Multitasking
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It’s 2024 and we welcome you to the first issue of the second volume of the Journal of Medical Optometry. 2023 was our inaugural year and we released three issues; we started off strong and by every metric we have continued to grow. This issue has articles by clinicians from all over America presenting fascinating cases which have taught me a lot as I read them. I typically read and edit the articles with a football game on in the background, and I’m writing this column on the morning of Super Bowl Sunday. This means that starting tomorrow there will be no more football until the fall and I’ll have to find something else to do while multitasking. I mention this because so many of us (authors, editors or clinicians) are charged with doing many things at all times. We take care of our families, act as good friends, give great care to our patients, and spare some time for ourselves. During that last bit, as doctors we are tasked with using some of that time to learn even more about eyecare, so that we can continue to give great care to our patients. But sometimes it’s hardest to find time for the last part.
Related to that, this month doctors in the VA hospital system heard the news of the dissolution of the Optometry Professional Standards Board. This is the board that grants promotions and raises to Optometrists who publish papers, become board-certified and generally try to advance themselves and the profession. Many of us on the board of JoMO and its audience are VA Optometrists. I think there’s some concern in our family that this might disincentivize VA Optometrists from multitasking in our lives. Taking the time to write up a case or volunteer for a professional organization is not easy, and it’s usually not mandatory. But it’s important. And rewarding. To see your case published is to realize that the time and energy you spent to 1) take care of the patient and 2) understand the condition and situation in a very thorough manner will now enable others to gain knowledge from your work. Patients that you’ll never meet will be better treated because of you. A doctor will search for something to help with her patient and click on your article. A light bulb will go off and an answer will be found. Because of something you took the time to see through to completion.
And these articles in this issue are something that our authors spent time completing, in order to help your patients. The featured article this issue is about a patient who had an acute onset of Charles Bonnet Syndrome caused by topical brimonidine. This is a previously-reported instance, but it’s rare. And now it’s something that will easily be found when a future clinician searches for these terms. The author – Dr. Shelly Kim in Chicago – will have done her part to help a patient she’ll never meet, in addition to the patient she has already examined. Half the articles in this issue are anterior segment-related, including two about conjunctival lesions: a case report by Drs. Wittendorf and Gilbertson-Kuiken and a photo essay by Drs. Njeru and Miller. They are good examples of how slowing down to really examine the conjunctiva can be so important.
So take a small amount of your time that you allocate to yourself and read these articles. And think about clicking on the Submissions tab on the top of the screen. We all have these cases where we think to ourselves “I should really write that up.” Consider this your invitation to do so.
Dr. Rett is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Medical Optometry and the secretary for the American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry. He is the Chief of Optometry at VA Boston and sits on the national Field Advisory Board for Tele Eyecare at the VA. He is adjunct clinical faculty at several optometry schools, lectures nationally and enjoys writing about eyecare whenever and wherever.
