When my phone alarm goes off at 6:45 am, I often hit the snooze button (who doesn’t long for a few extra minutes of sleep?). Like many people, I’m guilty of checking my phone first thing in the morning to catch up on emails and messages. I work as an optometrist and patients can get in touch if they have an emergency. I use a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the bigger, sharper screen really helps. Last week one of my patients woke up with a very red eye, but I could see from the photos that it was not serious and I could control it remotely.
I specialize in children’s vision care, especially those who are myopic (nearsighted) or have learning difficulties or dyslexia. I offer programs that help myopic children slow down the rate at which they are getting worse. I too am nearsighted and remember as a kid every time I went to the optometrist I needed a stronger pair of glasses, but that doesn’t have to be the case now.
For children with reading and learning difficulties, I work to improve their eye movements, eye coordination, and focus when reading. I find it very gratifying to be able to make a difference, especially when a parent tells me that their child has enjoyed an 800 page book when they only managed 200 pages before, or a child who has been able to play sports at a higher level because they now use contact lenses.
Most of my day is spent on appointments, and my Samsung phone is incredibly handy at all times. I often ask my patients to read words from my phone so I can see their eyes move across the screen or their eyes focus. Some people have trouble coordinating their eyes or focusing, but when looking as focus or move their eyes when reading, we can identify and treat them. If they are smaller I put Peppa Pig. Depending on what you find, you might prescribe glasses or eye exercises. If I have a patient who is deaf or hard of hearing, I open Google’s Live Transcribe app, which I find very helpful as it automatically transcribes what I say into text.
I’m a big fan of Samsung phones – they have great build quality and are packed with up-to-date features. I recently upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the camera is amazing. I used to need a smartphone adapter with a built-in lens and light source to take quick close-up images of a patient’s eyes, but now I can use the phone’s camera on my own.
Patients love that we use technology to examine and document their eyes. It allows them to see what’s going on and we can easily keep a digital record of our findings so we can compare changes in the future. I can zoom in on the image to examine it further and then store it on Google Drive. Then there’s the Samsung S Pen, which I use to create drawings of any problems and save to Google Drive as well. Protection of customer data is of course important, so I make sure there is no customer data on my images and get additional peace of mind through the S22 itself. Samsung devices use the Android operating system, which offers powerful integrated mobile security that leverages Google machine learning.
Most days I try to take a lunch break, usually a sandwich and a cup of tea. Taking breaks from using our eyes helps reduce the symptoms of eye strain. This is not just advice I give my patients, I also make sure I follow it.
In the afternoon, I dedicate my free time between appointments to business management. I handle the company’s marketing and social media, and do most of my administrative work via my phone. I jot down to-do lists in the note-taking app Google Keep, which works especially well with the S Pen, and if I find some interesting research, I save it to Google Drive to review later. If I need to write content for my website or for a professional blog or newspaper, I use Google Docs. Patient feedback is incredibly important to me, which is why I use Google Forms to create surveys and send them out to my clients. I am always looking for ways to improve my way of working.
The clinic closes at 5:30 pm and I usually finish in half an hour. If the children have done an extracurricular activity, I sometimes pick them up on the way home. We usually have dinner together soon after, then I help the kids with their homework.
When you have your own business, there is always something you need to do and I try to catch up on everything that I have not managed to solve during the day, this could be patient reports or some marketing. I’m glad I have a device I can work with so I don’t have to stay late at the clinic. Sitting with my wife to watch a television series or a movie is precious.
At least twice a month I will attend a networking or learning event. Sometimes he might be giving a talk or a lecture. I am a big believer in professional development. I never feel like I’ve reached a point where I don’t want to learn and keep up. And having such great technology in my pocket allows me to get a lot done, be productive, multitask, and help as many people as I can.
I am certainly tired at the end of the day, but the work I do is meaningful and has a great impact. It’s about connecting with people. It is truly encouraging to see children’s visual abilities strengthen over the years. I absolutely love my job.
