Gravity. The word itself even sounds scientific, mystifying and unavoidable. Gravity is defined as “the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass.” The degree or intensity of gravity is measured by acceleration.

Physics was never my strong point. I can still remember my first-year physics teacher describing mass and acceleration as properties of force. He loved to push objects to demonstrate the “force” needed to move the mass at a specific acceleration. All I thought of was, “May the force be with you!” and how ridiculous he looked in his purple (although I thought they were blue) overalls, with his frizzy, unkempt hair and white sneakers. Where most of my physic buddy nerds were assiduously writing notes I was cogitating on, out loud, “Are your overalls blue or purple?”

I’m not sure if he ever did answer me or just went back to pushing his eraser with his force-driven, light-sabered finger. Yet, I digress.

What does gravity have to do with the practice of optometry? Well, besides the obvious—Fick’s Law—it has everything to do with optometry! We are plagued each and every day by one of nature’s essential yet cruelest tricks. If you don’t believe me, think of the last time you did a binocular indirect and had to look at the inferior aspect. That gravity thing puts some really important findings in places that are hard to reach.

Gravity is what causes those bags that our patients are constantly lamenting are killing their game. Whilst most septua- or octogenarians are OK with the notion of having bluish water balloons bulging from the undercarriage of their eyes, some are not! Damn you, gravity! (And while I’m it, damn you, Wheel of Fortune slot machine, with your pretty colors and the seduction of hitting that spin! Yet, I digress.)

Newton’s apple-throbbing noggin is more relative to the notion that everything settles, like sediment, towards the foundation. Gravitational forces will propel happy, enthusiastic, thoughtful patients to your practice. Yet, what is the driving force that creates this acceleration?

I believe it is us. Well, you and me. Optometry. We are the catalyst that will enable these gravitational forces to rouse patients into our chairs.

Optometry as a “physical body having mass” needs to lock on to our patients conscious like a beam attracting force field only seen in Star Wars. Optometry needs to accelerate this natural process with good clinical care, early diagnosis and quality service. Gravity gets our patients’ derrieres to plop in our chairs, yet we need to provide the gravity to “attract them towards” never leaving our office. Take every opportunity to educate your patients about their eyes, treat the whole ocular system and your gravitational force will ensure more mass in the waiting room.