I am currently a first-year at UCR. I am originally from the Central San Joaquin Valley of California. I live near Fresno in a military town called Lemoore. In the Central Valley many towns are predominantly dominated by Hispanics. Many Hispanics are immigrants from Mexico or other Latin American countries. I grew up in a household where working in the “fields” and picking weeds from the crops was a common job. I myself worked in these fields throughout most of my summers. I plan on returning to the Central Valley this summer again and working in the fields. The central region of California many times goes unnoticed when the state of California is brought up. But what many fail to realize, is that this region accounts for two-thirds of California’s…show more content… One of the key strengths independent OD’s have is the depth of their patient relationships. Recent studies demonstrate how patients are far more loyal to independent optometrists in contrast to optometrists who work for corporations. This can be seen with these patients being more likely to return, having a higher satisfaction rating for the doctor and being more likely to recommend the doctor to others. If a doctor has a strong relationship with their patients, this is turn can lead to an increase in profits. Most of the independent doctors have been practicing optometry for over 20 years. Many people are attracted to corporate doctors because the prices tend to be lower. Although prices may be lower, many patients would still continue to prefer to have a greater personal level with the optometrist which means they would still rather go to an independent doctor’s office. One of the key strengths apparent by independent optometrists is that they keep a closer relationship with their patients making it easier for the patients to be…show more content… Current changes to the accreditation system are affecting the education system for the United States’ optometry programs. Many optometrists want to see a bigger emphasis on improved knowledge since this is key to the improvement of the Optometry field. The new and improved knowledge surrounding optometry is detrimental to the evolution of optometry not only in the United States but around the world. Another current issue is the current performance of optometrists. Some optometrists feel as if the performance seen by these optometrists needs to be improved to continue the success of providing primary health care. Creating a bigger emphasis on the improved knowledge surrounding Optometry as well as bettering the current performance of optometrists is detrimental to the well-being of both optometrists and the patients. An increasing current challenge amongst many Optometrists is the increase of retail sales associated with Optometry being handled over the internet. About 8 percent of retail sales in the United States is done over the internet. The reason for this is the low-cost associated with the cost of either contact lenses or glasses. Websites such
