The Illinois College of Optometry Student Blog

In order to celebrate the completion of my third year of optometry school, I decided to take a solo trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. Studying for boards wasn’t much fun, and between that and working multiple jobs, I figured it was time I treated myself. The trip was somewhat spontaneous but definitely worth it. I am lucky that my first rotation is in Chicago. I didn’t have to spend my only week off in-between quarters moving, and could actually travel with the free time. I would 

It’s my turn. Boards are just around the corner. In optometry school, the NBEO exams come in three parts. The first part, a test of your knowledge on classes taken while in school, is supposed to be the hardest.  In order to prepare, I’ve chosen to purchase a study tool called KMK. Part of the package is that live instructors come to the school for two weekends for a crash course in boards studying. Those weekends were some of the busiest and most stressful weekends I’ve had

As a third year at ICO, you are required to complete a “CPS rotation.” This is when you work at an off-campus site owned by the school and treat patients within the Chicago Public School system. Patients rage in ages from infancy to 21 years old. The location of the site is Princeton Elementary School. A portion of it has been transformed into a clinic where students from surrounding schools can be treated. Working with CPS gives us a chance to enhance the availability of hea

Upon entering optometry school I knew little to nothing about diseases of the eye. I also did not know that, even if someone does not have eyesight, they still need to frequently visit their eye doctor. Why? Well, optometrists do so much more than simply prescribe glasses. They care for the eye as well as the surrounding tissues and orbit. This includes treating patients with prosthetic eyes. I recently began my rotation through our Cornea and Contact Lens Department. This de

So, I’ve made it to third year. Amen. Two years to go before I finally get to walk across the stage in a oh-so-stylish doctoral cap. Now that I officially have over 2 years of optometry school under my belt, I’d like to share a little bit of my wisdom. Here are my top 5 musts to help you succeed in optometry school (or any other health care professional schools.) 1. Video Speed Controller Most professional schools have their lectures recorded so that you can re-watch them lat