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When Newsies Seek Experts

on March 31st, 2005 | Filed under Optoblog

Todd Birch, OD from Idaho Falls, ID was asked by his local TV station to comment about “Sunburned Eyes.” (By the way, they bring up an interesting point about gymnasium lights. Should we recommend UV-filtered sports eye wear for everyone then?)
My comment was: are we, as individual eye care practitioners, ready at a moment’s notice to comment on anything or everything-for the record? Someone once told me to never be an expert witness in court because that will complicate your life more than you expect. Does the same thing apply to journalism or blogging?
Saying something dumb on TV could give a negative impression of your practice. Not saying something ,when given the chance, could also turn out negative, “Dr. Incompetent declined to comment.”
So, I think it behooves us to be prepared. Of course, it’s not anything different than what we do several times a day. Sure, some conditions require a quick glance at a reference text, but I’m sure a decent reporter would give you a tiny bit of prep time.

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