A career worth pursuing
To become an optometrist you have to be patient and love to work with people.
According to local optometrist Ronnie de Kock (58), optometry is a healthy and hygienic profession.
“Sterilising the equipment three times a day and washing your hands before and after seeing every patient, is vital,” he says.
Learners must have maths, science and biology which will help them tremendously during their future studies.
He remembers that during his first year it felt as if they were repeating these three subjects from matric.
This four-year course can be studied at the University of Johannesburg, University of Stellenbosch, University of the Free State and at the University of Limpopo.
“Although it is a difficult course, it is worth every minute,” he says.
Besides working on correcting vision problems and specialising in low vision care, Ronnie also prescribes spectacles and contact lenses and examines eyes for diseases.
When he detects an eye disease, Ronnie is not allowed to prescribe any medication.
Instead he refers the patient to a ophthalmologist, who will treat the disease or operate if necessary.
Through running his own private practice, Ronnie has come across very interesting cases and diseases which cannot be mentioned due to patient confidentiality.
What he does find funny is when people fall asleep during their eye examination.
“It is normally elderly patients who fall asleep while I work and I have to give them a pat to wake them up,” he says.
He claims working for yourself gives you more lenient working hours.
A typical day in his life is coming to work at 8.30am to 5pm, during the week, and from, 8.30am to 1pm on a Saturday.
According to Ronnie, he enjoys what he does and he loves going to work.
“During my studies I had psychology as a subject, which comes in handy when you deal with patients,” he says.
He adds that optometry is definitely a career worth pursuing.
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