Optometric Scholar of the Month - Samantha Chapman

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Please provide a brief summary of your background.

I grew up in Missouri City, Texas, near Houston. My parents homeschooled me starting when I was in first grade and were very involved in teaching me as I grew. My father is a software architect, and my mother majored in computer science, although she stayed at home with me and my siblings for most of my childhood. As a teenager, I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, including martial arts, piano, and multiple honor societies. I graduated magna cum laude from Texas Agricultural & Mechanical (A&M) University in 2021 with a degree in honors nutrition and two minors. Of my two younger siblings, my sister followed me to A&M to major in horticulture, and my brother is training to be a pilot.

Describe your current situation.

After graduating from Texas A&M, I attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry to pursue a doctorate of optometry and a masters in vision science. I’m beginning my third year and am learning so much! I’ve had a lot of difficult refraction cases this summer, and hope to see more disease-based patients in the fall. I’m also doing a rotation in our vision therapy clinic, which has helped me better learn how to form relationships with patients and create a warm, relaxed environment for examinations.

What sparked your interest in optometry?

I’ve always loved science. At the age of 10, my career of choice was astronaut, but at age 12, it was forensic scientist. When I was 15, I looked around at my life and noticed a suspicious number of eyes drawn in the margins of my notes. “Could I connect science and the eye?” I wondered. I decided to experiment by going on a mission trip to Mexico with an optometrist and an ophthalmologist. The looks on our patients’ faces when they were able to see clearly, perhaps for the first time in their lives, touched my heart, and I decided optometry was the career for me.

What causes or specialties are you passionate about?

I love primary care and ocular disease because they are challenging and intriguing and affect patients’ lives in very tangible ways. I love the spontaneity of primary care and the physiology of ocular disease. I plan to do a residency in one or the other, or both.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of your training so far?

Being able to use my newly acquired knowledge to explain things to my patients and decrease their anxiety around their vision. As an optometry student, it’s easy to forget how many myths and stigmas involve ocular health, so being able to debunk unnecessary fear and make my patients feel more at ease has been wonderful.

What have you found most challenging in your optometric journey?

Learning how to hold myself to the highest standard, even when it’s hard and frustrating. The technical skills and clinical thinking we’re taught did not come naturally to me, so I practice every day and ask my attendings endless questions. I’m actively trying to change my mindset from student to doctor so I’ll feel confident and capable when I graduate. Optometry school has been difficult, but I hold onto the idea that diamonds are formed under intense pressure.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? Fifteen years from now?

In 5 years, I see myself just getting out of the Navy and beginning to work toward my dream of moving overseas to practice optometry. In 15 years, I see myself practicing full time in another country, promoting optometry and vision care by encouraging kids to become doctors and working with local optometrists.