Pacific University College of Optometry became part of the Pacific campus in 1945. It was originally founded in 1921 as the North Pacific College of Optometry. Pacific University provides a rich and warm learning environment in a beautiful location. We create a sense of family that endures for life. Focusing on the graduation of a comprehensive practitioner with expertise in general optometry, contact lenses, low vision, vision therapy, sports vision and ocular disease.
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“On the road again Goin’ places that I’ve never been Seein’ things that I may never see again And I can’t wait to get on the road again” As any 4th-year optometry student knows, these classic lyrics by Willie Nelson perfectly encapsulate the excitement we feel as we set off for a full clinical year …
September 2014 Student in Focus: Western’s Ashley Suplee Read More »
1) You get to the clinic 45 minutes early and can hardly sit still from being so excited. 2) You have already imagined how scary your new attending doc will be before you even arrive at the clinic… 3) You couldn’t get to sleep the night before because you were so nervous! 4) The front …
As busy students, we can’t help but love technology. Computers make it easier to organize class notes, look up patient charts, and record data during clinic. And with a couple checks of a box on an electronic medical record, we can have a patient’s prescription printed out and ready to go! This is a huge …
How to Write a Prescription: A Quick Reference Guide Read More »
Social life, academic success, and enough sleep: pick 2! As future optometrists, we’ve all enjoyed a laugh at this funny-but-true dilemma every busy student faces. PUCO Optometry 3rd-year student Sheila Morrison understands this better than most! A native of Red Deer, Alberta, Sheila has found a way to integrate her passion for research and her …
January 2014 Student in Focus: PUCO Optometry’s Sheila Morrison Read More »
With all of the ambiguous terminology surrounding soft contact lens modalities and replacement schedules, it’s no wonder that patients get confused. But that doesn’t mean we have to be lost – especially when an attending doctor starts rattling off a bunch of contact lens jargon! In general, all of these terms follow common sense, but …
Until recently, I didn’t realize how important it is to assess the size of the optic nerve head along with the cup-to-disc ratio. Now I know that evaluating the C/D ratio without considering optic nerve head size is a lot like categorizing someone’s body mass index based only on weight without considering height! The overall …
4 Quick and Easy Ways to Assess Optic Nerve Head Size Read More »
When school kicks into high gear, it can be difficult to find the time to dilate with your classmates. And when you do find the time, it can be frustrating to spend half the practice session troubleshooting your technique before even being able to get into the pupil! Luckily, you’re only 20 minutes and couple …
There are many situations that can throw a wrench into your smooth eye exam flow, but encountering a patient with a long series of medications is definitely up there on the list of time sinks. Or, more commonly, your patient may only remember small bits of information about their medication – the pill color, the …
100 Commonly Prescribed Drugs: A Clinical Pocket Reference Read More »
When I wrote up the title for this article, I couldn’t help but sit back and smile for a moment. Pacific University College of Optometry’s class of 2015 has come a long way, and it feels great to take a second to look back at where we’ve been. From my conversations with students from other …
White Coats and Blue Skies: 3rd Year Summer at Pacific University College of Optometry Read More »
Whether you’re in a nice quiet exam room or a noisy cafeteria at a school screening, the chances are that your pediatrics patient is going to have the attention span of a small woodland creature. A few of the main concerns with a pediatric patient are to rule out strabismus, amblyopia, and other ambylogenic factors …
Direct Ophthalmoscope: The Ultimate Pediatric Screening Tool Read More »
