Clinic Buddy: Ophthalmic Clinical Reference Guidebook.

Background : A need for brief but pertinent, comprehensive, and clinically-relevant optometric data exists for optometry students and recent graduates. The purpose of this project is to identify the most useful clinical data and present it in a manner that is easy to use by students and novice clinicians. Methods: The clinical reference guidebook is a compilation of key clinical information that I have compiled over the course my optometry graduate program. Results: The book is divided into the following sections: Ophthalmic Drugs-Topical and Systemic; Ocular Disease; Binocular and Pediatric Vision; Contact Lenses; Coding, Billing,
and Paperwork; and Primary Care and Low Vision. Most of the information within each section is information that is easily quantifiable in table or chart format or is information that is pertinent to clinic but is advanced thus many students may not have fully mastered. Conclusion: Several optometry students and recent graduates have trialed the pocketsized
book. They have reported that the information contained within seems to be very clinically relevant. In particular, the section on drugs, especially the systemic medications with ocular manifestations, seems to be used the most and contact lenses is used almost as often. I am hopeful that the book will be of use to other students and that it will continue to evolve into a valuable, essential tool for all optometry students.