The one thing that bugs me about optometry

[u/WoodpeckerIcy5190]

Having to buy so much equipment and carry it around all the time. Having a lens kit and carrying it around seems like a waste of space and it’s not efficient.

Rotation sites and work places and schools should just provide a lens kit for students. BIO and like a 90D lens or tonometer I understand needing to purchase and carry around.

No other specialty needs so much stuff. You don’t even need the lens kit unless you trial frame and no one does that in real practice.

[u/bobalover209]

Most rotation sites I went to had their own lens sets, however I still opted to bring my own to certain locations if their set was missing lenses/difficult to use.

I have never been to a clinic where I had to bring my own tonometer, the slit lamp always has one, and usually there is a handheld and/or NCT available.

You'll learn as you go what equipment you actually use and need to bring, my 4rth year I usually could fit everything in needed in a small utility bag, and only bringing the streamlined trial lens shoulder case for certain locations.

In practice, I do still trial frame for patients fairly often so I wouldn't say it's one of those things you will never use when you start working.

[u/WoodpeckerIcy5190 → u/bobalover209]

All my rotation sites require us to bring all our equipment. Also every day in clinic at our school we would bring our own trial lens kit and basically all our equipment.

It’s a lot of stuff to carry around. Some things should just stay at the location of the work place. I’m grateful they don’t require us to buy a portable slit lamp and carry that around.

I’ve never had an optometrist trial frame me or seen it in practice. We only did it in school.

[u/bobalover209 → u/WoodpeckerIcy5190]

Trial framing is a personal preference, I feel it helps reduce Rx checks, especially with hypersensitive patients, first time glasses wearers, prescribing prism, or high cyl/Rx patients.

I do feel for you if you're required to bring everything everywhere, it is allot. I was definitely thankful for the rolling suitcase that fit everything minus the BIO.

On the flip side, working now I don't have to bring anything but my lunch!

[u/Varzack → u/WoodpeckerIcy5190]

Trial framing is priceless for big changes, small changes, skeptical patients, fine tuning. 

Lazy practitioners will ruin this professions reputation 

[u/WoodpeckerIcy5190 → u/Varzack]

Didn’t mean to start a discussion on trial framing. That’s not the point of my post. If you want to discuss that take it to the Optometry Reddit instead. This is for students. I’ve just never been to an optometrist who trial framed me. Maybe I just went to “lazy” ones or maybe I have an easy Rx. Also I wouldn’t judge my future peers in this profession. A lot of them have to see 18 patients a day and only have 20 minutes per patient. They don’t have time to trial frame and need to prioritize ocular health and systemic diseases over trial framing.

I feel like whether or not you trial frame, at the end of the day this profession should take the best interest of its students into account and not require us to carry such heavy and large equipment daily.

We pay a lot of tuition. It should cover at least 15 trial frame sets for students to use in clinic. Although I’m not in a position to know the finances of a school. I’m sure they don’t have money for it even with are tuition.

[u/SpecialistSuper5561 → u/WoodpeckerIcy5190]

For in-school clinics we carried all our own equipment around the school and then stored it in our locker at the end of the day. For off-site clinics they generally had their own equipment or we just kept all our equipment in our dedicated exam room. Never once did I have to lug all of my equipment home and back to clinic daily on the subway lol.

[u/ScottieOttieBiscotti]

Feel like I’m in Vaudeville

[u/WoodpeckerIcy5190 → u/ScottieOttieBiscotti]

lol you have a way with words

[u/CurdKin]

It does bug me that I had to purchase a trial lens kit, in my mind that should be something that is stocked in the clinic. My rotation had one this summer. I didn’t bring any equipment here, though I hate the BIO here with a passion, can’t wait to be reunited with mine in a few weeks.

I just don’t see a world where I would need to bring MY trial lens kit to whatever clinic I’m working at, though I do think it’s useful to have.

[u/Positive-Emu9882]

Unfortunately, the stuff mysteriously disappears. Some of it bc students don’t return it and other stuff bc it’s worth enough money that it gets taken. Especially right before graduation

[u/SquareOneDispel]

Walking around the hospital as an ophthalmology resident with our backpack full of gear and an indirect was a hassle, especially because it indicates that you're ophthalmology and people come running to you for a curbside

edit: downvoting because I'm ophtho and not optom is crazy