Dear God,
Thank You for giving me this opportunity to get out of the city to experience cool things. I pray for the safety and security of our trip. I pray for our physical health. I pray for the plane, the fellow passengers, the stewardesses, and the pilots. I pray that we will get to Chicago safely and get back. I pray that anyone reading this would find helpful travel advice, peace for any anxiety, and just enjoy hearing me figure out my travel plans! I pray for fun memories to be made.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen
Going to Chicago!
From big city to big city, I’m going to Chicago with a friend from optometry school. I’m writing this blog as I prepare to leave, and I’m not used to traveling myself. I think the first time I flew solo was for a summer internship in California, and I was 19 years old. Now I’m a few years older and hopefully wiser, but traveling seems straight-forward enough.
I plan on going to the Optometry Meeting 2022! It’s in a new location every year, so I’ll be having my first one to kick off my first year ending. I wonder if anyone else feels a bit confused about traveling, so if you have any tips please message me or comment below!
Booking Flights & Hotels
My friend and I decided to book 2 one-way tickets there and back. It’s more flexible on your schedule (if you wanna arrive earlier and leave later). Something I realized is how much cheaper flights are to Newark Airport, but I’ll take a more expensive flight over lugging around my bags for 1+ hour.
Our hotel is super close to the Optometry Meeting center. Although there were cheaper options, it would mean taking a taxi/Uber there and back each day, and if we wanted to go back to our room and rest we could. We also could do that on our own instead of having to wait for another person or a group to be ready to go. In the end, I feel like the savings on timing, convenience, and safety was worth the price!
Travel Tip: Consider cost of travel and time with hotel price. If a hotel is more expensive but you’re closer to many spots you wanna visit, consider that in the value of your living arrangements.
TSA Pre-Check:
I wish I knew about this earlier but it’s basically a fast pass for domestic flights! It takes around a week to process, so I hope that mine comes in time before my flight (eek - pushing the deadline). I wish I had known about this earlier it makes going through airport security much faster (less than 5 minutes), you book an appointment online. It’s super simple. I just filled out some information on my application, brought my passport card, and you’ll need your SSN! It’s $85 for 5 years or $17/year! Honestly worth the trouble you’ll save in my opinion if you’re already spending a chunk of change on travel.
I think as I get older I realize the value of paying for things that make your daily life more convenient! This isn’t a luxury everyone has however, and I really appreciate being able to do little things like this.
I would advise doing this a month in advance, some sites advise two months, but if you’re in a time crunch luckily my TSA pre-check application once I finished my in-person process was done in one day! Amazing! You get your Known Traveler Number or KTN and then you must add that to your ticket (even if you already bought it) online. It should now say Pre-check when you go to the airport and get your ticket or get your boarding pass online.
Travel tip: If you plan to travel domestic, try out TSA Pre-check! Make sure to have your KTN on your ticket (you put it in online) BEFORE you get to the airport.
The Day Before:
When we booked with American Airlines for our trip, we weren’t able to pick our seats which confused me. Fortunately, Google is my best friend! I don’t know how people figured out things before (I know there are helplines), but it’s really simple to search for problems and solutions.
We were emailed the day before our flight to check in online! I would totally recommend that because you can expedite your in airport process, and we got our seats. We decided not to pay to pick our seats too and just like our airline chose for us, we ended up sitting next to each other anyways!
Travel tip: Check in online and download your boarding pass!
On Our Way:
It’s the long awaited day! We’re flying to Chicago. Our flight is around 2.5 hours, and we arrived two hours early for our flight. It took us around 5 minutes to get through TSA Pre-Check (totally worth the expedited travel). Now I’m waiting with my friend, and instead of playing on our phones for two hours, she’s reading a book and I’m writing this blog for you all.
I know a lot of these tips and information isn’t new to some people, but I think traveling is a big privilege and not something I do too often, especially without my parents. So, it’s cool for me to be able to figure these things out. It’s okay to make mistakes too, but there is so much information available out there.
Travel Tip: I’m also limiting my water intake before the flight because I hate airplane bathrooms.
