The Illinois College of Optometry Student Blog

There’s no doubt about it- first year was a lot to handle. Looking back at how we took three exams per week is astonishing to me. The current first years are, dare I say, lucky. Their class had a curriculum change and now only has two exams per week. It’s funny how I say “only,” because that is still truly impressive and a ton of studying. However, after a much needed relaxing summer off, it is back into full optometry mode for second year students. As soon as we got back, so

This quarter, we looked deep into each other’s eyes- literally! We got to use our diagnostic kit- more specifically, we explored the back of the eyes using the direct ophthalmoscope. We examined and assessed the optic disc’s health, including its shape, color, and size. We finally put theory into practice, and it felt real and exciting. It was the first time I examined someone’s eyes all by myself. On my first try, I wasn’t able to see anything except a red-orangey reflex in