Nurses Notes ℠
By Marie Corbin, Executive Director- MSNc-PMHNPc,
Loyola University New Orleans
Dear Communities,
In 2020 thanks to the Novel Coronavirus aka Covid 19 entrance into our world and bodies; we have seen a huge paradigm shift that has given us a 20/20 perspective like we have never seen and it has illuminated many disparities and injustices than ever before, like the incredible Social Injustices, Climate change immediacy, Healthcare and Racial Disparities. Covid 19 a blessing and a curse has exposed Gender inequality, Economic inequality, Federal and State vulnerabilities and has given the world a front row seat into our true democracy and the list goes on.
But what have learned in 2020, what is our 20/20 Snellen chart score? A Snellen chart is commonly used to measure a person’s visual acuity. The score is called your 20/20 vision, where the measure of distance vs. what a normal person can see from that distance based upon the Snellen chart exam. (Egan, 2019)rt).
The American Optometric Association explains that 20/20 vision refers to someone’s visual acuity — the clarity or sharpness of vision — measured at a distance of 20 feet (ca. 6 meters) without vision correction (such as eyeglasses or contact lenses). “ 20/20 mark is “simply a point of reference,” says Dr. Mark Wilkinson, clinical professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine (Egan, 2019)
As a society we need to ask ourselves where do we see our future and do we need to navigate our point of references better? Do we need to adjust our clarity, sharpness, attitudes, minds and hearts differently? I submit to you that we most certainty do.
Dear communities, as technologies, innovations, and growth in parts of our economies has occurred (for the have’s) and they continue to surpass their dreams, in that same illumination we clearly see poverty, huge inequalities and great disparities that continue to be exposed and be seen for what they truly are not for the “have not’s”.
America, suppose to be the measure scale in which other countries aspire to be, but I submit, we are playing out our true makeup of who we truly are on the world stage. In my scope of vision, the ramifications of having this world pandemic, it has placed the USA, for example, in a unique position on the world stage that is being watched and critiqued the world over. I have watched our country go from what the world aspired to be to what the world now sees. as a true fallen from grace state of being.
But can we turn things around? Can we from this 20/20 visual examination of our “World Snellen chart exam” (Corbin, PMHNPc, 2020) which in my view extremely abnormal right now, be corrected to a normal outcome?
What does our future hold? As we transition into the unknown, globally and locally with new-found Artificial Intelligence, Scientific advancements, Business growth explosions, and World leader’s domination, how do we navigate a safe and fair world? Do we reframe our future or let our future reframe us? Do we allow for Innovation or Isolation? and, do we trade Humanity for Disparity?
From what I see, I predict our 20/20 examination could produce if we desire, improved visual clarity of who we want to be. Our aspirations could include: coming together using our resiliency, abilities, agility, compassion and grace that has carried us thus far. I see in our future, if we just would try, that we can continue to build the USA into the country where all are free and equal, where we become what we have always aspired to be and not the country that other despises. So the final questions we should all ask ourselves are what do you see for our future and our children's future and what is the prescription to correct your findings? in essence, what have we learned?
References
Corbin, PMHNPc, M. D., Executive Director. (2020, December 11). Project Heal of Santa Barbara County. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from www.projecthealofsbc.org
Egan, J. (2019, December 1). 20/20 in 2020: What is good vision? All About Vision. Retrieved December 5, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/what-is-20-20-vision/
Snellen Chart Research. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved December 1, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snellen_chart
