Why Optometry?

By Chioma Mary Ezeaguka, OD, Lagos, Nigeria

My dream profession as a kid was to become a medical doctor. As a child, I was always inquisitive about how the eyes function. My passion then was to discover how this smallest part of our body was able to play such an important role in our existence and, as such, always wanted to uncover the mystery behind it.

But when I entered university, I had no idea about optometry as a department, so I enrolled into medical school. I got to know about optometry in my first year, and the next year I immediately applied for a change of course even though I was qualified to continue studying medicine in my second year. At that point, I was so convinced that optometry was for me.

First, optometry helped me comprehend how the eye operates, and secondly, it made me discover my sight problems and also proffered a lasting solution to them.

So, I thought to myself, if I was able to benefit from my profession how much more will it do for others?

Optometrists are self-reliant, superior health care specialists, who are licensed to detect, diagnose and provide treatment for diseases and disorders related to the eyes and the visual system.

Finding your passion is directly related to doing things that light you up and set your soul on fire. So I did find my passion which is my profession, optometry, and knowing I can greatly impact people’s lives through my profession has always been my biggest motivation.