We’re all in this together

As you perhaps have gathered by now, I really enjoy being an optometrist and would wager you do, too. One of the things I cherish about our profession is our collegiality. 

Over the years, from emergency phone trees to list serves, I have witnessed optometrists joining forces to support a colleague in need. Whether it is as simple as sending over a projector bulb to the doc down the street or as weighty as filling in for illness or sharing office space after natural disasters, optometrists help one another regardless of their views on sensitive professional politics. We may have conflicting opinions, but we are of one mindset.

I have had the opportunity to be on the giving and the receiving end of our optometric bond. “It is better to give than receive,” they say, but three times in one month to receive was big for me.

Denise Whittam, OD, past NYSOA president and dedicated AOA member, came to the aid of my emergency patient when I was out of town. Bob Geula, OD, long-time New York City optometrist, delivered my personal contact lenses to me via messenger. Justin Bazan, OD, social media guru and Optometry Times columnist, gave me the combination to the lock of his Brooklyn office, Park Slope Eye, to examine a surgery patient in his exam room when I could not get to mine. How much better can it get?

So when you feel yourself becoming hot under the collar at the next local society debate, remember that the doctor in the seat next to you may be the one who sends you a slit-lamp bulb or sees your patients when you can’t. As they say in High School Musical, “We’re all in this together!” Watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlRvE9dKWQc, tap your toes, and remain delighted in our profession and what we can accomplish in unity.ODT