part of the work and drive your team to success via leadership is correlated with pure joy in doing that work. 

So in a nutshell...

“The World of Optometry” is an eye-opening learning experience for anyone who wants to pursue optometry or innovation and research in the field. Not only does it provide an in-depth analysis and overview of what happens behind the scenes of an optometrist, but it also shows a career path anyone interested can go ahead and follow, including myself. As I travel through this journey, I am led to the conclusion that leadership isn’t just an overnight step, but rather a process, just like treating a patient as an optometrist. To reach a goal, I feel it takes many trials and setbacks where perseverance and faith are key aspects of being a leader. One last final piece of advice for anyone who wants to become a leader, let me echo a sentiment that has stuck with me for years: be open. You wouldn’t know what the future holds and you cannot anticipate what comes next forever, but just believe that everything will come together if you know where your heart wants to end up.