Maggie McKay (Host): Eye health is crucial to everybody, as you know. So, let's find out more with optometrist, Dr. Monisha Rajinikanth. Welcome to Conversations with MIT Health. And today we are discussing eye care at MIT Health. So good to have you here today, Monisha. Would you please introduce yourself?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Hi Maggie, thank you for having me. So my name is Monisha Rajinikanth, I'm an optometrist at MIT Health. And I've been there for exactly three years now.

Host: Awesome. So tell us about your role as an optometrist at MIT Health.

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Yeah, so of course as an optometrist, I do eye exams along with my two wonderful colleagues. We provide routine eye care, emergency eye services, and some specialty eye care as well.

Host: How is working at MIT Health different from places you've worked in the past?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Yeah, so I'd say two things in particular. The patients make it a very unique experience because they're very curious, kind, and Just ask a lot of questions, I'd say my colleagues are also just wonderful and their priority is providing the best care possible. So I think that makes MIT Health just an amazing place to work.

Host: And when should I see an eye doctor, and when should I not?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: I would say that, you know, if you're experiencing any sort of eye changes, such as vision changes, you know, and of course there are emergencies versus routine care, you know, we'd say if your eyes are itchy, then maybe try the over the counter allergy first before contacting us and of course we will always recommend you come in if something is not working. We would also, you know, say if you're noticing any flashes, floaters, any curtains in your vision, that would be a same day type of emergency, so coming in right away.

Whereas blurry vision, you know, if it's been ongoing, getting worse the last couple months, then we say, you know, we would see you for a routine check. If it's a quick change, then we would say we want to see you sooner rather than later. But of course, if in doubt, we would say, send us a message, let us know, and, we'll get you right in.

Host: And an eye injury, again, for sure, same day, like if you get hit with a basketball.

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Yes, yes definitely, eye injury we would get you in that day.

Host: Monisha, how often should patients get their eyes examined?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: I would recommend that patients under 50 should get their eyes examined every one to two years. If you wear contact lenses, we do suggest that you come in every year because we do consider contact lenses a medical device, so that should be checked every year. If over 50, that's when conditions such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts start to play a role and we'd like to check for those things every year.

Host: Are there different types of eye exams?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: So there are the routine eye exams, during which, you know, we would do a glasses or contact lens check. And we'd also usually like to provide a dilated eye exam. Um, the dilation helps us check the whole back of the eyes, but unfortunately it makes people very blurry and light sensitive for about four hours.

So we say plan ahead if possible. There's also of course the emergency appointments that we were discussing before, and those, kind of just depends per case. So that would be a specialized eye exam. And then we also do, some specialty eye exams such as laser eye exams, for folks at MIT who work with lasers, which is a lot of people, so, you know, we do, anything related to the eyes.

Host: And what are some eye concerns you see at the MIT community?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: I would say, ever since COVID started and since we've been on our screens just non stop, eye strain has been the number one concern. A lot of patients have come in for the first time for an eye exam, when they've never had one before because they've been experiencing eye strain.

 So there's all these rules out there, you know, they say 20-20-20 rule where every 20 minutes you should look 20 feet away for 20 seconds, but I don't think that's very practical, especially in the MIT community to keep track of when is 20 minutes. So I would say, you know, with eye strain, unfortunately, it's not always easy. Sometimes we'll find glasses can help, sometimes they don't, so we do say taking breaks if possible is always key, you know, getting up, getting a glass of water, going for a walk, but eye strain is really what brings a lot of people in.

Host: Wow, I have not heard that but it makes perfect sense. How does MIT Health make eye care easy?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: I would say that our access is really, what makes MIT the most easy. We have a patient portal where patients can message us, sometimes directly, and we're constantly checking that throughout the day, monday through Friday. And just making sure that, you know, we're filtering out routine messages and emergency messages.

And I believe we're really good at getting patients in quickly, even for routine care. We did have a backlog for a while and you know, that was just natural with COVID, but, we've kind of cut it down for, to about two weeks now. So even for, you know, a routine eye exam, people can get in pretty quickly. And with emergencies, we'll even double book people.

So I would say I think the access to care is really great.

Host: It sounds like it. How is MIT Health different than other optometry, ophthalmology practices?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Yeah, so I would say I think we focus a lot on education. You know, the patients, MIT is such a unique community, and the patients have a lot of questions, and they're always great questions. So, I think we're always trying to educate our patients, trying to just explain everything even if it's not necessary for the eye exam.

 Um, I'm always very surprised by things patients don't know about their own eyes. For example, having astigmatism, and it's already in their current prescription. So, just education I think, makes it very different from other clinics.

Host: And Monisha, tell us about the full service retail optical shop you have.

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: So it's actually another thing that makes MIT optometry really great because you can just get your glasses prescription and walk downstairs just around the corner from urgent care. They have a ton of options. You can also order contacts there as well. And they even have an online website, that you know, you can browse frames before going in. They have a wide variety of frames, and they aren't all very expensive. You know, you can find some that, will not break the bank, so.

Host: That is so convenient. I've never seen that in a hospital. You could just go right there and get your glasses. How convenient. Talk about easy access and cost saving. You have frames under $100, so it sounds like you're really listening to your community and making sure everybody has access.

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Definitely.

Host: Is there anything else in closing that you'd like to add?

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Yeah, I think I had touched upon just how MIT health is so unique because of the patients and the colleagues. I will say that, I myself am a patient at MIT health and working with the doctors as a, a provider and as a patient has been a really great experience. I've experienced it from both sides, and I would say that, you know, the main priority is providing the best care. And I see that as a provider working with everyone at MIT Health, whether it's the administration, medical assistant, technicians, other doctors, and I see it as a patient as well, so I think that's really just amazing.

Host: Well, thank you so much for sharing your expertise and making the time to be here today. We appreciate it.

Monisha Rajinikanth, OD: Thank you so much, Maggie.

Host: Again, that's Dr. Monisha Rajinikanth. And that concludes this episode of Conversations with MIT Health. Head on over to our website at Health. medical.mit.edu for more information and to get connected with one of our providers.

I'm Maggie McKay, thanks for listening, and please remember to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast and all the other MIT Health podcasts. For more health tips and updates, please follow us on your social channels.