You only get upset because you care so much.
Even when you love your job, there are bound to be a few things about it that annoy you.
And eyecare providers are no exception.
Buzzfeed recently published a list of “22 Brutally Honest Confessions From An Optometrist” with help from an eye doctor in Edingburgh, Scotland. It’s a broad list, ranging from the fact that some people have pubic lice in their eyebrows to the sad truth that delivering bad news to patients is really, really hard.
Several of the items fall into the general category of “things optometrists can’t stand.” Based on those entries, here are a few things that many ECPs find excruciatingly annoying.
We bet you can relate.
- Patients just not getting it when it comes to contact lenses. Some patients don’t come in for regular checkups. Others neglect to wear their contacts when they do come in. And still others have terrible contact lens habits, like washing them in tap water.
- People ordering glasses online and then being upset when they don’t fit properly. As Buzzfeed notes, a pair of these eyeglasses might not turn out to be the bargain their owner thought they’d be. What’s an OD to do? “We can’t wave a magic wand for you and sort out a problem you’ve caused,” the article explains.
- Patients not taking this whole thing seriously. Some people just have no idea how to act when they come in for an eye appointment. This goes beyond just showing up without their contacts. Some people take cellphone calls during their exam. Others regale the ECP and staff about with tales about everything except their eyes. And still others, Buzzfeed notes, expect their eye doctors to work miracles, saying things like, “The glasses could take a few days to come? But I leave for Aruba tomorrow.”
None of this negates the fact that the good outweighs the bad in eyecare. In fact, most of our readers wouldn’t want to be in any other field. As Buzzfeed notes, ECPs tend to love helping people.
Still, there’s nothing wrong with venting a bit every now and then! After all, you only get upset because you care about your patients so much.
Check out the full list at Buzzfeed