Hello again! Here it is half way through the semester and I haven't had a chance to tell you all about what has been going on! I guess that just shows how busy you'll be second year! We are learning so many new techniques this year, it's hard to get away from the practice rooms. One of the major skills we are learning is Binocular Indirect Opthalmoscopy (BIO). This is a skill that our teachers say takes years to master, and let me tell you, they're not joking! This skill allows us to look inside the eye at the periphery of the patient's retina, so it's very important.
Last week we started learning how to perform gonioscopy. If you haven't heard of this, you're in for a treat. I had never seen it done before optometry school, but it really is pretty cool once you get over the fact that a big honkin' lens is getting stuck to your eye! Pretty much gonioscopy is a lens that allows optometrists to look at different structures in the eye and help determine if a patient's angles are open. You numb the patient's eye, put a viscous lubricating drop on the lens, and then insert the lens on the eye. The drop allows the lens to suction onto the eye so the patient's blinks won't be in the way. It's a little scary to perform, but don't worry, you can do it!
To sum it up, second year is a little more technically challanging, but it's very rewarding to know how much I've learned! Although we've all been very busy, I know I am well on my way to becoming a great optometrist.