PDF Edition - Review of Optometry

Transcription

JUNE 2016
DEDICATED TO THE INTERESTS
OF WOMEN ODs
Dr. Andrea P. Thau
becomes the AOA’s
95th president
SUPPLEMENT TO
WO2Q16.indd 1
6/2/16 2:32 PM
NOW AVAILABLE: MORE POWERS!
DAILIES TOTAL1® contact lenses
DAILIES® AquaComfort Plus® contact lenses
NEW range of powers:
NEW range of powers:
-12.00D to +6.00D
-15.00D to +8.00D
NOW
W YOUR HIGH Rx PATIENTTS CAN HAVE
THE POW
WERS THEY NEED, WHEN THEY NEED THEEM.
PERFORMANCE DRIVEN BY SCIENCE®
See product instructions for complete wear, care and safety information.
© 2016 Novartis
3/16 US-DAL-16-E-1159
WO0616_Alcon Dailies Combo.indd 1
5/27/16 10:09 AM
The Editorial Pages
p3
Look at the New WO Website
Change Is Good
hen you’re in the middle of it, change can be
intimidating. Any working mom whose kids are
out of school for the summer knows that mix
of anticipation and dread that comes with the
changes in the daily schedule. Any OD who has stared
at blueprints or stepped over construction lumber on the
way to realizing a dream practice knows that same range
of emotions. Any OD who brings a new process or new
Marjolijn Bijlefeld
equipment into the office understands that the hassles of
moving through a learning curve will be worthwhile in the end.
Change seems to be a theme in this issue of Women In Optometry,
too. The optometry school 2016 graduates, some of them featured on
pages 7 and 9, are about to undertake one of the biggest changes of their
lives, wrapping up about 20 years of education and stepping into the workforce as newly minted doctors. Congratulations to all of you.
Our cover story features Dr. Andrea Thau, who will become just
the second woman OD to become president of the American Optometric
Association. While this change in leadership happens every year, those
who are dedicated to reaching it travel this journey for years, committed to
changing the profession for the better. Elsewhere in this issue, the office
design pages look at the changes that doctors envisioned and brought
into being for their practices. There’s advice from women ODs throughout
this issue on how to change an element of your practice, whether it’s
improving customer service—as professional co-editors Dr. April Jasper
and Dr. Katie Gilbert-Spear discuss—or how to identify what’s special
about your practice or how to bring some new service or product into the
practice. Others are talking about change on a global scale: how to impact
the problems of dry eye or childhood myopia, for example, in this country
and worldwide.
W
S
peaking of change, Women In Optometry has redesigned
its website. Originally launched just two years ago, the
womeninoptometry.com website now includes more than
400 articles—for and about women ODs—with more being
added each week. The new design is mobile-optimized and
makes it easier to find and read related stories. WO
Your stories excite us at WO. They show us how committed you are
to your patients, your communities and your profession. You’re bringing
change—large and small—every day. WO
Marjolijn Bijlefeld,
Director of Custom Publications
Practice Advancement Associates
Women In Optometry® is published quarterly by the
Professional Publications Group of Jobson Medical Information,
publisher of Review of Optometry,
Review of Cornea & Contact Lenses and Review of Ophthalmology.
JUNE 2016
Address advertising materials to Scott Tobin, advertising production
manager, Jobson Professional Publications Group,
11 Campus Blvd., Suite 100, Newtown Square, PA 19073,
at stobin@jobson.com or call 610-492-1011.
Publisher: Al Greco
Managing Editor: Marjolijn Bijlefeld
mbijlefeld@jobson.com • 540-899-1761
Professional Co-editors:
Katie Gilbert-Spear, OD, MPH, and April Jasper, OD, FAAO
Associate Editor: Maggie Biunno
Creative Director: Stephanie Kloos Donoghue
Graphic Designer: Barbara W. Gallois
Cover photo by Jesse Dittmar
Supporting Sponsors:
Lead Sponsor:
Women In Optometry June 2016
WO2Q16.indd 3
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Boost Your Practice Efficiency
MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Designed to help practice, office and optical managers gain the confidence and
business expertise they need to positively impact their eye care practice.
> Immersive 6-month experience combines live instruction with distance learning
> Personalized coaching
> Project-based learning initiatives to teach people skills and business strategies
that managers can use to immediately improve practice performance
Enroll today:
Stop by booth LP11065
(866) 278-3187
ecpu.com/management-development-program
©2016 Essilor of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Unless indicated otherwise, all trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
WO0616_Essilor.indd 1
5/31/16 11:31 AM
The Editorial Pages
p5
The 96 Percent Problem
By April Jasper, OD, FAAO, and Katie Gilbert-Spear,
OD, MPH, WO Professional Co-editors and
Co-founders, Distinctive Strategies and Leadership
nly one in every 25 complaints that trigger a twostar or lower rating in an online doctor’s review was
the result of a perceived shortcoming in the actual
delivery of care. The whopping majority—96 percent Dr. Jasper
of complaints—were the result of lackluster service: poor
communications, disorganization and excessive delays in seeing a physician.
These were the findings of a study printed in the Journal of Medical Practice
Management in April.
This is a big issue, especially if you’re finding that your online ratings
aren’t as high as you feel they should be, based on your level of clinical
services, professional knowledge and quality of products. How do you fix it?
Here are some strategies we’ve incorporated as part of our daily focus to
make sure that the patient experience is a good one.
✦ Reinforce the positive. We read reviews out loud at our team
meetings. Positive reviews encourage positive actions and allow us to hear,
in the patients’ own words, what really stands out to them. If patients mention that they notice a little nicety, the staff is more inclined to keep extending those kinds of gestures.
✦ Look for the negative. If you don’t look for the negatives, you
might never know about them. We definitely want the feedback available
through patient surveys or Net Promoter Scores. Our Solutionreach patient
surveys provide fast feedback. Ideally, however, we would rather hear the
negative comments even before the patient leaves the office. So we make
a point of asking all patients, before they leave, about their experience, and
we listen carefully to what they say. It is very important to look outside our
silos and adapt a team mentality. We want to know what’s going on in other
parts of the practice, and we want to help each other improve because the
patients’ overall experience reflects on all of us.
O
✦ Details matter. The time we are most concerned
with is the time from check-in to the optical. We track that
measure and try to keep it below 30 minutes. We know
our patients don’t want to be in our office all day. If we
take too long in work-up and exam, patients have no more
time available to shop. As doctors, we need to be aware of
this time, too. We don’t want to cut our time with patients
Dr. Gilbert-Spear short, but ultimately, the patient will appreciate being able
to spend a little more time picking out eyewear than having
to reschedule that part of the visit.
✦ Analyze first impressions. It is good to see your office through
your patients’ eyes. Actually sit in the chairs in your reception area and listen,
smell, see and even touch the things that patients do. Is the reception area or
front desk cluttered or clean? Is the staff harried or welcoming and focused?
Is a phone ringing constantly at the front desk? Can employees’ conversations be overheard? It matters not what we think of our practice. What matters is what our patients’ perception is. Create an atmosphere of distinction.
✦ Look in the mirror. Not all the blame for low reviews can be
placed on staff. Doctors’ bedside manners got a knock in this study, too.
Even more importantly, as doctors, you set the tone. The problem always
comes back to the leader. We believe that bad staff stems from a bad
leader. Maybe we didn’t train people correctly. Maybe we didn’t hire the
right people or we have them in the wrong positions. If we want to create
change in the practice, it has to start with us. A great read on this topic is
Good to Great by Jim Collins.
✦ Recover. You can recover from a lapse in patient service—and
it’s most impactful to do so right away. But that means your staff has to be
honest about it happening, not just hope that patient won’t complain once
he or she leaves. A great recovery can be the best marketing you ever have
for your practice because that patient will talk about it. Don’t get discouraged when you make mistakes. Make it right, and then don’t make the
same mistake again. WO
WO Advisory Panel
Elise Brisco, OD, FAAO,
FCOVD, CCH
Los Angeles, California
Dori Carlson, OD, FAAO
Park River, North Dakota
Mario Gutierrez, OD, FAAO
San Antonio, Texas
Ann M. Hoscheit, OD
Gastonia, North Carolina
Lauretta Justin, OD
Orlando, Florida
Dawn Kaplan, OD
Chicago, Illinois
Bridgitte Shen Lee, OD
Houston, Texas
Jennifer Hidalgo Ong, OD
Alameda, California
Priti Patel, OD
Upland, California
Tamara Petrosyan, OD
New York, New York
Tonya Reynoldson, OD
Waverly, Tennessee
Louise Sclafani, OD, FAAO
Chicago, Illinois
WO2Q16.indd 5
6/2/16 2:32 PM
FOCUS on
OUTCOMES
A Passion for Pediatric Optometry
By Catherine McDaniel, OD, MS, FAAO
Alcon-supported interactive e-book brings clarity to children’s eye exams
W
hen Alcon first asked me to work on an advocacy project to
educate parents and children on comprehensive eye care, I
was thrilled. I’ve been an enthusiastic educator and supporter
of children’s vision my entire career, and I could envision the impact of
partnering with Alcon—a company with a passion to help people see,
look and feel their best—in positively impacting the youngest audiences.
According to the American Optometric Association, children should
have a comprehensive
eye exam at the ages
of 6 months, 3 years,
6 years and every two
years thereafter to age
18.1 Unfortunately, only
14 percent of children in
the U.S. have had an eye
exam by the age of 6.2
As much as 80 percent
of what a child learns in
school is acquired through
vision, and comprehensive
eye exams are critical to
revealing potential problems. Millions of children in the
h U.S.
U S have
h undetected
d
d vision
i i problems,
bl
which may interfere with their learning development.
Finding solutions
Pediatric optometrists must have a big
heart and an analytical mind because, unlike
adult patients, pediatric patients typically
Catherine McDaniel,
don’t come in with complaints. Children
OD, MS, FAAO, Chief of
often do not realize that they have a vision
Pediatric Service, The
problem because they assume that everyOhio State University
College of Optometry
one sees the way they do.
With each young patient,
we start with a blank
slate and have to come
up with the best solutions as we determine
what vision problems
the child has. I realize
what a difference I can
Download the
e-book at
theeyesolution.com.
make
k iin a young child’s life, from
school and learning to sports to
self-confidence.
Eye exams can be fun
Professional writer Michelle Weed visited me
at the Pediatric Clinic at The Ohio State University
(OSU) College of Optometry to see what a pediatric vision exam entails, including tests for binocularity, refractive error, color vision, acuity and
eye health. We wanted to ensure that parents
would understand that a pediatric vision exam
is comprehensive and different than a vision
screening in a pediatrician’s office. We also
wanted to reassure children that eye exams were
nothing to be afraid of and could, in fact, be fun.
The result is an interactive e-book, Howard
and the Amazing Eye Exam, which parents and children can read together. In the story, Howard, an adorable
hedgehog, uses his time as star student to tell his classmates about
his trip to the eye doctor. The interactive book provides animations
in each part of the eye exam process that simulate the testing in the
exam room. The interactivity makes it a fun experience for kids.
The book is available to download at theeyesolution.com. We
have posted a link to the e-book right on our OSU Pediatric Clinic’s
website, and we encourage parents who are bringing in a young child
to download and read the book prior to their exam.
Millions of children
in the U.S. have undetected vision problems,
which may interfere
with their learning
development.
Eye exams can uncover problems early
I also recognize that children—and even their parents—can be
anxious about an eye exam. That’s where Howard and the Amazing
Eye Exam can play a big role for everyone involved. By letting parents
know about the resource, you can help educate them. The foreword
provides important information for parents that details the links
between vision and learning. Our hope is that when parents read
this book to their children, everyone can come in feeling a little more
relaxed, anticipating the fun. Practitioners are likely to get better outcomes with a relaxed and actively engaged child, too, so a positive
attitude is important.
There’s no reason that children’s vision issues should be
discovered only when they get to school. We have the clinical
knowledge and expertise to identify vision issues early and intervene before the problems affect their learning. Let’s start even the
youngest children seeing their best, looking their best and feeling
the best. ●
1
http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/comprehensive-eye-and-vision-examination/recommended-examination-frequency-for-pediatric-patients-and-adults?sso=y. Accessed March 21, 2016.
2
Optometric Clinical Practice Guideline. Pediatric Eye and Vision Examination.
American Optometric Association, Sept. 1997.
Sponsored by Alcon
WO2Q16.indd 6
US-PRA-16-E-1200
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Heads of the
Class
p7
Congratulations to the class of 2016; here are the top graduates
he two valedictorians for the Class of 2016 at Illinois College of
Optometry were Nicole Crampton, OD, and Kelly Varney, OD. Dr.
Crampton, of Jefferson, Maryland,
will be an associate optometrist
in a private practice located in South
Barrington, Illinois. Dr. Varney, of
Chicago, will complete a pediatrics and
vision therapy residency at the Southern
College of Optometry in Memphis,
Dr. Crampton Dr. Varney
Tennessee.
Pacific University College of Optometry top graduate
was Katie Dailey, OD, of Yuba City, California. Dr.
Dailey will complete a residency in ocular disease and
geriatric optometry at the American Lake VA in Tacoma,
Washington.
T
The top graduate from Pennsylvania
College of Optometry at Salus University
was Paige Nicole Thompson, OD, of Binghamton, New York.
Dr. Dailey
Sandra M. Huenink, OD, of Waukesha, Wisconsin,
was the top graduate at Indiana University School of
Optometry. Dr. Huenink is joining Gerald Koskinen,
OD, at the Koskinen Eye Clinic in East Troy, Wisconsin.
The valedictorian at Michigan College
of Optometry, Ferris State University
was Jordan Pinozek, OD, of Escanaba, Michigan.
Dr. Pinozek will start working at Ypsilanti Vision this
summer, a full-scope primary care private practice in
Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Dr. Bohl
Dr. Huenink
Dr. Pinozek
Kaylyn Marie Cummings, OD, and
Mackenzie Anne Egan, OD, were
co-valedictorians at New England
College of Optometry. Dr. Cummings,
of Ontario, New York, will join a private
practice in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dr.
Dr. Cummings Dr. Egan
Egan, of Ripon, Wisconsin, will practice
in a LensCrafters-affiliated practice in southern Connecticut.
The Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry
valedictorian was Emily Korszen, OD, of Englewood,
Florida. Dr. Korszen will complete a residency in cornea
and contact lenses at the Pacific University College of
Optometry following graduation.
Dr. Korszen
Whitney Territo, OD, was the top
graduate at Ohio State University College of Optometry.
Dr. Territo, of Bedford, Pennsylvania, will start her
optometric career in private practice in Athens, Ohio,
and plans to specialize in low vision rehabilitation for
the visually impaired.
Samantha Bohl, OD, of Martell,
Dr. Thompson
Nebraska, was the valedictorian at
Rosenberg School of Optometry, University of the Incarnate
Word. Dr. Bohl will pursue a residency in brain injury vision
rehabilitation with State University of New York College of
Optometry.
The two valedictorians at Southern
California College of Optometry (SCCO)
at Marshall B. Ketchum University were
Grace Liao, OD, of Covina, California,
and Shelley Tasaka, OD, of Honolulu,
Dr. Tasaka
Dr. Liao
Hawaii. Dr. Liao will complete a residency in cornea and contact lenses at SCCO and plans to focus on specialty contact lens fits in private practice. Dr. Tasaka will return to Hawaii
to work in private practice.
The Southern College of Optometry valedictorian was
Monica Perry, OD, of Kingsport, Tennessee. She will
be starting a residency at the James H. Quillen VA
Medical Center in Mountain Home, Tennessee.
The top graduate at State University of
New York College of Optometry was
Ellen McCrary, OD, of Newbury Park, California. Dr.
McCrary will complete a residency at the West Los Angeles
VA with a focus on geriatric optometry,
ocular disease and low vision.
Dr. Perry
Dr. McCrary
Marissa Snyder Locy, OD, of Montpelier, Ohio,
was the top graduate at University of Alabama at
Birmingham School of Optometry. She will be a resident
at the Callahan Eye Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. Territo
Dr. Locy
Continued on page 9
Congratulations
WO would also like to recognize the men who graduated
at the tops of their optometry
school classes this year.
• Shane Johnston, OD—Arizona College of Optometry, Midwestern University
• Vladislav Koyfman, OD—Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry
• Anthony Giovanni Luongo, OD—Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Phillip Andrew Whitehead, OD—University of Houston College of Optometry
WO2Q16.indd 7
6/2/16 2:32 PM
OPD-Scan III
Wavefront
TRS Total Refraction
Automation
EPIC Refraction
Workstation
ARK Autorefraction
Systems
SOLUTIONS
Marco Refraction Systems — Advanced automated instrumentation includes the
OPD-Scan III Wavefront Aberrometer, the TRS-3100/TRS-5100 and EPIC Digital
Refraction Workstation, Autorefractors/Keratometers (with VA measurement,
6XEMHFWLYH6SKHUH5HÀQHPHQW7RQRPHWU\*ODUHWHVWLQJRQFHUWDLQPRGHOV
and Lensmeters–all with EMR Integration. The Difference is Marco.
AOA • 718
WO0616_Marco.indd 1
Designed and Manufactured by NIDEK - Represented by Marco
800-874-5274 • marco.com
