Manual Dexterity in Optometry School?

[IndenturedDent]

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Hi sdners,

I am interested in pursuing optometry. Anyone have any concerns about manual dexterity to get through the curriculum.

Ex: I have heard insertion of punctual plugs/removal of foreign bodies requires some motor skills. Anyone ever shadow an optometrist that said these procedures require alot of skill?

Thanks for your help.

 

[epalacios]

Thanks for your interest in what I believe is the best profession to be in!
I'm a second year optometry student, and while I have not done punctual plugs or foreign bodies yet, there have been several exercises I've performed that do require a good deal of manual dexterity. Performing a fundus exam either with a high mag lens and slit lamp, or with a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope both (in my opinion!) require a lot of manual dexterity. You have to be able to position the lens in just the right way to even get a view of the retina, and then have to be able to manipulate the lens in such a way to scan the arcades while keeping in focus! I still have not perfected it, and I've been working on it several times a week for the last month. Oh, and by the way, everything is upside down and backwards...try getting your head around that!

 

[Commando303]

Hi sdners,

I am interested in pursuing optometry. Anyone have any concerns about manual dexterity to get through the curriculum.

Ex: I have heard insertion of punctual plugs/removal of foreign bodies requires some motor skills. Anyone ever shadow an optometrist that said these procedures require alot of skill?

Thanks for your help.

Unless you suffer from a debilitating condition, I would not be frightened off by manual-dexterity demands in optometry. Some things can be a bit tough to do (the insertion of punctum plugs probably is not one of them), but you'll learn and you'll practice.

 

[IndenturedDent]

sounds interesting. seems like the visual perception component would be more important than even the manual dexterity in some of the examples you mentioned.

overall, have you seen students struggle with the practical / clinical components or usually do most students just struggle with the didactic components instead?