Delayed Flight Learning Experience
Something else that happened is the Gate next to us to Miami had their flight delayed, and they had to rebook their flight for the next earliest one. In the moment, I’m sure everyone felt a bit stressful and panicked. Some people were talking with the flight attendant at the desk for the delayed flight like she could fly the plane on time herself.
My friend and I used it as a learning experience and if that happened, we would head to the rebooking center but also go online and try to rebook through the airline website. Whatever happened first!
I think it’s good to take the experiences around me to learn about how I could solve issues. It’ll save me the time and mental stress if that situation ever happens to me.
What I’m glad I did:
TSA Pre-check was worth the convienence.
Checking in online.
Praying with my family about my trip for my safety.
Booking two months earlier.
Hugging my dad and saying bye to my mom at home. Hugging my dog one last time!
Bringing some gum on the plane.
Worn long, comfy pants that weren’t sweats so I wasn’t too cold and I didn’t feel like a slob later.
Brining an empty water bottle to fill at the airport.
Going to the bathroom 15 minutes before we could start boarding.
Getting ready to board before my group was called so when we did get called I was able to find space in the overhead before it was all crowded!
Not paying to choose my seat because my friend and I ended up in the aisle seats across each other.
Not wearing contact lenses on my flight. I wasn’t doing anything special, and it was nice to let my eyes breathe.
Reading the book I downloaded previously.
Working on my blog during my free time.
Not getting airplane ice or using the airplane tray because germs.
Question: for the airplane snacks do you prefer pretzels or cookies?
What I would’ve done next time:
Healthy-ish snacks are more necessary than I thought. It’s good to pack some nuts, granola bars, or pack a sandwich if possible. It just saves you a lot in the end when granola bars are $5 at the airport and a simple sandwich is $11. I would rather spend that money on good food and dessert in Chicago! Remember to have clean hands before you eat too.
I also wish I brought hand sanitizer now that I realize how many surfaces you touch. I’ll be picking up some disinfectant wipes!
Used the charging port in the airplane because I didn’t know they would have that. They had no charging ports at our gate/boarding area.
Ordered my Fanny pack earlier! It’s coming after I arrive in Chicago, but it would’ve been nice to be able to carry around my stuff.
Post-Flight:
We planned to use the Chicago public transport and get the day pass so we could travel. Our hotel/convention center was around Downtown so we decided to start from our furthest point and end at the hotel.
I also had us download Uber and Lyft in case we would need it, but thankfully Chicago is public transport friendly.
Using the Blue Line to the city was super easy. It reminds me of the LIRR. You can also get a one day pass for only $5 which is an insane deal considering each ride is $2.50. Chicago buses and trains either take the Ventra card (equivalent to MTA Metrocard) or contactless card or just coins (no change)!
We got around easily, the bus drivers were nice enough to tell us if we were going to the right stop.
Tuesday - Sight Seeing:
We first ate at Giordano’s at Navy Pier so we could spend part of our day there. It was really hot, and I’m glad I brought my hat and sunglasses!
Then, we went to Molly’s Cupcakes where I got the crème brûlée cupcake (bomb) and my friend got the peach cobbler cupcake. Right across the street was a dog park, so we went over to play with the doggies there. There was also a Target close by so we grabbed water and saved on spending so much. I would’ve bought snacks next time there too or breakfast for the next day since our hotel breakfast was very expensive.
After that, we went to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. I definitely thought it was cool and worth the visit!
Lastly, we visited the iconic Bean in Millennium Park! It was so cool to see in person, and definitely a great piece of art.
Wednesday - Day 1 of OM 2022
Wednesday thankfully started later for us, and I attended a few lectures where I learned about how to build, grow, and optimize your practice. Then, during lunch we ate a delicious meal where we also had a talk on Tyrvaya nasal spray (not sponsored but I wish) which was a nasal spray that increased your tear production for people with dry eyes!
I actually loved the talk, and now I want to try it myself. I’m super excited to actually try that myself as someone with dry eyes and wears contacts.
Then I learned about making the most of patient history, and how it’s important to understand your patient by listening to them instead of rapid fire questioning to get your case history finished.
I also reinforced my thoughts on some things like walking alongside your patient. One of my biggest pet peeves is when the interns or doctors walk WAY ahead of patients. Not just a little ahead but like long stretches away. They don’t get to talk with the patient. It just brings this feeling of “hurry up and get out”. There’s no eye contact. They also miss on watching the patient’s gait, any behavioral issues right off the bat, and how the patient could view the session.
