Alumni Focus on Melissa Billings (OD'01)

DR. BILLINGS' STORY

Hometown:

Urbandale, Iowa

Which institution did you attend for your undergraduate degree? What was your major?

The University of Northern Iowa, Biology/Chemistry

Which degree(s), related to optometry, did you earn at Ohio State?

OD'01

Who were your mentors at the College of Optometry? Who had a positive effect on your education?

I had many mentors along the way, but Dr. Joe Barr, Dr. Mike Earley, and Dr. Greg Nixon really helped shape me as a student and future optometrist. Dr. James Bieber outside of the college played a large role, also.

DR. BILLINGS' CAREER IN OPTOMETRY

Name of your employer(s) and title, including location.

I am a partner/owner of Vision Park Family Eye Care in Urbandale and West Des Moines, Iowa.

Give us a glimpse of your typical day as an optometrist.

I work Tuesday through Friday, basically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and my day consists of seeing referrals from other optometrists and sports medicine doctors for vision therapy, sports vision training and concussion rehabilitation, as well as dry eye evaluations, glaucoma treatment and management, and primary eye care.

Which optometric issues concern you the most?

Living in Iowa, I am concerned with access of care issues, so we are working as an optometric association to expand our scope of practice. Managed care plan abuse is also a large concern, and we plan on tackling this in the upcoming years.

Why did you choose a career in optometry?

I am fascinated by medicine, so I knew I wanted to go into health care. As a female wanting to have a family, I was seeking a career that gave me a good work/life balance. As a college student, I worked in an optometric office that practiced full-scope optometry, from vision therapy to specialty contact lenses to low vision evaluations and aids. Watching people’s lives be changed by optometric intervention was very moving for me, so I knew optometry was the career I wanted to seek.

Where do you hope to see your optometric career in five years?

I want to continue developing awareness for concussion/TBI rehabilitation and binocular vision issues. I wouldn’t mind working only three days a week at that time.

What is one piece of advice you can give OPT-IV students as they prepare to graduate and begin their optometric careers?

Optometry is a great career, and you can specialize in the areas that excite you. If you get out of school and are feeling burnt out working where you are for whatever reason, find a different modality of practice and you will fall back in love with optometry!

What do eye health, and eye care, mean for you?

The eye is the window to your overall health. I love to educate patients, and patients are always amazed when I find other systemic issues during what they thought was their “routine examination." It is life changing when you can identify and refer out for conditions that can save their lives.

DR. BILLINGS' OHIO STATE EXPERIENCE

What were your most memorable moments at Ohio State?

There are so many! We had some amazing tailgates before watching Ohio State football games, when our co-ed volleyball team (The Fighting Irises) won the intramural volleyball championship, fun times at Adriatico’s Pizza or JR Miggs after tests, going on the annual Optometry ski trip to Holiday Valley, New York, going to the national AOSA conference, EYE hot tub parties, the EYE Ball, walking in the underground tunnels from Starling-Loving Hall through the morgue to eat at Wendy’s in the hospital, and the annual Halloween party with the Optometry/Medical/Dental students.

What do Ohio State and the College of Optometry mean to you and your family?

I met some of my lifelong best friends when attending Ohio State, and we still remain in contact. I am forever grateful for my education and overall experience at Ohio State. Buckeyes for Life!

How do you stay connected with the College of Optometry?

I am currently helping out with our 25th Class Reunion, and I try to get back to Columbus when I can. I love reading the Optometry Alumni Magazines so I can see how other classes are doing, and I am an admin on our own Class of 2001 OSU Optometry Facebook page.

DR. BILLINGS' FUN FACTS

What are your current hobbies, volunteer work and interests?

I love giving back to our profession. I have served in the Iowa Optometric Association since I graduated optometry school as the Membership Committee Chair, and I have served on the Board of Directors for the past decade, in which I currently serve at the Vice President. Both of my daughters are college athletes, so I take time away from work to watch them play softball and volleyball. My husband and I are small group community leaders at our church. I start each day either kickboxing or weightlifting. I also teach the Physician Assistant Students at Des Moines University about the eye, including how to triage/treat ocular emergencies, about ocular medications, and teach a hands-on lab.

What is your nickname?

Mel B, Shorty, Baby Billings

What’s the best eye pun you’ve ever heard?

Good question…I mean, bad puns are how eye roll ...

If not an optometrist, I would be ...

An attorney. My dad always said I could talk my way out of a paper bag. 😊