They were chunky, blue and black plastic squares that in no way enhanced my physical features. For the first time, I could see properly.

Ten years later, I still wear glasses.

Now, as a Patient Services Specialist, I walk into that very same FYidoctors clinic almost every week and say hello to the same doctor that helped me.

As a university student, I forgot about my eye checkups for many years. It was only when my grandmother mentioned the eye injections she routinely received that I suddenly worried about my own again. Apparently, macular degeneration–the slow loss of your central vision–runs through the female line of my family.

Soon after, I booked an exam. I walked into my optometrist’s office and went through all the scanning, questionnaires, and that terrifying puff machine. At the end, sitting in the chair across from Dr. Michael Kellam, he explained that my retina, macula, and optic nerve all looked normal. I received a prescription and was on my way. Healthy as a horse.

So, what do all of those machines and tests really do? In the chaos of my university life, I had forgotten about eye health in general. Was it really that important to check? Was it really worth the money?

I asked Dr. Joshua Fleegel, an optometrist who recently joined the team at FYidoctors, how long he’d worked as an optometrist, and was pleasantly surprised at his answer. He graduated a year and a half ago in May of 2024, and just started working full-time in August of 2024.

Dr. Fleegel is just a few years ahead of me in age–only 27 years old. I knew he was young, but I didn’t realize he was that young. He explains that optometry wasn’t necessarily his go-to choice for work, but he fell in love with the job after talking with the pre-optometry club president at a rush event at Creighton University.

“[The] work life balance was one of the biggest things that kind of drew me to it,” he says.

We talked about losing track of our eye health in university, specifically with our glasses and contact lenses.

As much as eye exams can feel like just another thing to do, they are an extremely important part of taking care of your health.

In most optometry offices, they don’t take any longer than an hour. Sometimes patients are in and out in as little as thirty minutes!

Eye exams aren’t just checking if you’re near or far-sighted–it’s also assessing the overall health of your eye. Each scan and test tells the doctors about your macula, retina, optic nerve, cornea, color vision, and so much more.

Dr. Fleegel explains why it’s important for university students to keep up with their eye health:

“The biggest thing is obviously keeping an updated prescription, and being very aware of any weird symptoms … that actually might be eye related,” he says. “One of them being that your eyes get really tired … you get distracted easier—fatigue. Often, those can be eye symptoms. Talking to your optometrist about [symptoms] can actually make a big difference in your ability to study and stay focused in your classes.”

I asked him what other kinds of symptoms could present themselves. He mentioned flashing lights, a sudden onset of floaters in your vision, persistent red eyes, and a migraine aura (tunnelled and/or blotchy vision).

Eye exams can also help catch incoming diseases, underlying medical issues, and diagnoses. Using the high-level scans, optometrists can often catch blood clots, strokes, diabetes, and more during your exam.

“People don’t realize that you can actually lose vision from contacts. [They] are medical devices,” he says. “So anyone that comes in and sits in my chair, I tell them why it’s important to take care of your contacts. I was one of those people that didn’t, and I have really bad dry eyes as a result.”

Even right here on campus, we have students that often struggle with optical health. Whether it’s their prescription, genetic conditions, or general health, it’s important to realize that eyes can be a very large part of someone’s health journey—even a hindrance to their education.

Elke Sorensen, the Nav’s Associate Media Editor, struggles with eye-related health issues. Her last comprehensive eye exam was in May of 2025, but she often needs follow-ups.

“I deal with multiple ocular issues. I have Duane’s syndrome, and am farsighted. I also have a neurological condition that affects my vision,” Sorensen says.

Duane’s syndrome is an eye movement disorder that manifests as a difficulty in eye movements, resulting in affected vision and discomfort.

“I have visual disturbances like floaters and flashes. I also often suffer from macular holes and have needed reparative surgery in the past.”

I asked Sorensen if she had insurance, and if that made any difference.

“I do have coverage, but only up to a certain amount of dollars that resets every two years,” she says. “Unfortunately, because of my frequent issues, I have paid out of pocket many times.”

She says that there are bad eye days and good ones. On bad days, she exclusively wears her glasses, carries painkillers, and wears her hood/hat/sunglasses to prevent further strain from lights.

“On a good eye day, I throw on my glasses or contacts and go about my business,” she says.

Sorensen’s experience has caused many frustrations, but her optometrist and doctors are available and willing to help. However, due to the general health of her eyes, it is difficult to officially diagnose her neurological condition. You can read more about Sorensen’s eye health journey in Vol 56, Issue 5!

When asked about the importance of yearly optical checkups, Dr. Fleegel shook his head. “Like most people, when they’re in their 20s they are very healthy. So it’s a quick exam, but there are those oddballs that do come in that it’s not a normal exam. That’s why it’s always good to be checked.”

He goes on to explain that for university students, it is recommended from optometrists to get your eyes checked every two years. Plenty of clinics in the Nanaimo area offer students discounts on glasses and eye drops.

VIU also offers health benefits for students through the provider Greenshield. According to the VIU Student Union Website, student coverage includes: “Vision coverage at $225 every two years ($100 every two years for eye exams plus $125 every two years for prescription glasses, contacts, etc).”

Dr. Fleegel encourages students to book an eye exam either while they’re at school or when they are home for the holidays/summer.

“Vision is obviously very important,” he says. “It’s common that people take it for granted. You can always get a relaxing lens if your eyes are struggling. So again, not ignoring symptoms.”

There are dozens of people that come through the clinic on a daily basis that I get to help. Even though a small percentage of them are university students, I feel passionate about raising awareness for students to advocate for their eyes.

With each individual helped, the world becomes a little clearer.

Part of my job at FYidoctors is also to write, edit, and send referrals out from our clinic to ophthalmology offices. For those who come in where other issues are present, it is my job to ensure they are passed on to doctors who will help them.

Eyes are the way we see the world, so why shouldn’t we take care of them? If a pair of glasses help you focus in school, make those textbooks clearer, or just generally put your mind at ease, it’s time well spent.

If you are looking for places in Nanaimo that offer eye exams or offices you can contact in case of an emergency, see below a list of clinics and their phone numbers.

FYi Doctors Nanaimo: 250-753-4531
Oceanside Optometry: 250-390-1447
Opto-Mization Optometry and Vision Therapy: 250-591-0270
Eye Plus Optometry and Optical: 250-591-1018
Specsavers: 250-933-3937