Lainey Pickens Post #1

On Monday, I started my internship in the Ophthalmology Department at Ochsner. I’m working in the main clinic on Jefferson Highway. Because I plan on going to medical school and am very interested in becoming an ophthalmologist, this is a great opportunity for me to see what working in this field of medicine is like.


I am primarily shadowing Erica Barrow, the manager of the Ophthalmology Department for all of Ochsner’s clinics. She was an ophthalmic technician for over twenty years before becoming a manager. Because the clinic was very busy on Monday, she helped one of the technicians who works with Dr. Nussdorf, the head of the department and a glaucoma specialist. I observed as she called back patients, asked them about their medical history and symptoms, gave them routine eye exams, and measured their eye pressure.


Because she was working with Dr. Nussdorf’s patients, almost all of them had glaucoma, so most of them were elderly. I found it interesting to see the different preliminary eye tests she performed on the patients before they saw the doctor. Many of the tests were specific for glaucoma patients, such as testing for orbital movement, peripheral vision, and eye pressure (glaucoma patients have higher than normal pressure). Ms. Barrow was a very experienced, professional, and friendly technician, and it was interesting to see how much the technicians do before the doctor arrives.