5/24/16 10:44 AM
p9
Heads of the Class—
2016
Continued from page 7
Angela Veomett
Shahbazian, OD,
was the recipient
of the BSK Silver
Medal and one
of three students
Dr. Shahbazian granted the Gold
Retinoscope
award at University of California,
Berkeley, School of Optometry. Dr.
Shahbazian, of Lincoln, Nebraska,
will complete a residency in primary
eye care/community health optometry at University of California,
Berkeley.
Jamie Weiser,
OD, graduated
at the top of her
class at University
of Missouri, St.
Dr. Weiser
Louis, College
of Optometry. Dr. Weiser, of
Champaign, Illinois, will specialize
in pediatric optometry during her
residency program at Children’s
Mercy Hospital in Kansas City,
Missouri.
University of
Montreal School
of Optometry class
president was
Audrey Daoust,
Dr. Daoust
OD, of Salaberryde-Valleyfield, Quebec. Dr. Daoust
will practice in Montreal in a private
clinic.
The top graduate
at University of
Waterloo School
of Optometry was
Andrea Glover,
Dr. Glover
OD, of Fernie,
British Columbia. Dr. Glover looks
forward to practicing in rural British
Columbia.
Jenny Tran, OD,
was the top graduate at Western
University of Health
Sciences’ College
Dr. Tran
of Optometry. Dr.
Tran, of Los Angeles, California, is
moving to Santa Barbara to work as a
full-time associate with Luxottica. WO
WO Congratulates the Class of 2016
Current and past WO advisory board
members share some advice
Dr. Carlson
“Be open to the opportunities you never even considered. Sometimes those are
the best ‘finds.’”—Dori Carlson, OD, FAAO
“Purchase and really read some simple general business books. Understanding
the concepts of general business will help you not only understand the specialized field of optometric business but also will help you with your personal
business. Although many of you are graduating with significant debt, I would
encourage you to learn to invest early and consistently. Having a plan for longterm financial security will take some of the stress off immediate business or
career decisions. Also, find your optometric mentor(s). A trusted mentor can help
you get where you want to go faster and with less gray hair!”—Mario Gutierrez,
OD, FAAO
Dr. Gutierrez
Dr. Brisco
“Think outside the box to help your patients to the highest level and to advance
the field of optometry.”—Elise Brisco, OD, FAAO, FCOVD, CCH
“This is a profession where somebody always knows somebody, and networking
is one of the most important things you can do to find that perfect job in the place
where you want to live. And if you don’t know where you want to live... take the
state boards in the states that are hard to get licensed in (like Hawaii) right after
school. Don’t wait, it will only become harder.”—Dawn Kaplan, OD
“Take some time to think about where you want to be 10, 15 or 20 years from
now. Write it down. Once you’ve created that vision, set a course for it and do not
deviate from that direction, no matter what. Don’t get a job just because.... You
can always get a job, but you will never get more time. Don’t waste your precious
time. Just remember that the choices you make today will create your future
tomorrow.”—Lauretta Justin, OD
“Live like a student for just a little bit longer. Avoid getting locked in to high
monthly mortgages or car payments that force you to stay in a first job that you
don’t love or that limit your ability to explore different career opportunities early
in your career.”—Kimberly K. Friedman, OD, FAAO
“Do your homework. When applying for a position, find out all you can about the
practice style and philosophy. Then emphasize your skills and traits that are the
best fit. New interview: new script.”—Charlotte Tlachac, OD, FAAO
Dr. Kaplan
Dr. Justin
Dr. Friedman
Dr. Tlachac
“Always stay an active member of organized optometry; your American
Optometric Association assures that your profession continues to exist and that
you are able to continue to practice what you were taught.”—Jennifer Hidalgo
Ong, OD
Dr. Ong
“Optometry is a very small, close-knit community. One of the best things you
can do for yourself and your career is to build and maintain your connections.
This can be done through many different methods, but one of the best is to be
an active member of your local and state optometric organizations.”—Tamara
Petrosyan, OD WO
Dr. Petrosyan
WO2Q16.indd 9
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Ask Yourself This Question...
“Why Prescribe?”
OTC Savings Compared to Rx Costs
Kills Bacteria on Contact -“0” Eye
y Irritation
Stable 18 Months Opened or Unopened
www.whyprescribe.com
For more information and to order,
call (800) 233-5469 or visit www.ocusoft.com
WO0316_Ocusoft.indd 1
© 2016 OCuSOFT, Inc., Rosenberg, TX 77471
2/24/16 11:31 AM
p 11
Help Patients
Fulfill
n 2004, Norma
Spittle, OD, and
her husband
Brian Spittle,
OD, got married
and opened The Eye
Dr. Spittle
Place Optometry in
Midlothian, Virginia. It was a busy year, and they
haven’t slowed down as they established their
reputation in the community and built relationships with patients. Dr. Norma Spittle recalls that
it was shortly before their 2011 office relocation
to a new custom-designed office with 6,800
square feet when she came across CareCredit at
a trade show offering a health care credit card
as a payment option for patients. “I liked the
option of giving our patients a financing option,”
she says. “I didn’t want patients to max out the
consumer credit cards with large purchases
from our office, and with a special financing
option, they can save their cash.” Patients who
pay the promotional balance in full within the
promotional period do not pay any interest.
The couple decided to work with CareCredit
to make purchases in the office more convenient, an extension of the great care experience
they strive to provide. Dr. Norma Spittle says
that it has proven to be a smart choice for
both the practice and its patients. “We don’t
want patients incurring extra expenses on our
behalf, and we liked the option of getting paid
right away,” she says, and CareCredit offered a
solution for both. “We haven’t had any negative
experiences. It’s been great, and I wish we had
known about it sooner.”
Patients learn about CareCredit shortly
upon their arrival in the office. “All patients
get a brochure when they check in at the
front desk,” she says, and it’s introduced as a
payment option for their convenience. Contact
lens fitting or Medicare forms in the exam
room are attached to a CareCredit clipboard
for additional exposure. Signage is also posted
in exam rooms and in the optical.
Opticians can also bring up the option again
at the dispensing table to help capture the sale.
Most of their CareCredit users have been individuals looking to purchase multiple products—such
as an annual supply of contact lenses, new
eyeglasses and second pair—or families with
multiple purchases to make. While they see fewer
patients use it to cover deductibles or exam fees,
it can also help with those expenses.
I
Eyewear Needs
Additional payment option can bring larger
purchases within patients’ reach
Dr. Norma Spittle says that she appreciates
the simplicity of applying for new CareCredit
accounts. “CareCredit makes it easy for patients
to apply right in the office,” she says. “It’s
quick, and we know right away if they were
approved and what their credit limit is.”
Some patients found The Eye Place
Optometry because of CareCredit, through the
doctor locator on the CareCredit website. Dr.
Norma Spittle says that she’s seen a number
of new patients drawn in with CareCredit as a
referral source, and she’s pleased that many of
them choose to return each year and use their
CareCredit card at every visit.
Dr. Norma Spittle can manage and review
transactions made via CareCredit and order new
point-of-purchase materials through the practice’s
Make it easier for patients to
apply for the CareCredit card…
w h the
wit
e NEW
EW
Patient Direct Tool
Visit carecredit.com/
provider/patientdirect
to learn more about
this new tool.
online account. “If we do need to call, the
team at CareCredit is very friendly,” she adds.
CareCredit also provides webinar training for any
new staff members, which has been effective as
their team has changed and grown. WO
Uniforms? Clothing Allowances?
Dr. Laurie Sorrenson says yes to both
ecause Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, of
Lakeline Vision Source® in Austin, Texas,
dictates the way she wants her employees to dress, she contributes to their
clothing allowance. “I really like black and dark
charcoal gray for a
clean look,” she says.
So her techs
wear black scrubs,
embroidered with
the logo and practice name. She has
recently ordered new
dark charcoal gray
dress shirts, with the
Dr. Sorrenson
same embroidery, for
opticians and front desk staff. There are black
short- and long-sleeved polo shirts. Opticians
and front desk staff also have an option of
wearing a fashionable black or dark gray dress
shirt. All staff members wear name tags.
Dr. Sorrenson buys her staff two sets of
scrubs per year. If the employee buys a third,
she’ll match the purchase, so it makes it easy for
employees to have enough scrubs. Each employee
also receives a t-shirt and a sweatshirt with the
B
White coats for doctors and black and
charcoal gray uniform
elements for staff add
a coordinated and
professional look.
word WOW! That’s
the word to describe
the practice culture.
This process
also makes seasonal gift-giving easy. “For
Christmas, we give another article of clothing with
our WOW! on it. We have made thermal shirts,
hoodies and more.”
What’s the uniform/dress policy in your
office? Let us know: mbijlefeld@jobson.com. WO
WO2Q16.indd 11
6/2/16 2:32 PM
WO0616_Solution Reach.indd 1
5/24/16 12:32 PM
Let Frame Vendor Reps Help You Deliver a
p 13
Better Customer Experience
From product-selection guidance, marketing tips and
frame show support, tap into their experience, optician says
olly Acebo, ABOC,
owner of LensMasters
in Jonesboro, Arkansas,
says she looks forward
to seeing what’s happening at
the Marchon booth at Vision
Expo events. “The company
is always doing something
unique. One year, the staff
there was doing on-camera
interviews for Flexon. My
entire family went over, and
my children ended up in some
of the Flexon promotions that
were created.”
At the September 2015
Holly Acebo
Vision Expo West, she was
immediately intrigued when she learned that
there would be a casting call for Marchon’s new
corporate campaign, Marchon me. More than
200 people entered to win the opportunity to
be featured in the 2016 campaign. Contestants
completed questionnaires, interviewed on
H
Nike and Calvin Klein frames were on display for a
recent fashion event.
camera and had their photos taken during the
duration of the show. Marchon carefully evaluated the participants and selected five winners
to come to New York for an all-inclusive stay
and experience a professional photo shoot.
Acebo was one of them.
Of course, it’s not just Marchon’s intriguing booths that capture her attention. “We are
an active account and have done business
with Marchon for years. We feel a tie to the
brand because you wouldn’t participate in
something like this is if you weren’t carrying
the brand and didn’t believe in it,” she says.
LensMasters is a family-owned, retail optical
store with an on-site lab.
The business opened in the
historic downtown section of
Jonesboro in 1977, initially
as a wholesale lab. In 1990,
her husband’s family purchased it and added retail
sales, and today, the optical
lab processes almost every
order in an hour. Acebo left
her career in health care marketing about five years ago to
join the family business.
“There was a lot to learn
about eyewear, and Marchon
sales representatives helped
me so much. The company
has a lot of reps who have been with Marchon
for years, and they really know the brands,”
she says. She makes time to visit with her
Marchon representatives so that they can
guide her in the frame-purchasing decision.
“It’s obviously up to us, but these representatives can tell us what’s new, what’s changed
and what’s doing well in the region or nationally. Those ideas and suggestions are very
valuable.”
Her reps’ knowledge also comes in very
handy when she is trying to deliver a superior
customer experience. For example, if she has
a customer with a beloved but now broken or
aged frame, she can call a rep, say what the
old frame was and get a recommendation for
a similar style. “When you’re a small business,
you go above and beyond for the customer.
Our Marchon reps help us deliver on that
goal.”
That’s where Marchon quality and style
come into play. “We tend to focus on some
of the higher-end brands in our store, and
Marchon has the quality we’re looking for. It
also stands behind its products, which allows us
to provide warranties that make customers feel
confident about their purchases,” Acebo says.
A number of Marchon frame lines do very
well at LensMasters: Flexon, Nike, Tres Jolie,
Calvin Klein and the core Marchon NYC lines,
for example. Marchon representatives have
also supported and participated with trunk
shows. LensMasters typically has about six to
LensMasters hosts six to eight trunk shows per
year; evenings work well.
eight trunk
shows per
year. “We
started out
doing them
monthly,
but that
schedule was
difficult,”
she says.
She works with one rep at a time, but if that
person represents two brands, the practice might feature both. The representative
provides brand graphics and postcards, for
example, and LensMasters features the event
on its social media—Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter—and in its radio and newspaper
advertising.
Acebo says that evenings have worked
out well for trunk shows. The practice is
open late on Thursdays, which coincides with
the downtown’s Alive After 5 historic district
evening events held from April to October.
“We try to coordinate our trunk shows with
those downtown events. When the weather
cooperates, we have live music outside on the
sidewalk in front. We’ll order specialty cookies
or cupcakes that reflect the brand. Customers
can pop balloons to find a discount coupon
inside, or there are wrapped gifts that let them
know their percentage savings.” She also tries
to plan events around seasonal themes, such
as Valentine’s Day. WO
WO2Q16.indd 13
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Allergy Desensitization
Eye Drops
Stop Itching, Burning and Watering
࠮ Great with contacts
࠮ Work fast and feel great
࠮ Do not sting
࠮ Preservative free
࠮ Great for kids
࠮ No adverse reactions,
drug interactions or
contraindications
Allergies
Natural Medicine Use
Professional Quality
Only Available Via Doctors
“I have allergies and your drops are better than
Patenol... I have no problem telling patients
that these are the newest and best drops
available, that they are not available in stores,
and must be purchased through me.”
– Dr. F. S., Nashville, TN
Call 877-220-9710
today for a free trial pack!
42% of Your Patients
Want Natural Medicines*
* According to the National Health
Interview Survey (NHIS)
www.NaturalEyeDrops.com
WO0316_Natural Ophthalmics.indd 1
3/2/16 11:26 AM
p 15
Personal Touch Helps Practice
Become
Profitable Quickly
ourtney Dryer,
OD, had a vision
for her independent practice in
Charlotte, North Carolina:
a boutique-style,
higher-end optical
offering patients a
Dr. Dryer
high level of personal
attention. This desire only grew stronger after
her graduation when she was working for
another OD. “I saw
that the only way I
could practice the
way I really wanted to
would be by opening
my own practice,” she
says. She had clinical
knowledge and practice management
experience, as she had worked for an
optometrist for a year prior to starting
optometry school as a tech and in the
optical and insurance billing areas. But
one skill was missing. “My product
knowledge was weak. I knew I had to
learn more, so I went on the internet,
reading message boards and seeing
what people were saying on sites like
ODs on Facebook.” A few months after
her practice opened in February 2013,
she joined Vision Source®.
C
Dr. Dryer knew she wanted her patients to
have access to the most advanced vision care
solutions available. By including Essilor lenses
in her product lineup, she is partnering with the
world leader in ophthalmic lenses. The company
allocates approximately $200 million to research
and innovation every year. She also has the
support of company representatives, who quickly
became one of her main sources of information. “I
had to learn how one lens is distinct from another.
I wanted to know about the manufacturing process for digital lenses so
I could explain that the
Dr. Dryer’s practice provides a boutique optical
and personal experience.
Assess Accommodation on Younger Patients
D
r. Courtney Dryer did not routinely test
most of her young adult patients for
accommodative issues, but when she began
hearing so many of the same kind of complaints, she realized the need was growing.
These patients, who spent hours a day on the
computer or other digital devices, were saying
that they were experiencing headaches and
Visit eyezenusa.com to learn more.
end-of-day fatigue. “I could tell this was an
area that I needed to start addressing,” she says. For many, lenses with just a little bit of
accommodative relief and some protection from harmful blue light such as Eyezen™ have
done the trick.
In conversations that she had with Essilor representatives and executives, she also
began to see how powerful it would be to get this younger demographic, especially those
who have little or no refractive error, to start coming in for routine eye exams to monitor
accommodation and learn about things like blue light protection and eye health. WO
A Family Affair
D
r. Courtney Dryer’s practice is a
family affair. Her father built the
frame boards, and her brother helped
with the logo. Her mother manages
her front desk, works with patients
and helps in optical sales. “My mom
was an x-ray technician, so she
understands the patient experience
and the health care field,” she says,
and the two have learned a great deal
from the manufacturers and vendors.
“Our approach is a warm and
appealing environment with a little
Southern vibe to it. We want this to be
a place where people like to come in,
get a cup of coffee and stay a while,”
she says. It’s becoming that kind of
practice, drawing patients who want
the highly personal experience and
great products. WO
antireflective treatment in an Essilor lens isn’t just
a coating. I needed to be able to explain to patients
how the higher-end products create value.”
That’s important because, as Dr. Dryer
explains, “I have a lot of patients who are in the
25- to 35-year-old range, and that’s a demographic where digital eye strain is becoming more
apparent. So I spend a lot of time talking about
