ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The eyes are a very important part of the human body, and recently, someone who has been helping care for area eyes celebrated a major milestone.
Dr. Dora Finney celebrated 20 years as an optometrist earlier this week and as she tells it, her introduction to the field came at a young age.
“When I was about 13 years old, my mother took me to the eye doctor for a checkup since I wasn't seeing very well, and when she heard I would need glasses, she was very upset and emotional there in the exam room, and I decided then I wanted to help make those changes in people's lives,” Finney said. “I went to school at Fort Hays State University for my undergraduate degree, and then I graduated from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn. in 2004. Then, in May 2004, I got my doctorate and in late July 2004 was when I got my license to practice optometry in the state of Kansas. August 2004 was when I saw my first patient here, and this office was run by Dr. Steve Cauble at that time. I practiced with him for about six years, purchased the practice from him in 2007, and I've been the sole owner since then, and this year marks my 20th year of practice. I'd made my decision to go into optometry basically at that eye doctor appointment when I was in 7th grade. I went to Fort Hays State University and got degrees in biology and chemistry as kind of a backup plan, but I knew optometry was where I really wanted to go. I went to school in Hays and was working with another optometrist, and that pretty much solidified my decision of what I wanted my career to be in.”
Finney said she is proud to have reached such a major milestone.
“It's nice to have that new optometry feeling under my belt, and I've got a lot of experience in a lot of different areas. We're constantly updating equipment throughout the office, and there are some new advanced dry eye treatments in the office, and we fit some of the most advanced lenses on the market and the most advanced contact lenses,” Finney said. “I always work to keep my practice near the forefront of everything so I don't become the 'old' doctor in town, but rather, the most experienced and updated doctor in town. The average number of patients for any optometrist is about 2,000 per year, so if we're going by that, I've seen roughly 40,000 patients, and that's probably on the low side. I love my job, I'm excited to get up and come to work every day, it's certainly not a 'Oh no, it's Monday' types of positions – this is something I've always wanted to do, and it's something I'll keep doing because it's my passion. I practice full-scope optometry, which means I don't only ask people what's the best prescription for their glasses. I do full body evaluation to an extent through my patients' eyes, so it's become much more in depth than just going to the eye doctor, and I think that's the biggest takeaway I've learned in the past 20 years. A person is not just a pair of eyeballs, their eyes are connected to the rest of their body, so you have to pay attention to what's going on elsewhere so you can have the full picture and treat them correctly.”
As for the future? Finney said there are no plans to slow down.
“There are some amazing treatments for dry macular degeneration on the market, and they're in FDA trials right now, and there are also always updates in glaucoma treatments and cataract evaluations/treatments,” Finney said. “Glasses themselves have also made some huge strides forward – we use the analogy of the cheap TV on the shelf at the store versus the high-definition HDTV at the store, and glasses have made those shifts too so your vision is much more optically clear with some of the newer and more specialized digital lenses versus the basic lenses that were available back in the day. Everything's updating and increasing in clarity and efficiency. We want to keep growing and keep up with the treatments and technology, and I hope to one day pass this practice on to someone who's just as passionate about optometry as I am.”
Having been in the field for two decades, Finney also offered encouragement for people to make sure their eyes’ health is being taken care of.
“People tend to put their eyes on the back burner when it comes to their health and they might think 'I have my glasses, I should be okay,' but there's so, so much more to your eyes than just whether or not your glasses are in good shape,” Finney said. “I encourage everyone to have regular eye exams either every year or every two years – diabetics should actually be seen every year because diabetes can cause some major issues if it's not taken care of early enough. In fact, I actually diagnosed a case of diabetes in a patient because of something I noticed during their exam, and they had no idea. There's a lot I can pick up in the exam room the average person might not in terms of what's going on in their body.”
Along with being a community optometrist, Finney said she also plans to remain active throughout the community.
“I'm also involved in the Kiwanis Club, and one of the big projects with them was the playground equipment for the new schools when they were being built. I do a lot of other community service, including being involved with my church, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church,” Finney said. “I also have two daughters, so my family life keeps pretty busy with their sports and other activities they're involved in. I'm very blessed to have reached 20 years of practice, and I'm honored to have helped so many people take care of their eye health throughout the years, so I have to thank them for putting their trust in me and my staff.”
