FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo.-When you're little, your dreams are big. From superhero to circus clown to a doctor, the possibilities are endless.

Capt. Barton Blackorby, Ophthalmology Chief at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, wanted to be an astronaut but during college he discovered his passion for medicine.

"My passion turned to medicine when I was a lifeguard in college. I enjoyed having the responsibility to care for and occasionally save swimmers at the pool and desired to take that passion further," said Blackorby.

Choosing a specialty proved to be a bit of a challenge for Blackorby.

"I enjoy surgery but did not enjoy the bowel, a prerequisite for general surgery, and though the tools used in orthopedic surgery were interesting, they lacked a certain amount of finesse," said Blackorby.

After reading John 9:1-12 (in which Jesus healed a blind man) his interest turned towards ophthalmology.

"The precision and delicacy of eye surgery was both a challenge to learn and a desire towards my pursuit of this field," said Blackorby.

He says ophthalmology allows him to permanently improve someone's vision without negatively impacting their life with an extended recovery time. Once he removes a cataract, for example, the patient will experience a lifelong improvement in the quality of the vision.

Operating in a world that is measured in millimeters and micrometers, Blackorby stood out from his colleagues by being awarded the 2017 Army Junior Ophthalmologist of the Year.

"I was very honored and humbled to receive this award given that all the young Army ophthalmologists were potentially in the running. This award showed me that my colleagues have noticed the work I have done and helped maintain the fire to drive on towards my next goal of a retina fellowship," said Blackorby.

Blackorby's determination helped propel him to excellence by attaining board certification on his first attempt.

"Board certification is the capstone of my 23 years of education. It allows my colleagues and patients to know that I have the knowledge and expertise to practice my craft. The current pass rate for first time test takers is 55 percent and I am very proud to count myself as one of them," said Blackorby.

His favorite part of the job is when he takes an eye patch off a patient and they can see again out of that eye. He says it can be like an "Oprah moment" with just as much excitement and screaming as if they were given a free car.

As a child, Blackorby didn't dream of helping people see again, but his passion for his patients and his craft shine brighter than any star he would've seen from space had he been an astronaut.

(Editor's note: Debbie Thompson is the Public Affairs Officer at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital)