OPT Visionary - Spring/Summer 2013

THE V ISIONARY • S PRING /S UMMER 2013 — 18 Marlon Demeritt, O.D., a new NSUCO as- sistant professor, attended elementary, mid- dle, and senior high school within the North Miami Beach and Aventura area during the 1980s and 90s. At the age of 14, Dr. Demeritt suffered a fractured wrist while playing foot- ball. It was at that moment he decided to pur- sue a career in health care. Originally, his desire was to go to medical school and become an orthopedic surgeon. However, his interest in how we are able to see and the causes of blindness are what propelled him to pursue an optometric de- gree. One day, Dr. Demeritt’s mother needed to see an optometrist because she had a red eye. During that visit, the optometrist ques- tioned Dr. Demeritt on his plans after college and offered him the opportunity to shadow whenever he wanted. This allowed him to gain insight into the optometric profession. One week later, Dr. Demeritt was in the doc- tor’s office daily during the summer months. That memorable summer also provided him the opportunity to discover how op- tometrists are able to help patients see bet- ter, maintain a healthier lifestyle, and witness firsthand how interesting the eye and visual system is. With admittance to NSUCO, his passion for optometry grew stronger. Dr. De- meritt credits the strong NSUCO optometric foundation he gained for helping him com- plete his residency and requirements for be- coming a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. After completing his residency, Dr. De- meritt wanted to work in a setting where he could practice medical optometry daily. About six months after his residency, he began working at the LASIK Vision Institute. During his 18 months with the institute, he obtained a wealth of knowledge about LASIK. In fact, Dr. Demeritt considers the experience his second residency. “While I was at the LASIK Vision Institute, I was recruited by an ophthal- mology practice,” he explained. “After several years of working in two different ophthalmol- ogy practices and teaching technicians, I de- cided I wanted to share my knowledge and experience with the new generation of opto- metric physicians.” In addition, Dr. Demeritt noted that he wanted to be a part of a collegial environment that fostered higher education. He chose NSUCO because “the professors here are some of the best in their respective fields; in fact, many of them are responsible for the cli- nician I’ve become.” Dr. Demeritt also feels humbled to be part of the college’s faculty and considers it an honor to have joined the distinguished NSUCO team. “I really enjoy working with a faculty that has a vast amount of knowledge and experience,” he stated. “Additionally, I truly enjoy working with NSUCO students and watching the light bulb go on. It’s wonderful helping them correlate the academic/textbook information with the clinical presentation and pointing out the clinical relevance.” News Faculty Spotlight on New Faculty Getting to Know…Dr. Marlon Demeritt By Nathaniel King, B.A., Co-Editor, The Visionary “...I decided I wanted to share my knowledge and experience with the new generation of optometric physicians.”