WE ALL TRAIN TO BE THE BEST AT OUR CHOSEN PROFESSION

THE SMELL of spring is in the air. The sun seems to be rising earlier and setting later, and NBC has brought back the entire network from South Korea.

Did you get a chance to watch the Olympics? The Winter Olympics are an anomaly to me, as I have not cared to participate in most of the sports. However, there is always some ancillary drama. How about doping in curling! Really, I have a hard time understanding the skill in throwing that rock and brushing the ice for maximum slide, let alone why someone would need performance-enhancing drugs for it. Moreover, I am still shocked by the disconnect when I see a 5 foot, 5 inch, 130-pound male half-piper performing “off the toes” and back-to-back Michalchuks. These athletes look like they are the before picture in a gym advertisement as opposed to the amazing Olympians they demonstrate themselves to be while performing.

BASEBALL IS BACK

Spring also brings us to the start of baseball. Yes, for those Houston fans who are still hungover from their World Series win and for life-long Dodger fans, like myself, for whom the winter was made that much colder from the loss of game seven, it’s back.

My practice participates in the spring training ritual by performing the visual examination necessary during the players’ physicals. Schwartz Laser Eye Center evaluates three major league teams. It is impressive to me when I see these kids — yes, they are mainly kids — at the top of their profession, marquee players, whose faces are plastered on billboards, magazine covers and screenshots on my son’s phone. However, when I am evaluating these players, they are the patients, and we are the studs. They are often humble, concerned about their ocular health and — with the exception of checking IOP — appreciative of the evaluation.

These athletes are a reminder that we all train to be the best at our chosen professions. Taken out of the arena that defines these modern-day warriors, they are no different than any patient who sits behind our slit lamps. In fact, I will argue that we are ocular athletes who use our acumen to propel our team to a spirited visual victory.

If that read as corny, then think about what we do every day. We trained to find early signs of disease. We worked hard to provide effortless solutions to the visual malfunctions of our patients. Most importantly, we are on the front lines of protecting the gift of sight for everyone — regardless of their profession.

Most of the athletes we evaluate have excellent vision. Yet, I see a tremendous amount of pterygium, meibomian gland dysfunction, cataract formation and moderate dry eye. Diagnosing and treating these anomalies is my sport to keep them performing in theirs.

I know when these athletes sit at the slit lamp, they are not impressed with my biceps or my high cheek bones. However, much like when I see those Olympians fly down a hill on the edge of skis, it’s only then that I see them through the perspective of awe. When we proactively speak to the causes of vision changes, our patients will also gain the sight of our awesome abilities. Go Blue! OM

DR. BLOOMENSTEIN practices at Schwartz Laser Eye Center in Scottsdale, Ariz. He is a founding member of the Optometric Council on Refractive Technology. He is a speaker and advisory board member for: Akorn, Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Johnson & Johnson Vision, OcuSoft and TearLab. Email him at mbloomenstein@gmail.com.