A Peek into the Life of an Optometric Student

Abby Wilhelmi is in her second year of optometry school at the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) in Chicago. While attending the University of North Dakota for her undergrad, Abby volunteered at North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind (NDVS/SB), helping digitize records and doing a wide variety of other tasks. Through her volunteering, Abby saw “how a school for the blind can make such a positive impact in people’s lives.” Now, as she makes her way through optometry school, the relationship between eye care professionals and vision rehabilitation services has become even more apparent. NDVS/SB Superintendent Paul Olson explains, “Optometrists often provide the first essential care in most cases but serve their patients best when they are aware of educational programs and rehabilitation services designed to provide solutions for people dealing with significant vision deficits.” In a sense, NDVS/SB relies on eye care professionals to tell their patients about our services and what we have to offer. Making eye professionals in North Dakota aware of the services NDVS/SB provides is a way to ensure that those who need our services will receive them. “The more we know about each other’s disciplines, the better, and this leads to teamwork that does really improves lives,” Paul explains.   

Abby keeps in touch with staff at NDVS/SB and took time out of her very busy schedule to share a bit about her life as an optometric student. Find out what a typical day is like for her now, some of the biggest lessons she’s learned in her first two years at ICO, and where she sees herself in five years by reading the Q&A below. 

Tell us about yourself.
My name is Abby Wilhelmi, and I’m from Beach, North Dakota. I attended the University of North Dakota and have a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. I loved going to school in Grand Forks and I miss the quiet and the people in North Dakota a lot! I’m currently in my second year of optometry school at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, and I’m definitely enjoying the milder winters and amazing food here. My parents and younger sister have been my biggest support system during graduate school; I definitely couldn’t do it without them!

How did you decide to go into optometry?
I have needed glasses since the third grade, and I remember putting glasses on for the first time. From a young age I realized the importance of this profession, and I wanted to give clear sight to others like it was given to me. In high school, I also realized that eye care was scarce in rural North Dakota. There is no optometrist in Beach, and many small towns in North Dakota are lacking this resource. I’m very passionate about giving back to one of these small communities in the future!

Tell us about your first year and a half of optometry school. What is a typical day like for you? 
My first year and a half of optometry school has been simultaneously the hardest and most rewarding time of my life so far! The first year was mostly classroom work, and we focused a lot on mastering the details of basic sciences that are covered in undergraduate school (like biochemistry, anatomy, physiology, and LOTS of optics). During the second year, our classroom learning has started shifting to more disease and case-based education. My classmates and I have also spent countless hours in lab during the first two years honing our clinical skills. ICO does an amazing job of getting students into the clinic early in our education. Each week during second year, my classmates and I worked in partners to see one patient a week, and in March we began seeing patients on our own! A few weeks ago, I was able to complete a full eye exam on a patient as the sole student clinician, which was a very rewarding day! 

Optometry school is very different from undergrad. ICO uses a quarter system instead of a semester system, so our learning is very fast paced. The first two years we are typically taking 20+ credit hours per quarter and two exams per week. I always heard that optometry school was like trying to drink water from a fire hydrant, and that is so true! Optometry school may be different from other graduate programs due to the closeness of the community. Optometry is a small world, and you are really accepted as future colleagues by professors as soon as you begin your journey as a student!

A typical day for me would start at either 8:00 AM (with an exam), or 9:00AM with 2-4 hours of lecture. After lunch, I’ll have anywhere from 2-4 hours of lab, a clinic shift, or free time to study. After supper, I’m typically studying until around 9:00 PM and do it all again the next day! My favorite ways to take study breaks are going to the gym, reading a book before bed, or walking by Lake Michigan.

Tell us about your class on Vision Rehabilitation.
I’m currently enrolled in a class called Vision Rehabilitation. During lecture, we are learning the techniques that are used to complete an eye exam/vision evaluation for low vision patients. In lab, we get to practice putting those techniques to use. For example, the first week we practiced being a sighted guide, and this week we got to practice prescribing near devices such as microscopes, hand magnifiers, stand magnifiers and telescopes. 

We had a panel in this class a few weeks ago that included an orientation and mobility specialist and three low vision patients. They all really opened my eyes to the resources there are in the Chicago area, and even just through our phones, for low vision patients! One of my favorite apps to learn about was Be My Eyes, where anyone needing sighted help can start a video call on the app, and a volunteer will answer and help them with pretty much any task they need. It was so helpful to hear from low vision patients about what works for them and how we can help as eye care providers. It definitely reminded me of all the people at NDVS/SB and the work you all do to help these patients in North Dakota. 

Another thing we have discussed in this class is the difficulty of accepting vision loss for some patients. We did learn how to administer an assessment to help us know when it is appropriate to refer patients to a mental health care provider. Our doctors are very open about acceptance being by far the biggest barrier they have in helping low vision patients. Another point that was really emphasized in this course was to offer resources to support groups and low vision services at the same time we give a patient a difficult diagnosis. 

What have been a few “aha” moments?
One of my aha moments was a few months ago when I had the opportunity to complete a vision screening for a population in Chicago that would not typically have access to care. It was so eye opening to see how some lenses that I carry around every day can make such a difference in someone’s life. So many of us take clear vision and glasses for granted! Even with a language barrier at this event, once the patients picked up on the lenses helping them see better, their body language would show so much excitement and appreciation. It reminded me that this was really why I had gone into this field and why I’m putting in so many hours tediously studying for exams. 

Another aha moment was also a few months ago when my classmate and I saw a patient in clinic who had stroke potential, meaning an immediate referral to the emergency room had to be made. While I didn’t really have all the clinical knowledge and skills to make this diagnosis, it was really impactful for me to see how the doctor calmly made this diagnosis and educated the patient on the findings. This experience really made me realize the importance of optometry as a medical exam, and not just providing glasses for patients.
  
How did your volunteer experience at NDVS/SB benefit you as an optometry student?
Volunteering at NDVS/SB has already made my experience in Vision Rehabilitation more impactful! I’m so glad I was exposed to an organization that offers these services to low vision patients before optometry school, so I knew a little bit about what is available to offer these patients. The doctors here tell us that vision rehab is the “best kept secret” of eye care, and I remember the people at NDVS/SB having a similar outlook. I know this is just one of many amazing services that we can offer low vision patients, so this really makes me motivated to learn the content of our vision rehabilitation course well, and to educate myself on the resources for low vision patients in whatever area I end up practicing. 

Why should optometrists and vision rehabilitation centers work together?
It’s very clear to me that vision rehabilitation centers and specialists are SO important for the care of low vision patients. As an optometrist, I will know how to diagnose diseases and prescribe low vision devices, but having guidance in adapting to life with low vision and the practical, everyday use of low vision devices is what really makes a difference in these patient’s lives. A lot of this work is done in vision rehabilitation centers, not necessarily in the exam chair at the doctor's office. Vision rehabilitation centers can also offer the extremely important aspect of community to patients who want to connect with others who are going through the same things, something I saw often at NDVS/SB. It’s important for doctors to know about and use these resources!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
This is such a good question…I am still incredibly passionate about rural optometry, and North Dakota has so many great practicing opportunities in this area. In 5 or 10 years, I see myself providing eye care in a small community, but I’m not sure exactly where yet.