Dr. Sarah Marossy: A vision for the future

COEUR d'ALENE - This month Dr. Sarah Marossy will mark the 10th year since she graduated with her degree in optometry. A film crew will even visit her office at Post Falls Optometric Physicians in Post Falls, spending a day interviewing her and some of her patients. But it won't be the anniversary they are noting. It will be in preparation for the award she will receive in June as National Young Optometrist of the Year from The American Optometric Association.

COEUR d'ALENE - This month Dr. Sarah Marossy will mark the 10th year since she graduated with her degree in optometry.

A film crew will even visit her office at Post Falls Optometric Physicians in Post Falls, spending a day interviewing her and some of her patients. But it won't be the anniversary they are noting. It will be in preparation for the award she will receive in June as National Young Optometrist of the Year from The American Optometric Association.

"I was really shocked," she said. "I got a call from the president of the American Optometric Association, and he called from Chicago, in the evening. I actually thought it was a crank call. I was glad I didn't hang up on him."

Marossy graduated with honors from Indiana University School of Optometry in 2000. In 2008 she received the Idaho Optometric Physician of the Year award for her leadership and public service. She was also appointed this year by Gov. Butch Otter to serve on the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

In 2007 Marossy founded the Idaho Children's Vision Coalition, dedicated to saving children's vision through educational resources, preventative care initiatives and collaborations with various agencies and schools. So far she has been awarded more than $45,000 in grants and private donor funds to aid in supplying vision screening and educational materials to elementary schools and Head Start programs throughout the state.

Information: http://www.kidsvisioncoalition.org/about.html

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What was it that got you involved in community activities?

I grew up in a really small town in Michigan so we always supported our community, we always worked hand in hand with organizations. I still kind of feel that we're a small town mentality here, helping everybody out ... being involved however you choose to be. I always enjoyed it. The biggest thing is finding your passion, something you're interested in working with, or a group you're interested in working with.

I like different things, like the school nurses, of course, I work with them all the time. Head Start, we all have our different things.

Idaho is one of eight states in the country that has no state-legislated vision screening standards. Truly, you can be a child, 3, 4, 5 years old, and go all the way through public school, through age 18 through high school and (never) get even the most basic school screening.

(That) puts a big burden on a lot of groups, whether the Kiwanis Club, the school nurses, the parents.

Is that something you're working with legislators on?

Right now it's mostly educating, and of course having ... the Idaho Children's Vision Coalition.

I work with all those nurses, basically to train them on how to do the appropriate screening.

They have the opportunity to get all their supplies for no charge, through my organization. Having the tools to do it is one thing, but if you don't know how to use the tools it doesn't really help. So it is a two-part program, educating and using the tools to do the actual screening appropriately.

How did you get into optometry?

I was in seventh grade, and found out I couldn't see. I was having a lot of trouble with my class work and I went to an optometrist. He ended up being my mentor all through high school and college when I was in pre-med. He asked me to come work for him, 'see if you like it, if it's something you're interested in.' He gave me the opportunity in the summer, part time, to sit in on his exams and testing and I really liked it. I thought 'this is cool, you get paid to do this.'

How did you wind up in Idaho?

I originally wanted to move west. I worked in Seattle for three years. I knew about the Coeur d'Alene area, and wanted my own place. I always knew about this place loved the Northwest, so I ended up here.

I was with Coeur d'Alene Vision Source ... then bought Dr. (Elwin) Schutt's practice 2 1/2 years ago. I went from working for him to him working for me. It worked out really good. He didn't want to retire, and I didn't want to take on his whole patient load.

Do you run into a fair amount of people who don't want to wear glasses?

The kids are great. They are glad for the first time they can actually read a book you hand to them. It's the teens and the adults (who have vanity issues). I work with the younger population, 3- to 5-year-old population. The whole vanity thing is later.

It is a fashion accessory. My parents picked my glasses for me when I was a little girl, and that was not cool. You can still be stylish, and get comments and be able to see at the same time.

What do you see for the future?

Continue onwards and upwards hopefully, and I want to continue working with kids' vision. That is my passion. I want to be an advocate for Idaho for the whole country, taking it to the national level for my coalition, and working with various groups around the country as a major advocate for children's vision, and why it is important for children to have good vision.

And working with blind people, I really enjoy seeing both sides of the spectrum. Going from children, working with people at the state level that are blind or extremely vision impaired. Working with these little kids ... seeing both ends of where things should be, from blind to a 2- or 3-year-old that could potentially end up blind, but could be caught early and something could be changed to help that child.

Date of birth: June 5, 1975

Family: John, husband; Kate, sister; Bill and Jeannette, parents; Pet: 10-pound rabbit named Cadbury

Education: Doctorate degree, optometry, Indiana University 2000 graduate

Number of hours you sleep in a night: 8 and not a minute less!

Number of hours you work: Full time with all of the projects I am involved with, 20 hours seeing patients

Hobbies: Classic Shelby Mustang owner, enthusiast and slave to my two cars (1966 and a 1968); poetry, photography, outdoor adventures/travel

Favorite music: Classic rock

Favorite book: Mechanic manual for Mustang repairs

Favorite movie: "The Hangover"

Favorite vacation spot: Lake Michigan on the western shoreline with its sugar sand beaches

Favorite spectator sport: "American Idol"

Best advice you ever received: You'll never know until you try

One person who most influenced you: Larry Benton, executive director of Idaho Optometric Physicians

Quality you admire most in a person: Spirit of adventure

Any one thing you would change about yourself: Learn to take a break and relax more often