Welcome Dr. A!
Visionary welcomes their newest doctor, Christi Andrzejewski (pronounced Ahn-jee-ES-key), but you can call her Dr. A. Christi was an extern for Visionary during her time at ICO and patients took to her bright personality and love for education immediately. She will be working with us on Wednesdays for the time being, starting November 4th.
Please give her the warmest Visionary welcome!
Let’s get to know Dr. A!
What inspired you to become an optometrist? Despite having glasses since 6th grade, I found this field a little later in life, and I’m so glad I did. It was the science that hooked me. I originally got my bachelor’s in marketing, but after a while, I got tired of being stuck behind a desk. I knew I wanted to do something in medicine, so I decided to go back to school. While I was taking my prereqs for vet school, I learned about the biology and mechanics of the eye in my anatomy classes and it completely blew my mind. After a little more research, it became clear optometry was my true calling.
What’s your favorite part of doing eye exams? Getting to know my patients. I would chit chat all day if I didn't have a schedule to stick to.
Is there a particular eye condition or specialty area you're especially passionate about? Dry eye quickly became my passion while in optometry school. It affects nearly every single patient whether they realize it or not, and the technology and treatment advancements are really exciting. It's rewarding to provide relief to patients in such tangible and subjective ways.
Do you have a favorite piece of equipment in the exam room? (And why?) The manual phoropter - a reliable classic that gives you exactly what you need, day in and day out. Also, someone should start an ASMR channel doing refractions because the click of the lenses is so calming.
Contact lenses or glasses — if you had to pick just one forever? (And why?) Specs - I don't feel complete without them. And cards on the table, when I wore contact lenses in high school for sports, I was *not* a good patient. I'm sure that would be different now, but glasses are my forever go-to.
Do you have a “go-to” analogy or visual you use to help patients understand their condition? The glaucoma donut is probably my favorite.
Is there a mentor or teacher who really influenced your approach to patient care? I swear no one paid me to say this - Michael and Joe were hands down the most influential mentors I’ve had. They somehow balance compassion, humor, and skill all at once, and it was honestly a joy to witness and learn from. They’ve set the bar for the kind of doctor I hope to be - kind, present, and human.
How do you handle nervous patients, especially kids or first-timers? A lot of the exam is done from behind mysterious equipment - the phoropter, a slit lamp, extremely bright lights. I've found if you take an extra minute or two to walk through the steps of what you're doing and why you're doing it, it can really help ease a nervous patient's mind.