the prescription in the exam room and the health
and vision benefits of certain kinds of lenses,
such as Eyezen™ lenses,” which selectively filter
up to 20 percent of harmful blue light (blue-violet
wavelengths between 415nm and 455nm on the
light spectrum) while offering accommodative
relief. Then, whether she escorts the patient to the
optical for a handoff or begins the frame selection
process herself, she reinforces the recommendations she made in the exam room and spends
more time talking about the visual benefits of
Transitions lenses or other lens treatments, as well
as the importance of sunwear. That way, the prescription itself is the focus in the exam room, and
those product recommendations are reiterated and
explained in more detail in the optical area. WO
WO2Q16.indd 15
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Don’t let prescriptions
walk out your door
When she’s ready to step out in the latest frames and lenses, step forward with special
financing options* available with the CareCredit healthcare credit card. CareCredit may help
your patients get the products you recommend in the styles they want— while in your office.
Make CareCredit a part of your daily routine.
Call for more information and enroll at no cost today .^
866.853.8432 | www.carecredit.com | visioninfo@carecredit.com
*Subject to credit approval. Minimum monthly payments apply. See carecredit.com for details. ^Subject to change.
WO0616_Care Credit.indd 1
WO0616OA
5/27/16 10:01 AM
Put Reliable
p 17
Processes in Place
efore Andrea Knouff, OD, of Atlanta,
Georgia, started her two-month maternity leave earlier this year, she made
sure she had people and processes in
place that would allow her new associate,
r. Andrea Knouff was seeing patients
Minty Nguyen, OD,
up until about a week before her baby
to step into the role
was due. If it hadn’t been for her Marco TRS
confidently. There
autorefraction system, she’s not sure how she
was a lot of work to
would have managed that. “Doing refractions
do to prepare, but
manually would have been very difficult. It’s
at least she didn’t
so much easier to sit, relax and push buttons
have to worry about
on the pad,” she says. There was no need to
the refraction procedures. When Dr.
stand up and sit down repeatedly or maneuver
Knouff opened her
herself around a manual phoropter in a tight
Marco XFRACTIONSM system
Dr. Knouff
practice two years
exam lane, either.
includes an OPD-Scan III and the
ago, she started out with the Marco TRS-5100
“One of my colleagues is already starting
TRS-5100 autorefraction system
autorefraction system. Within six months, she
to complain about neck and shoulder pain. For
added the OPD-Scan III, the components of the
the long-term, this system will be so much betMarco XFRACTIONSM process.
The faster refractions also
ter for me.” WO
“I’m in a high-tech area in the middle of
allow her to see more patients.
the city, and having that kind of technology
“My revenue increases from two
set me apart from other practices,” she says.
factors. I’m able to see more
She had worked in a private practice for six
patients, and I’m able to talk more with my
and the thoroughness of the eye exam.
years before opening her own, and she had a
patients about how the eyewear I’m prescrib“It has also helped our sales,” she says.
chance to work with the TRS system there. “I
ing will benefit them,” she says.
The quicker refraction means that she has
did look at others, but nothing else compared.
“Because of the wavefront OPD system,
more time to discuss her recommendations
I knew the Marco sysI know that my refractions are right on,” she
with patients. These
tem was the first thing
says. That ultimately results in fewer remakes,
could focus on the
that was going into my
which saves her time and money and saves
specifics of the prenew office,” she says.
her patients the aggravation of having to have
scription
and
the
prod“My revenue increases
She started out with
their eyewear remade.
ucts that will provide
from two factors. I’m able
one lane and added a
The data that she has available right at
the best results. Or
second. “Everything in
the start of her exam allows her to provide
she can make sure she
to see more patients, and
the lane is from Marco:
patients with the best quality exam she can
addresses patients’
I’m able to talk more with
chair, slit lamp and
give, she says. The analysis will let her know,
questions about any
projector,” she says.
for example, if there is pathology or some limocular disease.
my patients about how the
Dr. Knouff says
iting factor that might prevent her from being
Yet one of her
that the autorefraction
able to get the patient to 20/20.
favorite features is
eyewear I’m prescribing
system has made a
The system has proven itself easy to
that she can show
will benefit them.”
difference in patient
use, the importance of which became even
patients—with the
perception of her
more apparent as she was preparing for
touch of a button—how
—Dr. Knouff
practice. Nearly every
her leave. “I’ve trained my staff to use the
their new prescription
patient goes through
OPD-Scan III, and my optician technician
compares to the prethe 60-second refraccan do the refractions and I can confirm her
vious one. “I use that
tion process, and many are impressed by
findings quickly,” she says. Her continued
feature on every patient. I know it’s effective
the technology. “They say, ‘Wow. I’ve never
success depends on her having top-notch
because I can see the results in the optical.
seen this.’ It’s a great way to show every
staff in place who can keep the practice
Our capture rate is increasing,” she says. Plus,
patient—not only patients who see advanced
running smoothly no matter whether she’s
she’s not the one who has to try to gauge how
medical equipment—how up-to-date our
there or not. And when that staff has access
much or how little a numerically small pretechnology is,” she says. She believes that
to instrumentation that she knows will proscription change will impact the patient. Now
it has contributed to the excellent customer
vide reliable data and speed up the patient
she can show it, and that has encouraged
reviews the practice earns. Patients freexperience, she says then the investment
many patients who might not otherwise have
quently comment on the high-tech aspects
becomes even more worthwhile. WO
purchased new eyewear to do so.
B
Great Expectations
D
WO2Q16.indd 17
6/2/16 2:32 PM
“Contact
that
begin
to show
early signs
“Contactlens
lenswearers
wearers
that
begin
to show
early
of dry tend
eye disease
tendcandidates
to be idealfor
of dry signs
eye disease
to be ideal
®
candidates
for occlusion
therapy. The
Comfortear
occlusion therapy.
The Comfortear
Lacrisolve™
180®
Lacrisolve™Punctum
180 Absorbable
Punctum
Plug is
Absorbable
Plug is an ideal
approach
an ideal approach for these patients."
(38;,'9'6!ࣅ'2;9&9U”
WO0616_Paragon.indd 1
5/24/16 12:30 PM
p 19
Keep up With Today’s
Mobile Patient Population
hen Dorothy gets to Oz, she says,
the morning of their appointment,” she says.
“People come and go so quickly
The staff has liked it, too. Now, as a matter
here.” Ellen Merkin, OD, of Las
of course, new patients are asked for their
Vegas, Nevada, says
email or cell phone numbers, and
that’s true with the mobile popstaff explains that the office uses
ulation in her city, as well. That
these for reminders and occasional
can make it very difficult to stay in
updates. Those patients who say
contact with patients. That probthat they prefer receiving a phone
lem was most noticeable as Dr.
call are accommodated easily with
Merkin’s staff sent out recall postNatural Voice technology, which
cards each month. “Recall cards
provides automated landline mesdidn’t seem effective,” she says.
saging for the patients who want
In fact, the challenge of
this type of communication.
Dr. Merkin
keeping up with her patients
Overall, Dr. Merkin says that
became increasingly acute as the tourist-heavy
she finds that some of the increase in exams
economy in Las Vegas suffered after 9/11.
is attributable to Solutionreach messaging.
“People were not traveling, and unemployment
The flow of recall reminders is steadier now.
here skyrocketed,” she recalls. The city is on
When the office staff used to mail postcards,
the rebound, but it’s been a slow process,
it became a team effort to pull the names of
Dr. Merkin says,
everyone who was
noting that it’s
due for an exam
important that
that month—and
she retain her
all the postcards
existing patients.
would get sent
As multiple
at once for the
recall cards were
month ahead. That
being returned to
meant a lot of
the office each
phone calls came
month, she says
in at once and a
she didn’t know
lot of returned mail
if these patients
came in at once.
had left Las
Solutionreach
Vegas for good
sends out autoor moved a few
mated appointment
blocks away.
reminders daily—
When Dr.
to the patients
Merkin heard of
who are due for an
Solutionreach simplifies the scheduling and confirmation
Solutionreach,
annual exam based
process for staff.
she thought that
on the date of their
the company’s offerings made sense for her
previous exam. So the responses come in at
patient population. “The younger generation is
a manageable rate, and patients don’t have
much more tuned in with email and text comto wait long to get an appointment. Patients
munication. Many of the families in our area
can call for an appointment or they can send
have dropped their home phone lines, too, so
a text or email to request a specific date or
the old ways of calling and leaving a message
time of day, and a staff member will call to
on the home phone or sending a letter aren’t
confirm.
reaching people. People can change their
In addition, patients who don’t respond
address and their home phone number, but
are contacted again more quickly. In the past,
they tend to hold onto their cell phone numtracking who hadn’t responded and then trybers and emails. No-shows seem to be less
ing to contact that patient took considerable
these days,” she says.
time. Patients would get a recall card at 12
The results have been great. “Younger
months, and those who didn’t respond would
patients love getting text reminders. They often
get another at 18 months after their previtell me how glad they were to get a reminder
ous exam. Solutionreach sends out another
W
Upgrade Your Systems
D
r. Ellen Merkin has been practicing since
1984. She says that there is sometimes a
tendency among long-time business owners
to think that it’s just not worth the trouble
to update office systems when retirement
is in the not-too-distant future. Dr. Merkin
doesn’t agree with that idea. “There’s time
and money required to make an investment
in modernizing your practice, but it’s worth it.
When we switched to Solutionreach, it meant
that initially we had to collect emails and cell
phone numbers for our patients, which took a
moment with each patient. But we get all the
benefits now. And it’s important to remember
that sending out recall notices each month
was a pain, too.” WO
message the following month, which increases
the likelihood that patients are seen on a more
frequent basis.
“Patients think that they’re getting the
reminder contact directly from the office,” says
Dr. Merkin. It’s not uncommon for her to ask
patients who hadn’t been back to the office
in a few years why they’ve come back. “Well,
you called me” is often their response. So she
knows that Solutionreach is getting to those
patients and encouraging their return.
In addition, the practice uses Solutionreach
ASAP feature for broadcast messaging on
occasion. “We recently had a power outage that
shut down this part of the city, so we sent out
a message to everyone that we’d be closed. It
meant our staff could go home, and no one had
to be left behind making phone calls to patients
on the schedule,” Dr. Merkin says. The staff still
makes personal phone calls to patients, but it’s
less often—and less of an interruption to the
daily routine.
Solutionreach can also populate the
practice’s Facebook page with user reviews.
Dr. Merkin says that the feature was recently
linked to the Facebook page, and immediately,
the reviews and comments that had come
in through surveys sent out by Solutionreach
were added. WO
WO2Q16.indd 19
6/2/16 2:32 PM
COM ING SO
OON
WATER GRADIENT TECHNOLOGY MEETS
PRECISION PROFILETM DESIGN
Introducing DAILIES TOTAL1® Multifocal contact lenses
>80%
DISTANCE
>80%
33%
INTERMEDIATE
WATER CONTENT (%)
NEAR
UNIQUE WATER
GRADIENT
NOLOGY
Find out how these revolutionary
lenses may be able to help your
presbyopic patients see clearly.
NEW
PERFORMANCE DRIVEN BY SCIENCE ®
See product instructions for complete wear, care and safety information.
© 2016 Novartis
5/16
US-DTM-16-E-1887
WO0616_Alcon Dailies T1.indd 1
5/27/16 10:08 AM
p 21
Purchasing an
Established Practice
Planned, slow transition becomes a whirlwind transfer as plans changed
onica Brown, OD, CO, recalls hearing
of the reception and waiting area. “It feels more
early in 2013 through the grapevine
like a home than an office,” she says. “We have
at local and state meetings that her
flowers in the office every day so it smells good,
colleague, Brian Armitage, OD, was
and patients have really responded to it.” Dr.
thinking about his retirement options. Dr. Brown
Brown says that she hears several patients each
says that she saw
day comment about the transformation.
a great opportunity
Dr. Brown, as a certified orthoptist, also
in purchasing his
brought a new specialty to the practice. And
established practice in
without doing any traditional advertising, the
Jacksonville, Florida,
well-established practice continued to grow
Reception area
with a large patient
and draw in a new source of patients through
or living room?
base. “Dr. Armitage
referrals from local dochad a great reputation,
tors—including her former
services we provide,” Dr.
and his practice was
employer—and patients.
Brown says. “A patient with
a well-oiled machine,”
“Many ODs don’t like
Dr. Brown
double vision will need a
she adds.
seeing patients for double
longer time slot.” Dr. Brown
By May, they were discussing the plans
vision or misaligned eyes,
always includes a time for
for a practice transition, likely to span over
so I get a lot of colleague
staff education during her
three years as Dr. Armitage cut back his work.
and MD referrals for double
regular Wednesday morning
Dr. Brown was working at an ophthalmology
vision and specialty contact
staff meetings. “When they
office—a great experience, she says, but she
lens fits,” she says. “I get to
Testing
learn about these conditions,
was ready to take ownership of her own busilove my work.”
area
the staff members who take
ness. The timeline that they considered worked
There was a learning
the phone calls can gauge
for her, as well, as Dr. Brown and her husband,
curve for the staff—those
what patients are coming in for and if they need
Jarad, were in the process of adopting their
who stayed with the practice as well as the new
shorter or longer visits.”
son, Mason, from Haiti.
members—who had never experienced this type
With two full years of practice ownership
Yet over the next few months, Dr.
of therapy care before. “We’ve had to adjust the
complete, it’s time for the team to grow.
Armitage decided to leave the practice sooner,
schedule a few times as the staff learns about
“We’ve had a staff of four
and by that New Year’s Eve,
plus me and my husband for
Dr. Brown was signing the
the last two years, but we’re
paperwork to complete the
ready for a fifth,” she says.
purchase. She says that
The new employee will be
she’s thankful to her husr. Monica Brown was on a pre-med track to become a pediatrician,
cross-trained in all areas of
band for his support, as he
preparing to take the MCATs, when she met her future husband. Her
the office, which is a goal
helped her find a loan and
priorities changed, she says, and looking ahead at the many years still left
for all new staff members.
negotiate the purchase. It
“Having at least two people
was a whirlwind but in the
to complete a medical degree and residency was daunting. Her advisor
who can fill in anywhere will
end it all worked out, Dr.
pointed her to an opportunity within the orthoptist graduate program at
relieve the headaches for
Brown says. “We were able
the pediatric ophthalmology department at University of Iowa so she could
vacation time and illnesses,”
to get settled into this new
remain in a medical field, and after conducting her own research, Dr.
Dr. Brown says. She also
practice before we adopted
Brown says that it was the perfect match. “It was medically based and I
hopes to add a scribe in the
Mason from Haiti, and I had
would get to work with kids, and it was only a two-year graduate program
future to make busier days
been practicing here for
vs. six to eight more years of school.”
even more efficient.
11 months before my son
Dr. Brown moved to the Tampa, Florida, area when she accepted her
Dr. Brown says that she
arrived.”
first orthoptist job there, specializing in binocular vision. While she says
continues to enjoy the benWith a sturdy foundathat she thoroughly enjoyed the work, her next move was clear after a
efits of practice ownership,
tion built for the practice,
year and a half. “I really wanted to be the doctor and do more with conespecially the flexibility for
Dr. Brown kept the practice
balancing her professional
name but updated the logo
tact lenses,” Dr. Brown says. She was accepted at Nova Southeastern
and personal lives as she
to add her own personal
University. “I still ended up in school for six years,” she says, laughing.
and her husband prepare to
style. The office was given a
“But it was a different path,” and one that she says lead her to become
adopt their son’s sister. WO
facelift, including a remodel
the first person in the U.S. to be an orthoptist and optometrist. WO
M
Change in Career Path
D
WO2Q16.indd 21
6/2/16 2:32 PM
p 22
COVER STORY
In Line
for the
Dr. Andrea P. Thau steps up to run her lap as AOA president
Dr. Thau in her
Manhattan office
ndrea P. Thau, OD, FAAO, FCOVD,
DPNAP, of New York City, begins her
term now as president of the American
Optometric Association (AOA), the organization’s 95th, and only the second woman
to rise to that role. But she’s quick to say, “It’s
not about me. I’m part of a team of 100 staff,
more than 200 volunteers and 34,000 member
optometrists. We’re working to ensure that our
patients have access to the full scope of optometric care.”
Getting to this point was no small task.
Dr. Thau has served on the AOA board for
nine years. “As a trustee, you’re on the road
between 80 and 100 days a year. I spend an
additional 25 hours a week on AOA business,”
she says. The commitment becomes more
A
intense as a trustee ascends to the executive
committee. As president-elect, she logged
about 120 days on the road, and she anticipates that will rise to 150 to 180 days once
she’s president.
That doesn’t even reflect the commitment it took to get to the AOA board. Dr.
Thau spent seven years on the board of the
Optometric Society of the City of New York,
14 years on the board of the New York State
Optometric Association and served as president
of the New York Academy of Optometry. Dr.
Thau was the first woman president of all three
organizations.
Although the AOA president plays the leading role in responding to unforeseen challenges
and new threats, Dr. Thau is determined to
Professional and Personal Support Are Paramount
Baton: © Rmarmion | Dreamstime.com
T
he three associates—two women and one man—in Dr.
Andrea Thau’s practice today are in different stages of their
professional and personal lives, which affect their ability to commit to certain days and certain hours. They have family commitments with young children or are teaching. That makes Dr. Thau’s
own juggling of the schedule to meet her American Optometric
Association (AOA) commitments part of the routine. “I know in
advance when I need to be on the road for the AOA, so we can
move my patient schedule around,” she says.
The fact that there are other ODs available to see her patients
in an emergency also helps. Her most senior associate has been
with her for 20 years and has a high level of familiarity and
comfort with the practice and the patients. It wasn’t always that
simple, though. Dr. Thau remembers that when she served on
her local society board, she carried a pager, a bunch of quarters
and phone calling cards. “I’d get off an airplane and run to a pay
phone to check in to see if there had been any emergencies or
anything I needed to take care of,” she says.
Planning is obviously important, and Dr. Thau’s a planner.
Her sons, Richard and Evan, were both born in July “because
that’s when my practice was the slowest.” They’re grown now,
but they came to meetings with her regularly. She also arranged
for excellent child care so she wouldn’t have to worry about them
while she was at work. And when she got home, her family was
her focus: no phone calls, no work. Once they were in bed, she’d
(l-r): Sons Richard and Evan and husband John Lieberman, accompanied
Dr. Thau to Optometry’s Meeting in 2014.
resume whatever work she needed to do. Her husband, John
Lieberman, a CPA, has been supportive, even making adjustments
to his schedule.
She realizes that she is lucky, and that not all women are.
Many volunteers have spouses at home who can either watch
the kids or travel with the volunteer. “But when the volunteer is a
woman in a dual-career home, it can be harder,” she says.
Dr. Thau says it’s important to define exactly what you need
and want and jettison the rest. For example, she dances ballet, so
she carves out time for that. “I don’t watch TV. That’s just one of
the things I can’t do. Learn to let go because you can’t do everything. And get as much help as you can.” WO
WO2Q16.indd 22
6/2/16 2:32 PM
XX
pp 23
Words of
Encouragement
D
Dr. Thau with the 2015-2016 AOA board of trustees
ori M. Carlson, OD, FAAO, the American
Optometric Association’s first woman president,
shares these words with incoming president Dr.
Andrea P. Thau.
“Optometry has been
blessed with many outstanding leaders, but few have put
as much time into serving
our profession and patients
as you have over the past
several years. As you know,
leaders serve many capaciDr. Carlson
ties in representing our profession, not the least of which is serving as spokesperson and chief advocate. As you lead our professional association this coming year, I know you will
rise above the never-ending onslaught of challenges
to our profession and instead find opportunities to
better serve our patients and our profession.” WO
system.” In addition, Dr.
ensure that the organization
Thau will work to advocate
remains proactive in helping
particularly for children’s
state optometric associavision and vision therapy,
tions achieve their legislative
lifelong passions.
and practice authority goals
Dr. Thau is a secondand setting a Washington,
generation OD. Her
DC, agenda that will boost
father, Edwin Thau,
optometry practices from
OD, FAAO, was a local
coast to coast. “Although
society president
no one can predict how the
of the New York
national political environment
State Optometric
will change, especially this
Association. “I
year, we already know that
grew up attendAOA doctors and students will
ing annual state
be working to educate U.S.
Dr. Thau dances with her father at
meetings, seeing
Senators and House members her wedding.
the camaraderie of
about the bipartisan legislation
optometrists and understanding that
that we support and are pushing forward. That
all the gains made were the result
includes the Dental and Optometric Care Access
of volunteer commitment. I inherited
a wonderful profession that has
advanced based on his efforts and
those of the many prior volunteers
“I inherited a wonderful
who came before me. I saw that I
profession that has advanced
had an obligation to pay it forward.”
That’s the key message that she
based on [the efforts of
wants to impart to every OD. “You
my father] and those of
have an obligation to give back.” Yet,
she adds that the net result is comDr. Thau at the Kotel, Jerusalem’s Western Wall
the many prior volunteers
pletely positive. “You get back more
who came before me.”
profession.’ Their fears were that women
than you give. I have friends in every state in
wouldn’t get involved as active members
the
country.
I’ve
been
able
to
see
the
trends
in
—Dr. Thau
or leaders and wouldn’t work full time. My
advance, and so I’ve been able to be proactive
response to that was: watch and see.”
in my practice.”
However, it’s not that hearing those kinds of
The idea that she becomes only the second
comments sparked a drive to one day become
woman to take the helm as AOA president is
Act (HR 3323) to outlaw anti-patient policies
AOA president. “I never had the goal or dream to
not really surprising to her. She has seen major
being imposed on us by insurers and plans;
take this on. I just kept pursuing ways to use my
shifts in the profession during her career. “The
the Contact Lens Consumer Health Protection
talents for the greater good,” she says. Someone
profession was only about nine percent women
Act (S. 2777) to crackdown on the illegal sales
would ask her to do something: volunteer for a
when I joined. I’d often be the only woman at
tactics of unscrupulous, internet-based contact
committee or run for an office, and she’d say yes.
association meetings, and some of the men—
lens sellers; and an array of bills to recognize
“Each of those little steps sets the path,” she
who knew me as my dad’s daughter—spoke
fully and build awareness of our profession’s
freely about how ‘girls are going to ruin the
essential and expanding role in the health care
Continued on page 24
WO2Q16.indd 23
6/2/16 2:32 PM
p 24
COVER STORY
says. She chuckles, saying, “It’s easier not to do
this.” In fact, her election to the AOA board of
trustees in a contested election was not an easy
one. “All of us who have come to these levels of
leadership will say that you have to have a lot of
passion and be a little bit crazy. I guess I’m just
crazy in love with the profession.”
Dr. Thau is sworn in as the first woman president of the New York State Optometric Association in 2001.
“The AOA has helped me
be a better practitioner
and run a better business.”
—Dr. Thau
That’s another characteristic she inherited
from her father, who tried to create mandated
comprehensive eye exams for New York City
children in the early 1960s. “I’m continuing the
work that my dad did through my participation
with the New York Children’s Vision Coalition
and AOA’s successful efforts to define a pediatric comprehensive eye examination as an
essential benefit” in the Affordable Care Act.
Although Dr. Thau has followed in her
father’s footsteps, she never had the chance
to practice optometry with him. She was only
two years into her career when he passed
away suddenly. At the time, she was a fulltime faculty member at the State University of
New York College of Optometry (SUNY). She
recalls the last time she saw him before he
died. “He was going on vacation and he handed
me his appointment book and asked me to
cover for him. He died on that trip, so literally,
that’s what happened. At first, I tried to bring
his patients into my part-time practice in the
clinical practice plan at SUNY, but after eight
months, I moved my practice out of the college
and rented space from another OD. Four years
later, I opened my own practice.”
As she built the practice, she became
increasingly thankful for her involvement in the
AOA, the organization that advocates for the
profession. “Studies show that AOA members
make $37,000 more a year than nonmembers.
I would venture that our volunteers do better
than the average member because they understand what’s going on. The AOA has helped me
be a better practitioner and run a better business,” she says.
She encourages every OD to be involved.
“Not everyone can give back at the highest
levels. But if you’re a member, you’re contributing to the team effort.” WO
Jacqueline Davis, OD, MPH, Will Be Honored as
AOA Optometric Educator of the Year
acqueline Davis, OD, MPH, who will be honored as the American
Optometric Association (AOA) Optometric Educator of the Year at
Optometry’s Meeting, says that she loved her 22 years in private
practice, but joining the Ohio State Board of Optometry gave her “a
different viewpoint of the profession. I saw that I could have an impact on
more than one patient at a time through policies and procedures.”
This new perspective led Dr. Davis to expand her career and responsibilities in different ways, connecting with colleagues to make change
in their state and also by starting an outreach clinic for The Ohio State
University College of Optometry in 2002. Eventually, she sold her practice
to a former student. Under the guidance of mentor Melvin Shipp, OD,
who was dean, Dr. Davis went on to earn her master’s in public health in
2009.
Dr. Davis says that she hopes her students’ involvement with federally
qualified health centers will impact their careers the way it did for her.
In fact, a survey she conducted during her graduate studies confirmed
that “more than double the number of doctors who had experience and
exposure to outreach activities through school participated in outreach
while they were in practice,” she says, compared to doctors who were
not involved during school. “That was resounding. We thought that if we
J
provided this kind of
education that they
would continue outreach, and this study
proved that they
actually do.”
Dr. Davis also
teaches two courses
at the college; is
co-advisor of the
university’s National
Optometric Student
Association chapter;
and is involved with
Dr. Davis will be honored at Optometry’s Meeting.
Improving Diversity in
Optometric Careers, the annual three-day summer camp for under-represented minority undergraduate students.
Extremely grateful for the accolades from AOA, Dr. Davis says, “I am so
honored that they consider my work valuable. I hope other folks will consider
doing some outreach, no matter where they are in their career.” WO
WO2Q16.indd 24
6/2/16 2:32 PM
For Prevention,
Education Is Key
p 25
OD launches Ocular Prime to educate those in her exam room and beyond
ast fall, Maria Pribis, OD, had a conversation with her husband about the
challenges of educating every patient
consistently within the time constraints
of a 15-minute exam
slot. “It’s frustrating
because if I’m running behind, I may
not tell the patient to
do X, Y and Z, and I
wanted to reach all
of my patients with
the same advice,” Dr.
Pribis says.
Dr. Pribis
Dr. Pribis
was exposed to ocular disease early on in
her studies at the Pennsylvania
College of Optometry at Salus
University and during her residency
with the Veterans Administration
Medical Center and rotations with
the Wilmer Eye Clinic at Johns
Hopkins Hospital. It left an impact
on her, shaping the future of her
career. “Unfortunately, a lot of
those patients came to us when
it was too late,” she says. “It was
heartbreaking to see patients blind
from glaucoma because they never
had their eyes examined or with
meibomian gland dysfunction that
had scarred and I had no treatment
option. It made me very passionate
about having an understanding of
disease and, ideally, how to prevent it.”
In early April, after months of
planning, Dr. Pribis launched Ocular Prime at
ocularprime.com for her patients at Stamford
Ophthalmology in Stamford, Connecticut, and
anyone else who comes across her page.
With five primary categories—computer
vision, dry eye, nutrition, systemic health and
fitness—Dr. Pribis says that there are plenty
of stories to share and expand upon in her
virtual space. “I wanted the website to set a
trend in our industry by emphasizing the care
in patient care. Everything about the site has
to be scientifically proven,” Dr. Pribis says,
adding that this credibility is important to
maintaining her site as a trusted source for
her readers. “It’s important to me as a doctor
but also for patients to know the latest science behind their eyes.”
Her target audience is young, healthy
L
professionals, but she welcomes
readers of all ages. “Anyone who
comes across Ocular Prime can
get real information, and I make
it clear that you have to see your
optometrist for care,” she says.
Her husband helps manage the
technical side of the site and is
also her editor. “He’s very helpful, and he can tell me when he
doesn’t understand what I’m saying since he doesn’t have a medical background,” Dr. Pribis says.
That’s important so that she can
make sure her voice isn’t too clinical for her audience to understand.
Dr. Pribis developed the Ocular Prime website
as a resource to which she can send patients for
reliable information about ocular health.
Dr. Pribis stays on top of the latest
research, using several email feeds of medical
journals related to anything about the eyes,
and she posts a new item a few times a week.
Since she works in Connecticut but lives in
Manhattan, Dr. Pribis uses her 40-minute train
ride each way for research and writing posts.
“I can make that time more productive,” she
says.
She adds that she looks forward to upcoming posts that will educate readers on how
ophthalmic lenses, such as blue light-blocking
or antiglare lenses for computer or technology
users, can go beyond correcting vision and can
protect the eyes and also adding to her nutrition channel. “I am very passionate about nutrition and being able to share real-life recipes
that are quick and easy to do on the fly,” Dr.
Pribis says. “I’m not a fancy cook, but I enjoy
really good, inspired healthy foods that are easy
to do.”
Ocular Prime is still a new venture, but
Dr. Pribis is already introducing it to her
patient base, and it will soon be linked to
the practice website. She hands patients her
business card during their exam, making
sure to point out that Ocular Prime organizes
research that they can utilize at any time.
Dr. Pribis is also making her network of
referring physicians aware of Ocular Prime.
“Pediatricians and endocrinologists can
use this as a resource for their patients, as
subspecialists across the health care spectrum come in together for a team approach
to work together for the betterment of the
patient.”
Education has always been Dr. Pribis’
number one goal, and she hopes that Ocular
Prime will make an impact spreading knowledge and awareness across her community
and beyond. Patients or readers are encouraged to reach out with questions via the “Ask a
Doctor” feature on the site. “I want to educate
as many people as possible so that they can
take control of their health through prevention
and wellness,” Dr. Pribis says. “If patients with
retinal detachments knew that flashing lights
were a warning sign, maybe they wouldn’t
have lost their vision. It’s helpful to show people what is or isn’t a big deal.” WO
WO2Q16.indd 25
6/2/16 2:32 PM
HOW TO BECOME THE CEO OF YOU
p 26
A Mission Statement Is Imperative
By Lauretta Justin, OD, Orlando, Florida
drlauretta@drlaurettajustin.com
believe that all
human beings
are born with
the power to
determine their
destiny. As long as
you are breathing,
that power is yours
and is always at your
disposal. That power
Dr. Justin
is nothing other than
the power of choice. The choices you make
today are creating your future tomorrow. It’s
really that simple.
If you want different results in your life
and in your practice, you need to make different choices. Choosing your destiny starts
with choosing your mission—your what. Your
mission will serve as a filter to separate what
is important from what is not. Create a mission
statement; it may sound tedious, but doing
so will save you a lot of time, frustration and
I
money. If you don’t know what you want to
do, then you’ll try to do everything; that’s a
recipe for disaster. When I started my practice, I didn’t have a mission statement beyond
wanting to help people see better. I ended
up taking every insurance plan in order to
serve all. That was a bad choice that cost me
money and time, which I’ll never get back. So
chose exactly what it is you want to do, write it
down, set a course for it and stick with it.
State what market will be served and
how. You cannot serve every market because
trying to target them all will actually cause you
to reach none. It helps if you could identify
specific characteristics of your ideal market
and create a fictitious person to represent it.
For example, my ideal target market is Orlando
Linda. She’s 42, married with two schoolaged children and works part-time so she can
be involved with her kids and their interests.
She’s been wearing contacts for many years
and is now noticing issues with her near
vision. She shops in department stores and
wears designer clothes and shoes. She wants
the best in life and is willing to pay for it.
Because I know whom I want to serve, I’ve
focused all my marketing effort, office culture
and systems to appeal only to the Lindas of
my area. Again, doing this will save you a lot
of money, frustration and time.
Your mission should also define your
“unique identifiable difference” or Unique ID,
which is what’s going to help you develop raving
fans. What makes you different is what patients
are going to share with their friends and loved
ones. Define this early on because everything
else will revolve around that first choice.
If you don’t have a mission statement, a
clear idea about your market and a Unique ID,
start crafting your mission statement today.
If you want some examples of killer mission
statements, email me. Next time, we’ll discuss
the vision statement. Remember to dream big,
take risks and become the CEO of You. WO
Three Sources for Finding Dry Eye Patients
By Cheryl Engels, OD, MBA, senior consultant of The
Power Practice and director of Practice Made Perfect
f course you can identify dry eye patients from your own
patient base, but what about the rest of those dry eye
sufferers out there who have never heard of your office?
Where will these patients come from? There are three
sources for patients just waiting to fill your schedule.
Rheumatologists are probably your most concentrated
source of referrals because of the nature of their patients’
Dr. Engels
conditions. For years these doctors have been sitting with
patients and hearing their complaints about dry eyes. Until now their
response has been, “I know. Have you tried some over-the-counter
drops? That is pretty much all you can do.” Let these doctors know you
can provide a better solution. As we have been hearing how meibomian gland dysfunction is much more prevalent than we thought, many
ODs are having success with meibomian gland expression in-office.
Rheumatologists want to give their patients the best treatment available,
so make it easy for them to refer patients to you. Design a brochure that
talks about your expertise in this area and leave a stack of them with
the rheumatologist to pass along to their patients. Also design a simple
referral form, and be sure to fill out the rheumatology office information
on it so the staff or doctor only needs to add the patient’s name, reason
for referral and best way to contact this patient.
As you are gaining referrals from several rheumatologists in your
O
area, be sure to double dip. You can get an even greater
number of patients by contacting your local support groups for
autoimmune patients. Depending on the population density in
your area, you may find there are several condition-specific
groups like a Sjogrens group, a rheumatoid arthritis group and
others. In less-populated areas, there may be one group that
meets for all autoimmune conditions. Look online to find a way
to contact the group organizer and say you would like to speak
to the group about the evolutions in inflammatory dry eye treatment and how you can treat these patients. As you prepare
your brief talk, remember that these patients are fairly well
educated about their conditions. Most have spent hours researching their
conditions and possible methods of relief, so speak at a higher level about
the research and treatments. Once you give relief to one dry eye patient in
the group, the word will spread very quickly.
With the increase in demand for surgical eye care services for baby
boomers, increasingly pressed ophthalmologists, in my area of Florida,
at least, are kicking dry eye back to optometry. The opportunity is just
waiting for you to take it. Corneal specialists and general ophthalmologists in your area likely have a pool of patients for you. Many of them
are not taking time to fit scleral lenses, so there is an opportunity to dive
into that area, as well.
Knock on the doors of rheumatologists, support groups and ophthalmologists. Open up your appointment schedules, and welcome in these
patients. WO
WO2Q16.indd 26
6/2/16 2:32 PM
p 27
Comfort and Beauty
Are Relevant Topics in MD Office
fter Stephanie Frankel, OD, completed
her internship and residency with the
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, she joined
the team at Elgut Eyecare in 2014. “I’ve
always wanted to stay with medical care and
work with an ophthalmologist,” Dr. Frankel
says. Alongside Noel
L. Elgut, MD, in
his Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, practice,
Dr. Frankel has
been learning more
about the products
and treatments she
Dr. Frankel
prefers.
OCuSOFT came onto her radar during her
residency, and Dr. Frankel personally tested
the product line for dry eye treatment shortly
after joining the practice. “I have an interest in
anterior segment disease, so I dove into looking at what is available to help my patients,
and OCuSOFT met all my expectations,” she
says. The practice already had an existing
relationship with the company, but Dr. Frankel
saw an opportunity to expand care in ocular
surface disease with these products. Through
her own research and working with patients
who have visited multiple doctors before
coming to Elgut Eye Care, she says that “the
results have been fantastic.”
Dr. Frankel says that she appreciates
support from OCuSOFT as she got acquainted
with its products, as well as the company’s
commitment to keeping her stocked with
products for the office, especially trials. “I will
not use anything on my patients that I haven’t
tried,” she says. “I can talk with patients about
realistic expectations and any questions or
concerns they may have.”
Dr. Frankel started with Retaine MGD
Lubricant Eye Drops for her patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). “Retaine eye
drops have a nice mineral-oil base and are
preservative free,” she says. “It’s worked better
than any other drop I’ve tried for MGD.” She
uses it alongside manual expression of the meibomian glands and doxycycline in severe cases,
and she has had very successful outcomes.
She reaches for the OCuSOFT Hypochlor
Spray for patients with anterior blepharitis. The
spray cleans
and removes
debris including
microorganisms
and provides
care for minor
irritations to the
skin. Patients
are instructed to
use the product
twice a day for
two weeks until
their follow-up
visit. “If I do
not notice
improvement, our next step is Oust™ Demodex®
Swabstix™,” Dr. Frankel says. After a manual
debridement of the lashes, she applies the Oust
formula in-office and has her patients continue
with the Hypochlor spray
for another two weeks. She
says that she has been
pleased with the “exceptional” results following this
r. Stephanie Frankel regularly turns to her colroutine.
For many patients,
leagues for advice when she is looking for more
her recommendations are
information on an unfamiliar topic. Aesthetics, for exam“a significant change from
ple, were outside of her scope initially. “So I started
what they are used to, and
looking into different procedures and options,” she says.
it sets me apart from the
She expanded her network to include an oculoplastic
doctors they have seen
surgeon to learn more about options such as blephain the past,” Dr. Frankel
roplasty, Botox or fillers. “It started as a connection to
says. “I take the time to
learn more for my own knowledge to let my patients
debride the lashes and
know about them, but now that office refers to me for
treat patients so that they
dry eye or itchy eye problems,” Dr. Frankel says. WO
look and feel better, and
the word-of-mouth is better
than I ever imagined.”
A
Tap Into Your Local Network
D
Most recently, Dr.
Frankel has expanded
into the ZORIA® Lash
Boosting Serum and
Mascara. “Aesthetics
are becoming more
prominent in the practice
because patients want
to know why their lashes
are thinning or why they
have bags under their
eyes,” Dr. Frankel says.
She keeps a flyer in the
exam room that often
garners interest. “The
more I thought about it,
the more I wanted to offer these products
because losing lashes or developing wrinkles can be hard to deal with,” she says.
“Leaving patients without options for treatment is inappropriate. Give patients options
that others aren’t giving them.”
Dr. Frankel explains that thinning lashes
may be the result of age, medication or blepharitis, and she is confident in recommending
the ZORIA line. “I like that the ZORIA Boost
Serum is natural and not made with prostaglandins, which can cause discoloration of the
skin and iris,” Dr. Frankel says. “My lighteyed patients don’t want products like that,
so this is a great alternative.”
Dr. Frankel advises patients to apply the
serum to the lash line at night with the brush
and use the mascara during the day. She tells
them her story. “I noticed a significant change
in about six weeks after wearing the serum
and mascara, and this is what it looks like,” Dr.
Frankel says to patients. “I’ve noticed a difference and it’s fantastic, and patients also seem
very satisfied with it. I say, ‘If it doesn’t work,
come back and we will refund your money.’ But
I have never had anyone do that.”
The practice sells the Hypochlor spray
and ZORIA Lash Boosting Serum and Mascara
products in the office, and Dr. Frankel lets
patients know that it is conveniently available
for purchase. She recommends that her
colleagues expand their knowledge in these
areas, realize the opportunity for helping
patients and consider working with OCuSOFT
to provide treatment and care. “It’s exceptional
when patients ask you a question about anything ocular-related and you can talk about the
alternative options,” Dr. Frankel says. WO
WO2Q16.indd 27
6/2/16 2:32 PM
p 28
Color Contact Lens Options Can
Make Patient Visits More Memorable
K
iranjit Bedi, OD, says that she wants
her patients at the Laurel, Maryland,
America’s Best store to have fun trying
color contact lenses. In fact, she was so
enthusiastic about the release of AIR OPTIX®
COLORS contact
lenses two years ago
that she started promoting them to her
patients after she first
heard the news at a
local dinner hosted
by Alcon. She told
patients, “Stop back
in six months to try
Dr. Bedi
out the new monthly
replacement option for color contact lenses.”
Dr. Bedi says that she’s encountered
many patients with an interest in changing
their eye color over the course of her eightyear career with America’s Best, the first
five years of which she spent in the downtown Baltimore store. Familiar with both the
FreshLook® 3-in-1 color technology and AIR
OPTIX® AQUA contact lens material, Dr. Bedi
has found that the AIR OPTIX COLORS contact
lenses combine these features in a comfortable contact lens that
her patients say that they
enjoy. Dr. Bedi shares
the strategies that she
has found most successful in getting patients
excited about color contact lenses.
Mention AIR OPTIX COLORS contact lenses right away. One of the first
questions Dr. Bedi asks her contact lens
patients who are candidates is, “Are we
doing clear or color contact lenses, or both?”
Immediately, it can spark a conversation and
generate interest, paving the way for the rest
of the exam.
Utilize patient and customer wait
times. When contact lens-wearing customers are waiting for an optician, Dr. Bedi will
approach them and ask, “Do you want to try
on some color contact lenses while you are
waiting?” It’s a great distraction from any wait
time, too, she says.
Recommend an upgrade. It’s an easy
upgrade for patients wearing FreshLook contact lenses, says Dr. Bedi. “My patients have
transitioned beautifully into the AIR OPTIX
COLORS contact lenses.” She adds that when
patients ask, “Is the blue
going to look different?”
she reassures them that
AIR OPTIX COLORS contact
lenses feature the same
r. Kiranjit Bedi says that even though she offered
3-in-1 color technology as
older generation color contact lenses because they
FreshLook contact lenses.
were so popular, she wished she had a more breathable*
The color is now embedded
option for her patients. Now with AIR OPTIX® COLORS
in the lens, instead of on
contact lenses, she does. The AIR OPTIX® AQUA material
the outside, she tells them.
means
that she can offer patients the same great look
Mix and match an
in
a
breathable*
lens. Patients whom she has upgraded
annual supply. Dr. Bedi
have
had
positive
feedback. “Patients love the fact that
and the store staff educate
patients that they have
their eyes can breathe; they can leave their contact lensmany options when picking
es on comfortably. As a doctor, it’s good to hear that you
out color contact lenses.
made things better.” She says that the fitting process is
“You aren’t committed
simple, too. “It’s very true to the powers, and there have
to wearing color contact
been no issues in terms of over-refracting, which saves
lenses every day,” Dr. Bedi
chair time.” WO
says, and they can add a
few boxes of color lenses
in with their clear lenses.
Encourage multiple colors. Even if
accessible, prompt and attentive to her office
patients only mention one color, Dr. Bedi presents
supply of samples and trials.
them with a few options in the same color family.
Wear the products personally. To
“If they like the Pure Hazel, I ask them to try the
demonstrate the advantages of wearing color
Brown and Honey color lenses, too, because
contact lenses on a part-time basis, many of
they may like one better in the
the store’s employees wear AIR OPTIX COLORS
light.” She reminds patients
contact lenses occasionally. “It gets patients
that they don’t have to narrow
asking questions.” WO
it down to just one choice. To
*Dk/t = 138 @ -3.00D. Other factors may
her fashion-forward customers,
impact eye health.
she makes a comparison:
Important Information for AIR OPTIX® AQUA
“You have 50 pairs of shoes
(lotrafi
lcon B) contact lenses: For daily wear or up
at home,” or “You don’t carry
to 6 nights extended wear for near/far-sightedness.
the same handbag every day.” They often sell
Risk of serious eye problems (i.e., corneal ulcer)
two or more colors to these patients.
is greater for extended wear. In rare cases, loss of
Recommend a compatible contact lens
vision may result. Side effects like discomfort, mild
care solution to optimize the lens-wearing
burning or stinging may occur.
experience and promote compliant wear.
Important Information for AIR OPTIX®
®
For example, CLEAR CARE PLUS Cleaning and
COLORS (lotrafilcon B) contact lenses: For daily
wear only for near/far-sightedness. Contact lenses,
Disinfecting Solution brings together what Dr. Bedi
even if worn for cosmetic reasons, are prescription
likes about her two go-to products: the longmedical devices that must only be worn under the
lasting moisture of HydraGlyde® in OPTI-FREE®
prescription, direction and supervision of an eye
PureMoist with the outstanding deep cleaning
care professional. Serious eye health problems may
and improved patient compliance of CLEAR
occur as a result of sharing contact lenses. Although
®
CARE into one product. CLEAR CARE PLUS
rare, serious eye problems can develop while weargives her patients the best of both worlds. Dr.
ing contact lenses. Side effects like discomfort,
Bedi says that having a conversation about her
mild burning or stinging may occur. To help avoid
preferred contact lens care solutions with every
these problems, patients must follow the wear and
contact lens wearer “has saved us from doing a
replacement schedule and the lens care instructions
provided by their eye doctor.
lot of refits and helps with comfort issues.”
See product instructions for complete wear,
Stay stocked with trials. Dr. Bedi says
care and safety information.
that she appreciates that her Alcon representative, who has become a personal friend, is
Sponsored by Alcon
US-PRA-16-E-1726
An Easy Upgrade
D
WO2Q16.indd 28
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Doctor’s Reputation for
p 29
Natural Eye Care Draws in Patients
S
usan Moss, OD, puts her
holistic approach to eye care
front and center at her practice in Bellaire, Texas. And
she’s found plenty of patients who
want that kind of therapy.
At least 80 percent of her
patients use homeopathic products, she says. She provides
natural products to treat a wide
Dr. Moss
range of conditions, including dry
eye, floaters, corneal erosion and allergies. Dr.
Moss is a member of the American Academy
of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control, the
American Naturopathic Medical Association
and the Ocular Nutrition Society.
While there are other ODs who
provide some homeopathic treatments,
integrative medicine has been the focus
of her practice for more than a decade.
Natural Ophthalmics is a main supplier
for her practice. The products “are
wonderful and they’re reasonably
priced,” she says. A patient recently
came in complaining that the cheapest
prescription drops she could find cost
$150. Homeopathic products
“are less than $25, and
they work,” Dr. Moss
says.
She also says homeopathic
products are generally easier on
the patients. Using homeopathic
drops is a total win-win.
Patients get better, and the
drops are a reasonable price.
For dry eye patients, for
example, over-the-counter
artificial tears, with or without preservatives, provide a
replacement and substitute
for real tears. The relief might
be immediate, but it’s typically short-term,
says Dr. Moss. Natural Ophthalmics Tear
Stimulation Drops work therapeutically to
stimulate the eyes to moisturize with their
own mechanisms. In others words, she tells
patients, they support and stimulate the
immune system rather than mask it or even
suppress it. These drops are nonpreserved and
do not sting, and they are great for pediatric
patients.
The Allergy Desensitization Drops similarly
stimulate the body’s own ability to eliminate
symptoms of ocular allergies. Unlike treatments
that are aimed at blocking
the histamine process and
suppressing the symptoms, these drops stimulate the eyes and body
to counteract the allergy
process naturally.
Dr. Moss also has
a robust orthokeratology
practice. Natural Ophthalmics offers
two varieties of Ortho-K Drops,
Thick and Thin. The Thick formula
is often used just prior to inserting
the lens at night and also after the
lens has been inserted. The Thin
formula is used upon waking to
Natural Ophthalmics, Inc., President Brian Banks and Office
facilitate lens removal and can be Manager Linda Axelrod at a show booth
used during the day to alleviate
dryness, redness or discomfort. Having
to the National Institute of Health’s National
these products available improves her
Center for Complementary and Integrative
Ortho-K patients’ satisfaction and overall
Health, about 40 percent of adults in the
experience, she says.
U.S. use CAM therapies, with the percentage
The Ortho-K Thin Drops are being
greater among women and people with higher
used successfully for patients experilevels of education and higher incomes. U.S.
encing contact lens discomfort. It can be
consumer spending on CAM therapies is about
used with soft and scleral lenses in place.
$34 billion annually.
Homeopathy fits in with the moveDr. Moss would like to see the use of
ment toward more natural options, such as
homeopathic treatments increase. She’d like to
farm-to-table foods, organic produce and comsee the profession add a certification process
plementary and alternative medicines (CAM),
so other ODs can adopt holistic therapies. Until
which include treatments such as acupuncture
then, Natural Ophthalmics offers doctors an
and massage to alleviate pain. According
easy way to dispense natural eye care. WO
The Glass Cliff
n a study, “Hard Won and Easily Lost:
The Fragile Status of Leaders in GenderStereotype-Incongruent Occupations,”
authors Victoria L Brescoll, Erica Dawson,
and Eric Luis Uhlmann found that women
leaders are judged more harshly on small
mistakes than men are—at least in genderincongruent roles. The researchers created
randomized control trials with gender-congruent
characters, such as a male police chief and a
female president of a women’s college, as well
as gender-incongruent characters—a female
police chief and a male president of a woman’s
college.
When things went well in the scenario,
I
such as a protest was stopped successfully and
peacefully, the perception of the leaders was
uniformly high. But when things went poorly, such
as an insufficient number of police officers being
dispatched, female leaders were judged more
harshly. The male in the gender-incongruent
role—the male president of the women’s college—was also judged harshly, confirming that
people are penalized more harshly for making
mistakes if they are in an occupation strongly
associated with the other gender.
The authors call this the “glass cliff,” noting
that women who achieve leadership positions in
gender-incongruent roles are at risk of a greater
backslide from their advancement. WO
WO2Q16.indd 29
6/2/16 2:32 PM
THE POWER
OF VISION
Since our inception a quarter of a century ago, Vision Source® has remained focused on unlocking
the full power of vision — for network members and patients alike. And it all began with this
insight — by forming a collaborative network, independent ODs will enjoy the economies and buying power of
national chains, while still preserving their independence and relationships with their patients.
Vision Meets Potential — for 25 Years and Counting
2015 – 100+ relationships with managed care organizations
3,260 offices
2014 – 3,000 offices
2013 – Recognized
as 2nd largest optical
retailer in US
2009 – 2,000 offices
2007 – Exclusive, proprietary spectacle lenses
created for members
2004 – 1,000 offices
2001 – 500 offices
2002 – Exclusive, proprietary contact
lenses created for members
1991 – Founded in Humble, TX
3 offices
For more information on joining Vision Source®, go to
www.VisionSourcePlan.com
© Vision Source L.P. 2016. All Rights Reserved.
VS-00145.0416
TRUSTED COLLEAGUE
Paula Mintchell, OD
psmeiring@yahoo.com
Starting Cold in a New Location
Paula Mintchell, OD, had a goal of launching a solo practice before she turned 40, and she beat
that deadline by a couple of years when she opened Vision Art Eye Care in Naperville, Illinois, in
December 2012.
Meeting that goal was only half the fight, though. She also faced the extra challenge of launching in
a place where she had no connections. “I opened cold,” she says. “Our family didn’t know anyone
in Naperville.”
Now three years later she has made a home for her practice in the community, with an emphasis on
pediatric eye care and vision therapy and a willingness to accept all patients. “If you want to have a
good private practice, you have to adapt and do what you can.”
Dr. Mintchell didn’t land in Naperville by accident. Her husband, Derek, is a commercial airline pilot,
and the couple previously lived in Melbourne, Florida, where Dr. Mintchell worked for eight years at a multi-office practice.
When her husband’s career offered them a chance to resettle, they scanned the country for places where commercial aviation and
optometry thrived: Houston was too crowded with ODs, she says, but the Chicago suburb of Naperville felt right. The couple both
grew up in Ohio, so a Midwest home was familiar.
Still, the first year or so for her practice was tough. She had trouble finding staff and patients. “People told me starting a practice
was hard, but the hardest part was waiting and trusting your instincts and being patient for people to find you,” she says.
She sought advice from the Williams Group, a leading eye care practice management consultant, a move she says “helped me
tremendously. It was worth the investment.” They helped her through the financial decisions she had to make, including marketing
and staffing. “I was very careful with working capital,” she says. “I was careful with how I allocated my funds,” from staffing needs
to advertising to cost of goods.
Plus, she stuck with her confidence in her skills and her personal approach to patient care. “I trusted my personality and how
I generally care about people, and I knew it would translate to good internal marketing,” she says. She got involved with the
local Chamber of Commerce and reached out to local primary care physicians. With her emphasis on pediatric care, she relied on
word-of-mouth reviews to help build a patient following. “When you see the little ones and treat them well, the families come,
too,” she says.
The couple has two children, Wyatt, who is 8, and Arianna, age 6, and they live in Naperville just a few miles from her practice
location. “It was really important to me to live in Naperville, and I love seeing children and families from my kids’ school,” she says.
“If you live too far away from your practice, you miss out on the opportunity.”
Her affiliation with Vision Source® is “a critical part of my practice,” she says. “I now have a team of partners helping me navigate
private practice.” She also likes the savings on product and even services, such as credit card processing that she gets through
Vision Source®. “I without hesitation would recommend Vision Source® to my colleagues.”
Today her practice is growing the way she hoped it would. Vision therapy was part of her residency training, and today, these
services are provided in her practice. She has two full-time employees and is adding a part-time person. “I’m happier than I’ve
ever been,” she says.
For more information go to VisionSourcePlan.com
Vision Source® is a registered trademark of Vision Source LP. ©Vision Source LP 2016
WO0616_Vision Source Adv.indd 1
5/31/16 11:44 AM
p 32
OD Brings Dry Eye Center to
Existing Practice
eslie O’Dell, OD, FAAO, joined Wheatlyn
EyeCare in Manchester, Pennsylvania,
a year ago and established the Dry Eye
Center of Pennsylvania under the same
roof with a unique name and website. The
partnership with
Wheatlyn EyeCare
has proved mutually
beneficial to physicians and patients
alike. “The distinction of having a dry
eye center within a
practice seems to
be working well with
Dr. O’Dell
how patients perceive
what I’m doing here,” Dr. O’Dell says. It has
also helped with referrals from other eye care
providers, notably six ODs and a cornea specialist MD/OD group in the same town.
Dr. O’Dell says patients seem grateful.
“They love their doctors. They tell me, ‘I’m so
glad he or she told me you were here.’” Dr.
O’Dell addresses any dry eye symptoms and
develops a treatment plan that she and the
referring doctor can both follow.
With a growing body of research on dry
eye, diagnostic and treatment strategies for
the disease are becoming increasingly complex. Dr. O’Dell says, “Many doctors don’t
have the technology in their practices to
assess the patient’s condition or to determine
whether the cause is aqueous deficiency,
evaporative dry eye, a combination or an unrelated factor, like demodex, anterior blepharitis
L
or basement membrane dystrophies that
can cause recurrent erosions.” That’s why
referrals to a dry eye specialist are worthwhile. “The underlying factors determine
the treatment.”
For example, a patient with aqueousdeficient dry eye but no active inflammation would be a good candidate for
Dr. O’Dell hosted an education evening recently to talk
cyclosporine and/or tear supplements and about facial products and their effect on the eyes.
punctal plugs, such as the Comfortear®
plugs from Paragon BioTeck, Inc.
people what they’re using. For those who use
For evaporative dry eye patients, Dr.
a retinol product, I explain that they should use
O’Dell’s goal is to restore proper functioning of
something better,” Dr. O’Dell says.
the meibomian glands. Dr. O’Dell’s center sells
Dr. O’Dell also sells the ilast products in
Bruder® masks and fish oil, and it invested in
her practice. “They retail for $44 to $49, so for
anyone who has purchased higher-end prodthe LipiFlow® Thermal Pulsation System shortly
ucts, this is quite affordable,”
after opening.
she says. As her dry eye
Dr. O’Dell
practice continues to grow,
tries to target
Dr. O’Dell continually discovdry eye before it
ers more reasons to recombecomes probmend ilast. “It’s great during
lematic. “Anterior
allergy season to cleanse the
blepharitis is a big
area around the eyes,” and,
issue. I’m trying to
she says, “it’s wonderful for
be more proactive
anyone with dermatitis. I recthan reactive by
ommend it for patients after
looking at every
Paragon BioTeck, Inc., has introduced ilast®
treatments such as LipiFlow®,
patient’s lid and
for Lid Hygiene, which contains hyaluronic
margin. I also
BlephEx® and tea tree oil
acid, to hydrate and soothe dry, irritated skin
explain the imporfor demodex. It soothes and
around the eyes.
tance of cleaning
calms the skin so nicely.”
the lid every day,”
Selling products other
Dr. O’Dell says. Her outreach even extends to
than contact lenses or eyewear is still a
children. Nobody wants to get soap in their
relatively new concept, but employees have
eyes—especially not kids, and many people
found the additional tools useful. “Everyone’s
also want to avoid cleansers with preexcited at this stage,” Dr. O’Dell says, and once
servatives, so Dr. O’Dell recommends
technicians understand the benefits of these
ilast Clean® by Paragon BioTeck, Inc.,
products, they’re eager to recommend them. To
expand her staff’s knowledge, Dr. O’Dell holds
as part of a daily treatment regimen.
occasional seminars where she discusses new
“You don’t have to wash it off, and
facial products and their effects on the eyes and
you can rub it in. It gently cleans lids
eyelid area.
and lashes.”
r. Leslie O’Dell and some colleagues
Dr. O’Dell feels the Dry Eye Center of
She also recommends ilast
recently turned to social media to elicit
Pennsylvania serves as an important resource
Care®, a hydrating lotion to use
answers to a short survey about conversafor dry eye patients across the nation. For those
around the eyes. Both ilast® products
tions between patients and eye doctors conwho call from outside of Pennsylvania, Dr. O’Dell
contain hyaluronic acid, a hydrating
cerning cosmetics. Two relevant findings: 75
searches the Tear Film and Ocular Surface
component that soothes the delicate
Society directory. “I’ve received calls from peoskin around the eye. “Patients are
percent of respondents say their doctor has
ple all around the country asking me where they
interested in looking younger, and
never asked them about eye makeup removcan find a doctor to help them with their dry
hyaluronic acid is so hydrating. Many
ers, and 86 percent said they would consider
eyes,” she reports. For those in Pennsylvania,
people don’t know that retinol can
buying anti-aging products and makeup
dry eye relief can be found under the same roof
destroy the meibomian glands. Even if
removers from their eye doctors’ offices. WO
as Wheatlyn EyeCare, making comprehensive
you use it only on your cheeks, it can
eye care more accessible than ever. WO
migrate to the eyes. So I always ask
Doctors Aren’t Talking
About Cosmetics
D
WO2Q16.indd 32
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Recession Forces a Four-year Hold
p 33
on Starting New Practice
In retrospect, the delay was fortuitous as town grew around planned site
athy Wittman, OD, recalls that a conversaand the two homeDr. Wittman bought the
tion with a friend changed her perspective
school two of their chilland in 2008 but didn’t
on naming her practice after its location
dren on the premises,
start building until 2013.
in Lubbock, Texas. “She told me to name
using a small living
it after myself so my patients could find me,”
area in the office and a
r. Cathy
Dr. Wittman explains.
classroom they created
Wittman had
When she chose the
in part of their in-house
an architect from a
name Wittman Vision
lab. Dr. Wittman exlarge firm draft her
and opened its doors
plains that since one
dream office space:
in 2014, Dr. Wittman
of her sons is on the
a 3,200-square-foot
hoped that patients
autism spectrum, she
design that was not
who knew her from
prefers to customize his
financially feasible
a corporate practice
learning plan, and her
as well as a private
youngest son asked to
when the time came
practice where she
be home-schooled after
to build. While she
Dr. Wittman
had worked for much
seeing his brother’s
emphasized that she
of the previous decade would join her in this
experience. “I love
was on a budget, this firm’s expertise was multidoctor medical cennewest chapter of her career. “I still have people
having my family here,”
ters and the total project would have cost $900,000. Looking back,
finding me every other week,” she says.
Dr. Wittman says. “It’s
she says that she wishes that she had followed the advice she had
In 2008, while she was still working as an
really unique from a
received to work with a construction company with an architect on
associate, Dr. Wittman bought the land for her
practice perspective.”
staff who could do a design-build or hire a company that specializes
own practice. During the recession that year, “we
Dr. Wittman also
in optometry offices. “Don’t ignore good advice,” she says. WO
were dropped by our lender that was suspending
envisioned fulfilling
all of its loans at the time,” she says. She held
needs in the community
off until 2012 and had secured a small business
with many specialty
loan the following year. Dr. Wittman says that
services. For example, her vision therapy (VT)
“It was a great experience where I was exposed
there were some
segment is growing by referrals of those whose
to so much pathology, and I had the opportunity
bumps along the
own or children’s lives have
to work with residents and lecture,” she says.
way, but finally her
been changed. One patient
She transitioned to the department of educaspace was ready
was able to stop taking
tional psychology and leadership, and now she
to move into by the
medication for attentionteaches anatomy and functions of the visual
end of April 2014.
deficit/hyperactivity dissystem, a web-based course designed to train
“The timing is
order. “She blossomed in
teachers of visually impaired, mobility specialists
very fortuitous,” Dr.
our program, and her visual
and also teachers of the deaf and blind.
Wittman says. In
issues were remediated,”
Now in her second year of practice, Dr.
2008, there were
she says. Other students
Wittman says that she has met her projected
only a handful of
have improved their sports
growth expectations. “There’s a certain amount
houses in the area and
performance through speof growth we want to see, but my priority is
no other commercial
cialized vision therapy. Dr.
my family and keeping my employees happy.”
or medical businesses. Dr. Wittman says her vision therapy practice is
Wittman hopes that growth
The schedule is light by design to focus on the
growing faster than expected, so she’s dedicatThe community has
in this area will allow her
patient experience, and she’s carefully moniing more space to it.
grown to include
to expand her building to
toring growth and staffing to keep payroll and
several full residential developments with many
create a designated space for VT.
equipment expenses under control.
potential patients and several other medical
“The practice evolves and grows in a way
Dr. Wittman says that she enjoys sharpractitioners in her area. Her office exterior comthat you don’t expect,” she says. So she has
ing experiences and exchanging ideas with
plements the local architecture with a traditional
made adjustments, liquidating some of the
colleagues who are passionate about practice
feel incorporating whole stones and bricks. “Our
equipment from underperforming sectors of
ownership and making their dreams a reality. Her
office fits right into the neighborhood.”
the practice to invest in more VT equipment
best advice: “Have the perseverance of a bulldog.
Dr. Wittman designed her practice to spend
and explore other areas. “The disease part
When you take on a project like this, you will have
time with her family as well as provide thorough
of the practice is very strong,” she says. Dr.
lots of hurdles to overcome. There will be times
eye care for the community. Her husband, Greg
Wittman spent four years working in the ophwhen it’s hard, but keep putting one foot in front
Wittman, handles administrative responsibilities,
thalmology department at Texas Tech University.
of the other. If you really want it, don’t quit.” WO
C
Avoid Costly Redesigns
D
WO2Q16.indd 33
6/2/16 2:32 PM
p 34
Program Trains Pakistani Teachers to
Help Identify Children at Risk
the U.S. Agency
with vision and ocular health
akistan faces
for International
problems early. Zehra explains,
significant chalDevelopment’s
“The school screening project is
lenges to vision
Childhood Blindness
working to train 2,300 teachers,
health. Nearly
Program. The organi930 community health workers
one in 10 people in
zation is working the
and 70 technicians and paramedPakistan are visually
project in stages; it
ics in vision testing and primary
impaired, including
has met the first mileeye care knowledge. They will
more than 2.6 million
stone of establishing
screen the children in the schools
children, often from
an optical lab at the
and in the communities,” she
preventable causes.
Dr. Zehra
says. Optometrists Four-year-old girl from Afghanistan leaves public hospital and
About
Khyber Teaching Hospital in Peshawar,
beginning the training
will see those who
40 percent of the 1 million people
Pakistan with her father, after six months of
of screeners.
have been identified retinoblastoma treatment.
living in the Quetta district alone
Sightsavers has
with refractive errors
of Pakistan are children. Not only
been working in Pakistan since 1998, working
or other conditions, and those who
are there not enough optometrists
closely with government departments and local
need even more help will be sent to
to see these children, there’s little
organizations to create a quality, accessible and
one of two hospitals involved. Children
awareness about children’s eye
sustainable eye health infrastructure. Since then,
will be provided with eyeglasses, surhealth issues.
blindness rates have decreased by more than 50
gery or low vision devices, as needed.
That’s why Fatima Zehra, a
percent, but Zehra and her colleagues still have
The project is managed by
Pakistani optometrist, is monitoring, Young patient being fitted
plenty of work ahead. WO
providing technical assistance for and for eyeglasses, thanks to Sightsavers International, the
nonprofit organization for which
supervising a project to reduce child- a special pediatric unit
Zehra works, and is funded by
hood blindness by identifying children supported by Sightsavers
For more information, visit sightsaversusa.org.
Photos: ©Jamshyd Masud/Sightsavers
P
or the 12 years that Susan Dreyer, OD,
was working for a Pearle franchise owner
in St. Louis, Missouri, she was very
happy. She had professional satisfaction
and time to spend with her artist-husband and
three children, now 20, 18 and 15. But when
the owner sold the practice, she decided she
didn’t have an interest in buying it. So she
thought she’d have to start another search.
Instead, Dirk Massie, OD, bought the practice, converted it to an independent practice
and asked her to work at the new Performance
Eyecare location. So she’s in the same building, treating many of the same patients, but
just about everything else is different, she
says.
“It’s been a fundamental shift and a huge
learning curve in terms of learning how to
enter patient data into an electronic medical
records system and managing more of the
medical procedures and billing,” Dr. Dreyer
says. She had worked in multidisciplinary locations earlier in her career, so the procedures
and testing weren’t new to her, but the coding
was. Her previous employer didn’t accept
medical insurance. “I love providing medical
F
eye care. I didn’t realize how much I
missed it when I wasn’t doing it. Dr.
Massie was invaluable in teaching me
the ropes, and now it feels like second
nature.”
The emphasis on customer service
is also different. “The new practice
is completely in line with what I have
always believed are the fundamentals
of excellence in optometry: listening,
Dr. Dreyer has decorated the office with
thoroughness and solving the patient’s
artwork from her husband, Rob Dreyer.
problems.” As the only doctor in the
This work,”Patterns in Motion,” was part
office, she helps set the example that
of a juried exhibit through Artists for
the practice puts the patient first. “I’ve
Conservation, of which he is a member.
regularly dropped off contact lenses at
patients’ houses if they live near me. I
staff members put on the spare. “Patient care
know it’s more convenient for them,” she says.
means caring for the patients as people, which
When she found an area of concern during a
includes more than just their eyes,” she says.
patient’s dilated exam that she thought required
Dr. Dreyer says that she’s thrilled with the
an immediate consult, the patient felt uncomopportunity to keep working in the community in
fortable driving to the ophthalmologist’s office.
a career she loves. She is married to an inter“Someone from the staff drove her. When we
nationally recognized wildlife artist and displays
call and ask patients how they’re doing with
some of his works in her practice to make the
their new eyeglasses, they appreciate that concern,” she says. And when another patient’s car experience of her patients just a little bit different
than the norm. WO
got a flat tire in the parking lot, one of the office
WO2Q16.indd 34
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Weidmann photo U S Air Force photo b Bo Jo ner D an photo co rtes of Dr Dominick Maino
A New Career Phase Requires New Mastery
Women
in the
✦ Denise Burns-LeGros,
OD, of Melbourne, Florida,
was named the 2016 Young
Optometrist of the South by
the Southeastern Conference
of Optometry.
✦ Ashley
Dr. Reddell
Dr. Burns-LeGros
S. Reddell, OD, FCOVD, of
Leavenworth and Bonner
Springs, was honored as
Young Optometrist of the Year
by the Kansas Optometric
Association.
✦ Karon Nowakowski, OD, of Muncie,
has been inducted as president-elect of the
Board of the Indiana Optometric Association
(IOA). Polly Hendricks, OD, of Borden, was
Dr. Nowakowski Dr. Hendricks
Dr. Lowdermilk
Weidmann photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Bo Joyner; Duan photo courtesy of Dr. Dominick Maino
honored as Optometrist of
the Year. Stacy Lowdermilk,
OD, of Terre Haute, has
been named the 2016 Young
Optometrist of the Year.
Shannan Brown, OD, of
Michiana, was awarded the
Dr. Brown
Meritorious Service Award at
the IOA’s annual spring convention.
Dr. Duan
✦ Changmin Duan,
OD, MD, MS, FOAA, of
Bridgewater, New Jersey,
was one of the recipients at
the College of Optometrists
in Vision Development of the
Making VT Visible awards.
✦ Lt. Col. Joni ScottWeideman, OD, is one
of more than 100 service
members from across the
U.S. supporting Operation
Arctic Care, an Innovative
Readiness Training project.
This project provides training Dr. ScottWeideman
to military members and also
much-needed medical care to those living in
Kodiak, Alaska.
✦ International Vision Expo & Conference
announced its inaugural class of Visionaries,
NEWS
These ODs have
recently been awarded,
acknowledged or
recognized in their
communities or by
organizations
featuring
changemakers in
the industry.
Kristin
O’Brien, OD,
of Denver,
Dr. Shechtman
Dr. O’Brien
Colorado,
was named a Next Generation Innovator.
Diana Shechtman, OD, a professor at Nova
Southeastern University, was recognized as an
Inspirational Professor.
✦ Susan DeBlack, OD, of Conway, received
the 2016 OD of the Year honors from the
Dr. DeBlack
Dr. Robertson
Dr. Schwab
Arkansas Optometric Association. Melia
Robertson, OD, of Russellville, was honored
as the Young OD of the Year. Airiell Schwab,
OD, of Searcy, was the recipient of the association’s Special Service Award for her dedication to vision screenings for Special Olympic
athletes.
✦ Maura Massucci, OD,
FCOVD, of Wexford, was honored as Young Optometrist of
the Year by the Pennsylvania
Optometric Association.
Dr. Massucci
p 35
✦ The National Association of Professional
Women recently inducted several female ODs
into its VIP Woman of the Year Circle. Among
Dr. Slusky
Dr. Truong
Dr. Winters
them were Joanna Slusky, OD, of Chicago;
Susan Truong, OD, of Brandon, Florida; and
Patricia Winters, OD, FAAO, of Stillwater,
Minnesota.
✦ Elizabeth McMunn, OD, of Lyme,
was named Connecticut Association of
Optometrists’ OD of the Year.
Shown (l-r): Dr. J. James Thimons, the 2015
Connecticut Association of Optometrists (CAO)
OD of the Year; Dr. McMunn; Laura Dake-Roche,
OD, of West Hartford; and American Optometric
Association Trustee Robert Layman, OD, of
Lambertville, Michigan.
✦ Dawn Miller, OD, FAAO, of Garden Grove,
was honored as the California Optometric
Association Optometrist of the Year. Catherine
Heyman, OD, FAAO, of
Southern California College
of Optometry, was honored
with an
Excellence
in Optometric
Dr. Miller
Education
award.
Andrea
Dr. De Souza
De Souza,
OD, an
instructor at
University of
California,
Dr. Heyman
Berkeley,
School of Optometry, and
Mary Demirjian, OD, of
Dr. Demirjian
Reseda, were honored as
Young ODs of the Year.
WO2Q16.indd 35
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Women
in the
p 36
✦ Susan Quinn,
OD, with her husband
and practice partner,
Thomas Quinn, OD, of
Athens, Ohio, received
the World Sight Day
Challenge Achievement
Award from Optometry
Giving Sight.
NEWS
Dr. Susan Quinn and
Dr. Thomas Quinn
Dr. Giedd
Dr. Dexter
Dr. Cooper
San Diego; and Jan Cooper, OD, FAAO, of
Highland.
✦ Several women were
among the practice owners of the CooperVision
Best Practices honorees
announced in late February.
They include Advanced Eye
Dr. Hogan
Care Professionals in Oak
Lawn, Illinois (Casey Hogan, OD); Coan Eye
Care, Ocoee, Florida (Mark Coan, OD, and
Roxanne Achong-Coan, OD); Eola Eyes
in Orlando, Florida (Kerry Giedd, OD, and
✦ Lindsay
Elkins, OD,
was appointed as Southern
College of Optometry’s new
director of academic programs. Dr. Elkins
Dr. McElvaine
✦ The
✦ Three women ODs became trustees of the
California Optometric Association: Ida Chung,
OD, of Pomona; Amanda Dexter, OD, of
Dr. Chung
Business Journal. She and her
husband, Scot McElvaine,
opened Springfield Family
Vision in
November.
Dr. Mark Coan and Dr. Roxanne
Achong-Coan
Brighid
Williams,
OD); San
Ramon Family
Optometry
(Beverly
Jue-Smith,
Dr. Williams
Dr. Mark Perry Dr. Karen Perry
Dr. Jue-Smith
OD); and
Vision Health
Institute
(Mark Perry,
OD, and
Karen Perry,
OD, FAAO).
✦ Katie Robertson McElvaine, OD, of
Springfield, Missouri, was named as one of the
“2016 40 Under 40” honorees by the Springfield
Armed Forces
Optometric
Society
(AFOS)
announced
Maj. Kerry Phelan Dr. Johns
its AFOS
Servicespecific
Junior OD
and OD of the
Year awards.
Junior
Optometrist
Dr. Elkins
Dr. Su
of the Year
2016 recipients were Air
Force—Major Kerry Phelan,
OD; Public Health Service/
Indian Health Service—Paula
Johns, OD; and Veterans
Administration—Meghan
Dr. Heller
Elkins, OD. Optometrist of
the Year service-specific honors were awarded to
Navy LCDR Sandra Su, OD, and Carrie Heller,
OD, for the Veterans Administration. WO
Five Strategies for Avoiding a Mid-career Crisis
By Laura Chonko, OD, HHC,
FONS, of Lorain, Ohio
f you’re thinking about the next
step you should take, here are
some ideas that I have found to
be helpful.
I 1.
Show gratitude. Even
if you’re not in the practice setting Dr. Chonko
you desire or your business isn’t
where you’d like it to be, be grateful. What we
focus on expands. If you’re in a rut, start by
writing down three things that you appreciate
about the profession or your day.
2.
Add a new element.
This could be a piece of equipment or a new specialty like vision
therapy or nutrition. For example,
I expanded my business into nutrition and health coaching following
my training from the Institute for
Integrative Nutrition.
3.
Focus more on the
patient relationship and less on the exam.
Maybe this person just needed someone to
listen to him or her today, and you were that
person.
4.
Make sure your cup is full so it
overflows to others; you can’t serve from
an empty cup. Practice good self-care. Eat
well. Sleep. Play often. Take a vacation when
you need it. Doing what you love outside the
practice will make you a better practitioner.
A happy doctor gives off a happy vibration,
and patients can sense the vibe you’re giving
off.
5.
Give back. Take a day to volunteer
to serve those less fortunate. Or spend a half day
in a classroom educating kids about eye health
and safety via the S.O.S. Realeyes program. WO
WO2Q16.indd 36
6/2/16 2:32 PM
OFFICE DESIGN
Feels Like
p 37
Home
Creating the ideal atmosphere for targeted patients
By Crystal M. Brimer, OD, FAAO
on the cake, being just a mile from
the beach means that we can attract
n 2015, I scouted out the perfect practice
tourists as well.
The practice is designed
location for Focus Eye Care in Wilmington,
After signing the lease in April
for comfort.
North Carolina. While Wilmington is a young,
2015, I had the entire space gutted
vibrant town full of beach tourists, it is also
stools. This setup
and spent four months carrying out the vision I
home to a lot of retirees, so there is great diveremphasizes the
had created in my mind. I designed every inch
sity. Years ago, I opened my first practice cold,
technical skill of the
of the office and did so with a single theme in
and though that location still had a Wilmington
optical staff while
mind: the patient experience. I focused on every
address and is not far
encouraging engagement as the patient bellies
detail of the plan, from the
away in miles, it felt like a
up to the service bar. These intentional design
unique character of each
different world compared
choices make the experience so much more pervessel sink to the recessed
to my current location.
sonable and unique that patients quickly become
sample cabinets, floating
Ultimately, I sold my first
like family. And because we have the most
granite, surround sound,
practice and made a slight
innovative equipment in the industry, patients
and the inspirational words
detour in my career path
don’t have to compromise in order to indulge
on the wall of each room.
toward optometric lecturthemselves in the atmosphere.
I thought through what the
ing and consulting, but I
Our boutique-style optical is already filled
patient sees, hears, smells,
couldn’t stay away from
with designer frames, but as the business grows,
feels and even tastes
private practice for long.
we will incorporate more exclusive styles. We
throughout the space. It is
There was a lot of
have something for everyone, but what truly
such a comforting and welDr. Brimer and Dr. Bryant
give-and-take in my search
differentiates us is the experience we offer.
coming space that patients
for the perfect space. Real estate prices made
The lower-volume, high-impact style has the
and reps alike compliment it every day. They say,
finding a spot in my ideal location challenging,
practice’s multiple pair sales approaching 90
“It just feels good here. It feels like home.” The
and it was a constant tug and pull between
percent.
office was designed around a business model
customer exposure and patient convenience.
I included office elements that would creand a mission.
Originally, I considered being within Wilmington’s
ate a better work environment. For example,
The front desk is made from the most
only premier outdoor shopping center. While it
the staff has a full break room with a kitchen
beautiful piece of granite I’ve ever seen, and with
offered significantly more visibility and walk-by
and a private bathroom, and for
traffic, its parking lot is often jammed and it
a breath of fresh air, they can
didn’t quite mirror the relaxed atmosphere I had
step outside to soak up the sun
envisioned. Ultimately, I chose a slightly less
behind the office. There are also
visible shopping center that backs up to the
many little touches, such as a
only gated community in the area, with more
tinted palladium window between
than 1,700 homes. The residents there don’t
the optical and the pretest/admin
even have to enter the main road to access the
room. This way the clinical staff
practice, and the local businesses still attract
can see out and come to the
significant foot traffic. This is the population we
rescue if the front office gets too
wanted to target from the beginning—we’re not
busy.
trying to get people in and out on their lunch
In less than a year, our
The front desk creates
hour. We want to deliver a unique and tailored
reputation has grown in the coma welcoming atmosphere.
eye care experience that far exceeds any of their
munity. I have patients who stop
past experiences, as well as their expectations.
by to share a cup of coffee or interrupt their
the accompanying bar stools, patients feel like
This space was perfect for the business
dog-walking just to come in and introduce their
they’re sitting at their kitchen table chatting with
model I wanted to create. These local patients
pups. Currently, the practice receives widefriends. This is not just a touch of home, but a
want the type of care I’ve always wanted to delivspread referrals for our focused dry eye treattouch of personality and warmth incorporated
er…they want the whole hour! So finally, after
ments, and we offer cosmetic care as an added
into an office environment. We didn’t feel comover 15 years in practice, I’ve found my home
convenience and luxury to our unique patient
fortable with a “fitting table” separating us from
with them. Though it’s a little less exposure, the
base. A new partner, Eric Bryant, OD, was
the patient, so instead, we have comfy statement
location offers a perfect mix. It’s convenient for
welcomed to the team at Focus Eye Care six
chairs and a side table. For eyeglass repairs and
stopping in quickly or frequently, and people feel
months after opening. Dr. Bryant plans to add
adjustments, we have a large stainless tool chest
a sense of local community here. And as icing
sports vision to our list of specialty care. WO
with a custom butcher-block top and two bar
Photos courtesy of Jennifer Byrd, Byrds Eye View, LLC
I
WO sends out Makeover Mondays via email. Visit womeninoptometry.com to see these and other great ideas.
If you have a makeover idea to share, email mbijlefeld@jobson.com.
WO2Q16.indd 37
6/2/16 2:32 PM
OFFICE DESIGN
p 38
Ideal Office Location
Found by Chance
hen Nytarsha Thomas, OD, couldn’t
That delay turned out to be forfind the right practice to purchase,
tuitous. The potential landlord was
she decided to move forward and
proving to be difficult, and on one
open her
visit to the site, they
practice from scratch.
noticed a new strip
From years of making
center under cona full-time schedule
struction across the
out of part-time work,
street. Near the local
Dr. Thomas says that
grocery store, there
she was ready to be
was excellent visibility.
her own boss and in
“You can’t miss it
control.
when you are passing
Dr. Thomas says
by on the freeway,”
that her husband and Dr. Thomas and husband Tobe Thomas
Dr. Thomas says.
practice CFO, Tobe Thomas, encouraged her,
They quickly changed gears, contacting the
and they worked closely with their consultants
builders of the new center.
from The Power Practice™ to identify potential
Dr. Thomas envisioned her office as a
place patients come for a unique experience,
locations that showed a great deal of growth.
rather than just a typical visit to the doctor.
“I think I’m a great doctor, but I’m not a busi“We wanted to spoil them from going other
ness person, and I hired consultants because
places,” she says. Once the office
was ready, they worked on the
interior themselves to create a
modern, spa-like atmosphere, with
the help of Eye Designs.
The front is open and bright
with lots of light. “I didn’t realize
how many lights I was buying,” Dr.
Thomas says, laughing, but she
wanted a bright space where patients
could see the colors of the frames
more clearly. “You can see all of the
cool details on the eyeglasses.” She
also wanted to engage her patients’
senses fully. So not only is it visually
Great lighting and pops of color help showcase the frame
pleasing, the seating is comfortable,
selections.
there’s music playing and a commercial air freshener dispenses controlled scents.
they know step by step what I need to do,”
A high-tech space was also important.
Dr. Thomas says. That’s when they discovered
“I worked in so many offices where we were
Zionsville, Indiana. “It started out with nothing
always scanning and papers were lost, so
here—not even a grocery store—but in the
we wanted to avoid that,” Dr. Thomas says.
past two years, there have been many stores
Patients can complete paperwork at home
popping up,” Dr. Thomas recalls. “I said that
through RevolutionEHR, and the goal is to be
we had to move out there.”
completely paperless.
The Thomases had moved to the state a
Right now, she has equipped one exam
few years before from California when Tobe
lane and a pretesting room, with extra rooms
Thomas, a pilot, took a new job there. She had
available as volume grows. The lab space
found a location for a potential office space,
currently is being used for adjustments, but
tucked behind a CVS and hard to see unless
Dr. Thomas says that eventually they will offer
you were in the parking lot. Dr. Thomas was
in-office finishing. She also plans to add a
not fully satisfied but thought it was the best
retinal camera, pachymeter and visual field
option available. “We worried the space was
instrumentation.
going to be gone,” she says. As it turns out,
Dr. Thomas schedules patients every 30
their ongoing house-buying negotiations forced
minutes so she has time to answer their questhem to wait before entering a lease.
W
New construction near a
great anchor grocery proved to be perfect.
Practice Brand and
Logo Catch Attention
D
r. Nytarsha Thomas worked with
a branding company to create her
logo, and she says that they did such
a great job that she frequently has
people asking her if her practice is a
part of a franchise. She is proud to tell
them she’s independent with just one
office—although her goal is to open
a pediatric center for vision therapy
down the road. WO
tions about their eye health or ocular conditions.
“When you address the issues of chronic dry eye
patients who are so uncomfortable, for example,
patients go out and spread the word about you.”
The practice had a soft opening on Dec.
31, 2015, and saw just a few patients per
day until the official ribbon cutting on Feb. 1,
2016. That provided her and the staff with
time to put processes in place and develop a
routine with her team: her husband, as well
as Savannah Zwicker at the front desk and
Elenita Blackwell, a self-motivated optician.
She kept employees in mind during her planning. “If staff is happy, the patients are happy.
We wanted an area for them to relax.” There’s
a kitchen area with a full-size refrigerator and
dishwasher and a private staff bathroom.
During the time between her graduation
from Pennsylvania College of Optometry and
her practice opening, Dr. Thomas says that
she worked in nearly 20 different office locations including MD/OD practices, independent
optometrist offices and corporate-affiliated
locations in California and Indiana. “Many
places didn’t have a need for a full-time OD,”
she explains, so she filled in and covered
hours, gaining valuable experiences along the
way. She originally began investigating practice ownership while living in California—and
had a practice partner lined up—before their
move to Indiana. She continues to cover hours
in a local Target store as she builds up business at her new office. WO
WO2Q16.indd 38
6/2/16 2:32 PM
OFFICE DESIGN
His and Her
p 39
Influences
Office remodel reflects personal styles of OD, her COO husband
t’s been 16 years since Avani Patel, OD,
FAAO, completed a successful buyout. She
moved the business across town in 2008 to
its current location in a stand-alone, owner-occupied building
and developed her
brand by incorporating Alamitos Eye Care
as an optometric
corporation.
The space recently
underwent a renovation with the help
of her husband and
Dr. Patel
practice COO, John
W. Osborn II, and contractor friends. “We’ve
been in this location for about eight years, and
most of the décor was from the previous location and was getting tired,” Dr. Patel explains.
Osborn says that the remodel displays
I
The downstairs area has a shabby-chic feel.
two distinct characteristics for the first and
second floors. “The first floor, where all the
regular, daily activities of her practice are carried out, is a shabby-chic style,” he explains.
They drew inspiration for this floor from local
retail stores in the Long Beach, California,
community. “There is a lot of very creative
work going on around here, as we are close
to Los Angeles and Hollywood,” Dr. Patel
says, adding that this part of the office is a
representation of her own personal style.
The second floor caters to a value-line
sector of the optical business executed in a
rock n’ roll theme, as well as the in-house lab,
archive and storage areas and his administrative office, Osborn says. Osborn, a musician
for more than 40 years, says this area reflects
The rock-and-roll theme of the
upstairs features more value frames.
his own passion for music. “We
pulled together my collection of
guitars and music memorabilia, and
voila, ‘The Studio at Alamitos Eye
Care,’” Osborn explains of the
chosen name for the upstairs
space.
They also created a
custom space for Dr. Patel
to hold presentations in the
office with a drop-down
screen and ceiling-mounted
projector. Dr. Patel works closely with
cabinetry, and corner cabinets were custom
institutions in the area for her work as a
made to match by a friend who is a carpenter.
Fellow of the
“A few antique
American
pieces, like the
Academy of
piano stool optiOptometry in
cian seating, were
low vision.
borrowed from
During the
our home collecday, the
tions,” Dr. Patel
screen is
says. Osborn adds
r. Avani Patel and John Osborn II
often used for
that the remodel
created new “business cards” on guitar
playing music
has been wellpicks to mirror the rock-and-roll theme of
videos, and
received in the
the second floor of their office space. This
regularly music
community. “We
clever extension of their office atmosphere
plays throughout
support many
leaves a memorable impression. WO
the office during
arts, sports and
Marketing Plan in Tune
With Office Design
D
the day and after
business hours
end at 6 p.m.
The total
renovation project
took approximately
eight weeks as they
completed parts
piece by piece.
Dr. Patel picked
out furniture and
Dr. Patel’s creative business card
academic programs,
partnering with
our local school
district through
advertising and
sponsorships, and
the response to
our updated look
has been unbelievable,” he
says. WO
WO2Q16.indd 39
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Voices
Voices
p 40
Voices
Voices
Voices
Voices
Empathetic Communication Is Key to VT Success
invite the parent to make an appropriate commitment, such as booking
an evaluation or enrolling in therapy.
Two-thirds of this interaction is listening. Most parents have talked to
teachers, tutors, school administrators, MDs, psychologists and learning
fourth-generation optometrist, I started
disability specialists, all of whom may not ask many questions or deal
out as a vision therapist in my mother’s
with the emotions. We are often the first people to listen carefully to
practice. Years later, as an OD, it was
what they have to say. Each conversation is unique and digs deep into
natural to add vision therapy (VT) to my
the emotion of the situation and helps parents and patients understand
Dr. Philbrook
own primary care practice. Today, I’m still in
how VT will enhance their lives. We have found that to be more sucthe same two-story office and home as my late
cessful than explaining the technicalities of how VT works.
mother, but I’ve made many upgrades.
VT is a specialty that has provided me great professional satisfacIf you are charging appropriate fees with a practice system in place
tion, financial reward and personal freedom. For me, that includes many
and trained staff, you can have a seven-figure practice with fewer than
years of leading the annual Heart of America Congress of Optometry; an
150 VT patients per year. That will require between 500 and 800 hours
active social life; and, more recently, being elected a Wyandotte County
in the office per year. Staff handles intake and most of the testing and
Commissioner as a
consultations. I focus on evaluation of patients and working with parkey player in social
ents to reveal that vision is the problem and VT is the solution. I also
programs and jobs
spend time on community outreach and staff training, education and
projects.
encouragement.
I’m passionate
We follow a system called RTEC: recognition; talk; three Es,
about helping new
explain, experience and emotions; and commitment. This formatted
ODs get started to
sequence of questions and interactions with parents and adult patients
help the estimated 60
starts with triggering recogmillion to 80 million
nition of the problem. Then,
r. Philbrook has created the Quick
people who have a
we talk through a series of
binocular vision probStart VT Course, a clinical program
questions so that I have an
lem that could benefit
idea what the problem is.
to help doctors get started in this
from VT. Currently,
In the three Es, the staff
specialty. For more information, visit
only an estimated
explains the link between
idealvt.com/institute.htm or email her
200,000 people
vision and the problems the
at janephilbrook@gmail.com. Tuitions
receive VT each year,
patient is experiencing and
go toward outreach to other ODs.
so the opportunity is
the emotions surrounding
huge. WO
those. The final step is to
By Jane Philbrook, OD, of Kansas City,
Kansas, with Tom Lecoq
A
D
Advice From an Ocularist
✦ The eye should look good. The goal is that the prosthetic eye is not apparent cosmetically to another person.
✦ Patients should not be removing the eye daily or even
inherited Carolina Eye Prosthetics, started in 1987, from
frequently to flush it. In general, a prosthetic eye should be
my father when he was diagnosed with ALS in 2012.
removed about twice a year. If it’s uncomfortable, something
Referrals come to us from all around North Carolina, South
might be wrong.
Carolina and Virginia, but some people even travel from
✦ A patient who has been told that he or she “has an
Tennessee and Maryland. Most of our referrals come from
allergy to the plastic” is repeating a catch-all excuse for a
surgeons and institutions, such as Duke, although the internet
poorly fitting eye. It’s rare that someone has an actual allergy
has allowed me to go directly to the patient.
to his or her prosthetic eye. Punctal plug problems or dryness
Anna Boyd Jefferson
What I’ve found in my conversations in communities
might be the contributing factors.
is that many optometrists aren’t very familiar with prosthetic eyes. So
An initial visit with an ocularist—at our location, at least—can take
I’d like you to know that, first and foremost, prosthetic eyes should
about five hours. We spend a lot of time not only looking at the shape
not be uncomfortable or cause infections. I’d encourage you to have a
of the conjunctiva and other anatomical features, but we also talk about
patient consult an ocularist if a prosthetic eye is older than five years.
cosmetic appeal and get to know the patient. Once the prosthetic eye
Remember these general guidelines, too.
has been fitted, subsequent visits last only about 15 minutes. WO
Anna Boyd Jefferson, board certified ocularist in
Burlington, North Carolina
I
Women
W
omen In Optometry Junee 2016
WO2Q16.indd 40
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Voices
Voices
Voices
Voices
p 41
Voices
Voices
Identifying Patients Who Need Vision Rehabilitation and Therapy
By Tamara Petrosyan, OD, assistant clinical professor
at State University of New York, College of Optometry
f you see children and young adults in your practice,
a significant percentage of them will have issues with
accommodative, binocular and oculomotor function. An
estimated 10 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population has symptoms due to binocular or accommodative
dysfunction. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of these
individuals are identified, yet alone treated. Adding a few key
questions to your history may be all it takes to help identify
at-risk patients.
A problem-focused and extensive case history can be
one of your most useful tools when trying to identify accommodative, binocular or oculomotor dysfunctions. A visual
function questionnaire, such as the one below, can be mailed
to the patient or parent, placed on your website or handed
to the patient upon arrival. If the patient answers positively
for five or more of the below 25 questions, a more in-depth
I
Dr. Petrosyan
Visual Function Questionnaire
Never
Infrequently
Frequently
blurry vision with reading or doing near work
words go in and out of focus when reading
headaches with reading or doing near work
things far away look blurry after reading
vision is worse at the end of the day
avoid reading or doing homework
hold reading material close to face
eyes feel tired, sore or uncomfortable after reading
words run together, move, jump or swim
you see two of something when there should be one
close or cover one eye when reading
difficulty copying from the board
lose your place when reading
perform poorly in math, misalign digits or columns
skip words, skip lines or reread material
omit small words when reading
reverse letters or numbers
write up or down hill
feel sleepy or lose concentration when reading
trouble understanding or remembering what you read
dizziness or nausea with reading
homework takes a long time to complete
perform below your potential at school
understand things better when they are verbally explained versus when you
read them yourself
attend extra help in school or get therapy (occupational, physical, speech or reading)
Women
W
omen In Optometry June 20
2016
016
WO2Q16.indd 41
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Voices
Voices
p 42
Voices
Voices
Voices
Voices
This Is Not My Gig: Discovering Your Purpose
Amanda Tompkins, OD, instructor and OD at The Eye
Center at Southern College of Optometry
each one by one. I paused when I realized there was one that I
had left out: optometry. In that moment I thought about my personal experience with “one or two” and how it felt to be a patient
y fingers were losing their grip as they turned into
at the optometrist’s office. I thought about the big eye model and
icicles. My scooping arm was growing numb. As I
room full of frames. I thought about the clean air and the friendly
placed the 1 millionth scoop of ice cream on top of the
faces and the not-so-scary atmosphere; it almost felt fun. Then
1,000th sugar cone, I scanned the room. I saw a sea of
I said, “I can’t think of anything wrong with optometry.”
dirty little baseball caps, the remainder of the Little League team
I knew from my pharmacy experience that I needed to get
still to order their sweet dairy treats from the fountain, and the
my feet onto the soil, feel it out. There had never been a fullguy behind the other counter. He was sorting pills and filling bottime optometrist in my town, but as serendipity would have it,
Dr. Tompkins
tles, bottle after bottle after bottle, countless prescriptions. It was
I had overheard at the pharmacy that there was an optometrist
then that I knew pharmacy was not my gig.
commuting to our town a couple times per month
Driving home later that evening after refilling
to serve our community. I contacted him, met him
the chocolate sauce, mixing up the sugar water
on a day he was in town, and began commuting
and cleaning off the milkshake machine, I realized
to his practice 30 miles away.
Working in a pharmacy’s
I was back at the drawing board. What was I
Day after day, I still couldn’t think of anysoda fountain made a
going to be when I grew up? I had been in pursuit
thing wrong with optometry. In fact, I forgot
of a career in pharmacy because it was something
I was putting it on trial. I was falling in love.
young woman realize
I could do in my rural Kentucky town that was
As with romantic love, I was swept away,
she needed a change
medically related. I was honored to say that for my
challenged and fulfilled. I was growing and
first job, I was a soda jerk at the oldest pharmacy
learning, and I was committed. Love takes us
of direction.
in Kentucky, but my heart wasn’t stirred.
to unexpected places, and this has never been
Weeks later, I was sitting on my bed, running
more true than what I have seen happen with
through all of the career options in my head, eliminating
my career. WO
M
Identifying Patients
continued from page 41
evaluation of visual function should be performed. Make sure that a parent understands that, if possible, he or she should be asking the child to
answer these questions instead of filling it out for the child. Young children
may not express symptoms because they presume everyone else sees and
feels the same way they do, not realizing that not everyone sees words
moving on the page or gets a headache after reading.
There are many highly trained and qualified doctors of optometry
who perform vision therapy and rehabilitation in each state. We should be
making use of these practitioners and their services for intraoptometric
referral. They will work with the patient and parent to develop a treatment
plan that works for them, whether that may be monitoring, eyeglasses,
prisms, in-office therapy or home-prescribed therapy. When referring a
patient for an evaluation, be sure to note what specifically the patient is
being referred for, when you want the patient to return to you, whether
you have an optical in your office and in what form you would like a report
to be sent to you. WO
Resources on Vision Therapy
Available from the AOA
Y
ou can access the full American Optometric
Association (AOA) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG1) on Accommodative and Vergence Dysfunction here:
http://www.aoa.org/optometrists/tools-and-resources/
clinical-practice-guidelines and the Quick Reference
Guide (QRG-18) here: http://www.aoa.org/optometrists/
tools-and-resources/quick-reference-guides.
Visit womeninoptometry.com for web-extra content
of this story, including additional tests and diagnostic
findings for various accommodative and nonstrabismic
vergence dysfunctions. WO
Let Your Voice Be Heard
Are you interested in sharing your views or experience in this space? Women In Optometry invites submissions to Voices for
each issue. Contact Editor Marjolijn Bijlefeld at mbijlefeld@jobson.com for more information.
WO2Q16.indd 42
6/2/16 2:32 PM
Looking deeper
Exploring innovation
Shire’s Vision for Ophthalmics
At Shire, we’re a leading biotech with a global
track record for our work in rare diseases and
specialty conditions.
Now we’re expanding our vision and bringing
the same commitment to ophthalmics. Pursuing
the promise of new therapies in ophthalmics to
address patients’ unmet needs.
Just watch.
Visit Shire-Eyes.com
©2015 Shire US Inc., Lexington, MA 02421
RP0815_Shire.indd 1
S06655
07/15
7/24/15 9:47 AM
Focus on what matters.
Marchon exceeds
expectations with
consistent commitment
and excellence to both
brands and pricing.
Marchon me with quality.
– Holly Acebo
Owner
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Marchon is a registered trademark of Marchon Eyewear Inc. Marchon.com
Marchon me.
WO0616_Marchon.indd 1
FOCUSED ON YOU
5/24/16 12:28 PM

PDF Edition - Review of Optometry

Transcription

Similar documents

national eye hospital based optometry degree programme in malaysia

Vision One Supports Private Optometric Practice Transitions One of

25% off the entire frame and lenses price, if the frame retail is below

conference - Pacific University

Power, Steering Proxes R888 sticks to the track whilst you stick to

www.meds-pdn.com - The Optometry Center for Vision Therapy

Community - Review of Optometry

Article 4 The Use of Models to Help Our Understanding of Vision

annual report 2014 - Optometry Giving Sight

Women In Optometry November 2009