From left, Dr. Hayden Senn and Jenna Petersen have joined the professional staff at Chautauqua Eye Care, 548 W. Third St., Jamestown. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

Since Hayden Senn was in first grade, he wanted to be an optometrist.

No other career choice struck his fancy.

You could say it was his vision quest.

So, in high school, and in college, the Randolph native started job shadowing with Dr. Timothy Grace of Chautauqua Eye Care.

After earning his bachelor’s, Senn traveled to Puerto Rico to study optometry. Now Dr. Senn has joined Chautauqua Eye Care as an optometrist, but cannot work alongside Grace, his mentor, because Grace died in 2019.

In 2007, Grace acquired the Jamestown Branch of Union Optical, and changed the name to Chautauqua Eyecare. At the time of the grand opening, Grace said he really appreciated the opportunity to own his own practice, and noted that it was not part of any national chain.

Senn said that although he conducts routine vision examinations, he also conducts medical exams such as checks for glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetes.

“If you’re a diabetic, you should have a diabetic exam. There’s a lot of things that can pop up in the eyes that are important to check,” Senn said.

The first-year eye doctor said most people enjoy going to see an optometrist and getting an eye exam. Senn meets many interesting people during their exams.

“I get to hang out and get to know somebody for 15 to 20 minutes, and then check on him every year. I really look forward to those relationships and spending time with people that I wouldn’t get to meet otherwise,” Senn said.

Another recent addition to the professional staff at Chautauqua Eyecare is Jenna Peterson, who is now a licensed dispensing optician in New York State.

Petersen earned an associate degree from Jamestown Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY Fredonia.

“It definitely comes in handy,” Petersen said of her bachelor’s in biology.

Alyssa Canfield, another licensed optician at Chautauqua Eye Care helped Petersen with her coursework in the National Academy of Opticianry.

Canfield noted many professionals are retiring from opticianry. “So there’s a real need, especially in New York state. So to have a new licensee, a young professional, be here, I thought was kind of important,” Canfield said.

Common Eye Conditions

– Cataracts: A cataract is the clouding of the lens of the eye. Normally, light passes through the clear lens and is focused onto the Retina. However, the natural aging process can cause the lens to become cloudy. The cataract or cloudy lens blocks the passage of light through the eye and causes distorted or blurred vision, glare, or difficulty seeing in poor lighting conditions – information provided by ceyecare.net.

– Myopia: Myopia is the medical term for nearsightedness. Nearsighted eyes are good at seeing objects that are up close but have trouble seeing objects that are far away. This is due to a refractive error in the eye. Myopia is not an eye disease, but an eye disorder. Because of the role refraction plays in this type of nearsightedness, myopia is known as a refractive disorder – ceyecare.net.

– Hyperopia: Hyperopia is another name for farsightedness. Farsighted may sound like the opposite of nearsighted, but it is not. Farsightedness is actually very different from nearsightedness. Nearsighted people can see close up objects and have trouble with seeing objects at a distance. Farsighted people have trouble focusing on objects in general due to a refractive error in the eyes. In a farsighted person, either the eye is too short or the cornea is too flat. This causes the point of focus to occur behind the retina instead of on top of it. Hyperopia is not an eye disease, but an eye disorder – ceyecare.net.

– Astigmatism: Astigmatism is a very common disorder and is easily corrected. Most people have some degree of astigmatism. Astigmatism results in blurred vision at all distances. It is known as a refractive disorder of the eye. In astigmatism, vision is blurred due to either an irregularly shaped cornea or lens – ceyecare.net.

“About 85 to 90 percent of people have some level of astigmatism, but it’s probably an equal split between nearsightedness, and farsightedness. But the trend is that most people are becoming nearsighted as we look at tablets and things up close, especially when you’re developing as a kid. You’re looking at things up close more often now and myopia is becoming more prevalent,” Senn noted.

Senn added that people who are nearsighted see better in contact lenses than they do in eyeglasses.

“It’s just the way the optics work. If you’re a nearsighted person, you put your glasses up up your nose, and the closer you move that lens to the eye, the better you’re going to see,” Senn said.

For farsighted people, it’s the opposite.

“You actually see better in glasses when you do in contact lenses,” Senn said.

Chautauqua Eye Care is located at 548 W. Third St. and serves Jamestown, Bemus Point, Celoron, Falconer, town of Poland, Frewsburg, Lakewood, Ashville, Busti, and Kiantone.

Senn said when he went for his first eye exam, he could not read anything on the chart. The doctor asked him to read the big “E” on the chart.

Senn’s reply to the doctor: “What big ‘E’?”

Senn added that being an optometrist is a “dream come true.”