Something else I learned is the highest risk for glaucoma comes from having a SIBLING with glaucoma! Another thing is how commonly patients confuse cataracts and glaucoma!
After that my friend and I volunteered to set up for OneSight by Luxottica! They sell designer sunglasses (Ray Bans, Coach, Tori Burch, Armani Exchange, etc) for discounted prices to provide glasses around the world.
I loved the message of that! And my friend and I were gifted a pair of beautiful sunglasses (which I honestly spend little on because it’s more of a luxury). That’s how I got my first Ray Bans. :)
Then we traveled to Chinatown for snacks, bubble tea, and dinner! It’s much smaller than NYC Chinatown, but they have more architecture!
Thursday - Day 2 of OM 22
Breakfast + Social Media Optometry
First thing: breakfast! We had our first meal of the day served with a lecture on social media and optometry. It was cool to learn tips like the value of interacting with patients through apps.
I learned about the importance that any posts involving others should have their consent before posting. It’s a cheaper, accessible way to grow your practice too.
I learned about how videos are the best option for social media, and how you can interact with patients online. It’s also important to post diverse things like quotes, videos, static posts, etc.
Telehealth
After, I went to my first lecture of the day: Telehealth and Optometry.
Many optometrists are still not in Telehealth, and I would love to integrate that into my care for patients for follow ups. I learned about how important established care is before just providing Telehealth services.
It’s also important to let the patient know they are entitled to asking for in-person visits at any time! Another thing is how to make Telehealth accessible for patients who may have trouble navigating websites for calls.
Some tips the lectures provided were dressing appropriately, professionalism, not making broad times like “we’ll call you from 1PM to 6 PM”, and avoid distracting noises or backgrounds. It’s also important to not chart at the same time as the patient is talking, making sure the patient feels that this is private, ensuring strong Wi-Fi or cellular connections, and staff documents patient consents to Telehealth services.
Another important aspect is logistics like providing patients a guide on how the call will go, only timing the call or Telehealth services when the doctor enters the call, and many other points to consider.
I can see why doctors can feel intimidated by Telehealth, but I hope that I’m able to rise to the challenge. Learning about social media during lunch too has provided me so much insight on how technology and healthcare is evolving.
ALSO: we are not allowed to record Telehealth visits.
Home Visual Acuity Test (HAT):
There are apps or websites to do vision tests to prescribe. There was research done for these HATs that were found by patients to be easy to use. There can be issues with viewing distance, lighting conditions, if the patient is compliant with wearing or not wearing their glasses, and if the patient moves closer or further by their own volitions. It’s important to know that these tests may give an approximate visual acuity but it won’t be able to tell you things optometrists can!
Summary of Thoughts:
I really like the idea of appropriately given Telehealth in optometry, but I would definitely hope that patients would consider that as supplemental to their care. I know eye care can be undervalued!
Implant medication for Glaucoma:
For some patients who forget to take their medication, have joint issues that prevent their ability to squeeze droppers into their eyes, and many more there is an option to implant medication in their eyes that lower their IOP (intraocular pressure).
This is so cool! Medication delivery is advancing so far. I think this could go beyond optometry for patients who don’t remember to take their hypertensive medication.
Cryosurgery:
Freezing lesions like warts or benign tumors around the eye is apparently an up and coming option. The traditional approach has been to inject a shot into the patient’s eyelid area and surgically remove lesions. Now, there is an option to freeze these lesions and kill the cells with cold so that in a few days it falls off itself!
I think this is an awesome option. There are even cryo tweezers that can pinch a wart.
Since the epidermis is avascular it doesn’t scar it just regenerates! Of course there could be issues with bruising or the initiate sting of -320 Fahrenheit in the form of liquid nitrogen, but all surgical procedures have their risks. I think it’s a great option and I hope to see more of it in the future.
AOA+ Pop-Up Sessions
The AOA (American Optometry Association) had pop-up sessions where we can learn about various topics.
InfantSee
The first one was by AOA + InfantSee their program to provide free vision evaluations for infants 6 to 12 months! It was really cool, and you don’t have to have a pediatrics residency.
