Learning so much and wishing it could stick better!

I just need to keep practicing!  I need to keep drilling and studying!!!

I have learned so much already and I find myself randomly thinking, "what was that pathway again?"  "What are all the branches of the trigeminal nerve and what all do they innervate?" "How am I supposed to perform this chair skill?"  "Should an esophore have base in or base out prisms to correct their phoria?"  And the list goes on!

I found out in my Theory and Methods lab that I have some exophoria (a tendency for my eyes to turn out).  Don't worry- You'll never see me wall-eyed, because I have enough positive fusional vergence to overcome this tendency, but it makes sense since I am a myope (blurred distance vision).   I've never been told this before, but it's never been an issue, so it's okay.  :)

I am studying for my Theory and Methods test that's tomorrow, and there is so much information!  We've learned about AC/A ratios (the convergence response to the convergence stimulus), how to take proper visual acuities, how big letters on the Snellen chart need to be to have 20/20, 20/30, 20/40, etc. letters, why pinhole accuities are taken, how to test the cranial nerves through extraocular motilities, and the list goes on!

I've been doing very well in the class thus far.  I made a 98 on my retinoscopy practical (the two points were because I forgot to write DS after two of my spherical measurements- so I still got all the powers right).  My first test was okay, but I'm hoping to do better on the next one.

I just got another work study position that's much better than my other one!  As a class we are split up into 5 lab groups.  Each group has a different lab at different times every day.   Each group has a day off; my group's is Thursday.  However, one of the groups that has theory and methods lab on Thursday had an odd number of people in the lab.  Now I get to have an extra day of Theory and Methods lab to make that lab group have an even number of people... aka I get paid to have extra practice!  YEAH!  God is so good :)

Optics is one of my favorites classes!  At first I didn't like it because we're doing 'team-based learning' but now I really enjoy it!  It's like constant group studying to really test my knowledge everyday and work out kinks that I don't understand!  Plus, optics is one of the main reasons I got interested in optometry!!  I made a 100 on my first test in that class and my group grade is like a 97 right now :)  I've really enjoyed learning about astigmatism, and now I know that I am an against-the-rule compound myopic astigmat in both eyes!  Because of my -0.75 DC astigmatism, I get to participate in a study that Dr. Jackson is doing!   I love participating in studies at school.  We always get some kind of compensation, so it's great for struggling students :)

Life at home is going well.  Tyler and I don't get to see each other that much, but we try to spend as much time together as we can (even if I'm sitting on the couch next to him studying while he watches TV).

Next week I have an Anatomy test on Monday, and an Optics test on Wednesday and my BIRTHDAY Saturday!!!

November will be a rough month, so I will try to get in a couple more blogs in before then!