We got to see Dr. Bubba do retinoscopy on a 2 month old (note: I realize I have no sense of how big babies should be for their size), and it was so interactive. I saw how easy an exam could be and how valuable it was!
Alignment and balance between eyes is most sensitive during the baby’s first year of life, and if one eye is having trouble (ie due to exotropia) then it could cause suppression of that eye and eventually the baby would only have monocular vision.
If you or anyone you know has a young infant please tell them to schedule an appointment for an optometrist and you can find an InfantSee Optometrist here at InfantSee.org.
Friday
Honestly Friday was a blur. I got to visit a few exhibits in our exhibit hall! I got to talk to representatives, and even though I’m only a fresh second year I want to get exposure now talking with brands and even seeing how they talk to students. I feel like it’s important for them to be open to talking with students as much as doctors because in a few years we’ll be working and we’ll have a career longevity of 30-40 years and hundreds of colleagues and connections and patients.
When brands and representatives treat me as a student with kindness and welcome me, I remember that! I even brought some friends to their booths and I think about the positive experiences I had.
I got some contact information, and I hope to shadow this summer with a few doctors and corporations! Even if I don’t end up there, I can refer or vouch or maybe even discourage if I had a difficult or dismissive interaction!
Some of my friends from school came to the conference today, and we headed over to Student Bowl. It’s basically where each optometry school has a student representative and they answer optometry questions and win cool equipment or prizes!
Saturday:
Right now I’m on the Blue Line of the CTA going to the airport. I feel super tired honestly, and I just wanna sleep now.
I think this would be a nice way for me to be able to help and work with children without doing a whole residency or speciality.
Add to Saturday: Airport
Our flight with United was unfortunately delayed. Sometimes I let my annoyance get the best of me because we could’ve spent a whole extra hour in Chicago then or felt less rushed coming. I’m supposed to be boarding my flight now, but I have another 1 hr 30 min to wait.
I decided to use this as a chance to finish up today’s blog and hopefully post tonight if possible. It’s easy to slip into negativity or focus on how the world and people “should work”.
Some more things I was thinking about is how one decision can change the course of many things in your life. I hope that doesn’t induce anxiety, but it’s just a reminder. Today in my focus to get to the Chicago Riverwalk I had us take the wrong bus! It was the same stop for 2 buses, and I was going to ask the bus driver if this was the correct route but I decided not to. Maybe overconfidence or tunnel vision or fear of annoying the bus driver but I ended up not doing that and we had to eventually get off when I thankfully realized I had us on the wrong route.
We still had to walk to the new bus and wait and now travel longer! I wish I had just asked and gotten over that awkward 10 seconds to save myself the added trouble and headache! I learned my lesson there and it humbled me.
Sometimes I forget how fallible I can be. Sometimes in our effort to save the extra minute, dollar, or moment we lose so much more. We tunnel vision or at least I do, and I hopefully can just ask “hey, does this bus go here?”
I also took some time to do some minor tasks that are low effort and low energy like deleting extra photos I took, making the Instagram post for my blog so I don’t need to worry about it later, and setting reminders for my busy schedule this week that I’m back.
My blogs are always so interesting to me because they’re like disorganized thoughts and jump around but it makes sense to me. LOL sometimes I’m like I don’t think I’m good at blogging but I can blog?
Anyways I hope you got to enjoy and experience a bit of Chicago with me!
Closing Prayer:
God, Thank You for bringing me and my friend to Chicago and back safely. I honestly got busy and forgot about You, but even if I forget about You, You never forget about me. There’s so much You did like make sure we were safe, on track for the most part, on time, and enjoyed ourselves while learning. There were so many kind, helpful, and patient people You made sure were there along the way. I’m thankful to my parents cause it’s them who provide me trip money (a graduate student who doesn’t work goes on vacation??? Not self-made), thankful to my friend who traveled with me and stayed with me, thankful to my friends who checked in on me during my trip, and thankful for no canceled flights. I’m most thankful to You, God, for making all of this possible. Vacations and trips can be hectic, but there’s so much You gave me the peace, flexibility, and support to handle what came my way. I hope the people who read my blog are blessed and know that You love them just as much as You love me!
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
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