WO Voices

Dr. Maples explains how patient feedback—including not feeling rushed, being listened to and receiving clear explanations—inspired her to deconstruct what makes an eye exam feel meaningful. She shares how mindfulness and reflexive listening can help providers build trust, improve outcomes and reduce burnout. The goal, she says, is to help more patients feel seen and heard—even on the busiest clinic days. 

Jade Coats, OD, FAAO, of Rogers, Arkansas, wants patients to feel like she's in their corner, inside and outside of the exam room. She's ready with a list of resources to help patients who need some emotional support as caregivers or patients undergoing treatment. Being empathetic, she says, costs her no additional time but creates mountains of goodwill and can contribute to better outcomes. 

Interprofessional collaborative practice involves health care providers from different specialties working together beyond traditional referral models. "It's not just referring someone out and saying you're working with them, but actually working with those professions to bring the best outcome for the patient," says Amy Moy, OD, FAAO, CPCO, FNAP. Other fields, particularly in hospital and community health settings, already embrace this model, with professionals coordinating care plans and sharing patient management responsibilities, but optometry has some catching up to do, she says.

Julie Poteet, OD, MS, CNS, FONS, says that a new FDA-approved therapy, photobiomodulation, for treating dry aged-related macular degeneration (AMD), could be a game-changer for optometrists and patients. For those with a family history of AMD, the implications of this new therapy are especially important. Genetic predisposition plays a role, but environmental factors can influence whether those genes lead to disease. If research continues to support photobiomodulation's effectiveness, Dr. Poteet believes it could become a critical early intervention tool, helping to preserve vision before irreversible damage occurs.

 Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, FSLS, wears two hats—practicing optometrist and co-founder of Dr. Contact Lens. In a 23-minute podcast, she reminds both doctors and sales reps that they are the “sharks” in the industry, holding the key to patient relationships. Through The Eye Pitch Book and her “three-frog strategy,” she encourages better communication between vendors and optometrists. The next big boost for a practice, she says, might be in one of those pitches—if people take the time to listen. 

Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, an internationally recognized expert in eye care, and Tanya Gill, OD, founder of We Love Eyes, discuss cosmetic eye product safety, the downside of false eyelashes and talking eye hygiene with your patients on this episode of WO Voices. 

Social determinants of health, collectively, are "all the non-medical elements that shape somebody's daily lives that affect and influence how they experience and access health care," says Amy Roan Moy, OD, FAAO, CPCO, FNAP, an adjunct associate professor of clinical optometry at the New England College of Optometry. In this 19-minute podcast, she reviews ways that optometrists, lawmakers and communities can be better prepared to deliver culturally safe health care by understanding the social determinants of health. 

On a 50th birthday trip to Paris, Dr. Lauretta Justin, founder of CEO of You and Optometry Divas, planned a photo shoot that led to her writing a book about practical yet inspired goal-setting. Listen to her tips here and download the book for more guidance. 

Three female ODs spoke at the Women In Optometry Leadership Conference, called "Leadership Unleashed," held during the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, in November 2024. Hear how Jade Coats, OD, FAAO; Essence Johnson, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO; and Mila Ioussifova, OD, CNS, FAAO, FOWNS, have tapped into their inner leader at various times in their careers. Dr. Coats spoke about how she is realizing her professional impact as a young OD; Dr. Johnson talked about those who have influenced her to make an impact on her community; and Dr. Ioussifova brought the two ideas together to show how unleashing leadership can result in personal impact and growth, too. 

In this episode, Kara Foster, OD, of EyeCare for You, in Apex, North Carolina, recounts how she made the decision two years into practice to stop accepting vision and medical insurance payments. Her direct-care model can serve as an illustration of how women ODs can practice creatively and achieve financial independence and balance. Hear more about how she did it. 

Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, and Amy Gallant Sullivan, founder of Eyes Are the Story optocosmetics, take a look at the habits that can undermine healthy eyes when it comes to skin care and cosmetics. Listen to their practical tips about replacing cosmetics and what to do and avoid when it comes to beauty products, as well as resources to share. 

As the competition for eyewear stays hot, how can opticals rethink the patient experience and their marketing to stay competitive? Liza Amlani, principal and co-founder of Retail Strategy Group, talks about how to promoting individual brands can help a practice create its own brand, as well. Hear her tips for incorporating what successful retail brands do. 

Jacquie Bowen, OD, FAAO, who will become president of the American Optometric Association at the next Optometry's Meeting in June 2025 in Minneapolis; and Michele Andrews, OD, VP of marketing and professional affairs at CooperVision, discuss the goals of the Myopia Collective and the Change Agents who are driving change and best strategies in myopia management.

Cheryl Chapman, OD, FIAOMC, FAAO, Dipl ABO, of Gretna Vision Source in Nebraska, explains how she and Chris Wolfe, OD, joined together to co-found Peeq Pro, an eyelid hygiene company that puts the doctor front and center on eyelid cleanser and luxury skin care products. Hear how she uses it to help her patients be more compliant and her practice be more profitable. 

Sharon A. Bentley, BScOptom, MOptom, PhD, MPH, FAAO, FACO, will become dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of California, Berkeley, in February 2025. In this WO podcast, she talks with Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, about her plans to advocate for excellence with kindness. 

Roya Attar, OD, MBA, DHA, of Jackson, Mississippi,  has found that artificial intelligence (AI) has helped her tremendously in her personal and professional life. For example, AI gave her ideas for her son's graduation party and she uses it to draft her patient notes. Listen to more ways she uses AI in her practice and how others could.  

Opticals combine providing medically necessary eyewear and fashion. So WO turned to Liza Amlani, principal and founder of Retail Strategy Group, to ask if there are missed opportunities in retailing and marketing opticals. In the first of this two-part podcast, she suggests optometrists and opticians can think outside of the box, especially in terms of simply "filling a need to get new eyewear." 

Several years ago, Caitlin Reghetti, OD, merged her interests in patient education with her skills for design and explaining things clearly. Believing that great design reinforces the quality content that doctors provide to patients, she branched out into a design business--DrReghettidesigns.com. Here, other eye care professionals can select forms, brochures, flyers and more to customize for their own offices. 

In this episode of WO Voices, Dr. Sara Varghai of Nova Optique + Eyecare in Arlington, Virginia, discusses how she finds the right staff fits for her practice, ensuring efficiency and collaboration between her entire team. 

Shira Kresch, OD, MS, FAAO, opened Michigan Contact Lens in Oak Park, Michigan, in the fall of 2023. Hear her explain how she determined there was a need for a contact lens specialty practice, how she discovered her passion for scleral lenses and where she compromised and where she didn't to get this practice off the ground. 

Janelle Davison, OD, of Smyrna, Georgia, uses goal-setting as a tool to help her expand her bandwidth, make an impact, leave a legacy and, in the process, amplify her own voice and that of others. Hear how she combines visionary thinking with practical steps. 

Sally Halim, OD, of Woolwich, New Jersey, is feeling the squeeze between counting on her parents to help get her manage the hectic schedules of her tween children and also worrying about what they can do.  Hear how she's organizing herself and what it means she has to let go of during her years as part of the "sandwich" generation. 

Brenda  Montecalvo, OD, FCOVD, FAAO, FCSO, is an optometrist and vision therapist in Beaver Creek, Ohio. She's the author of Visual Secrets for School Success, and in this podcast, she explains methods she encourages chairside and in vision therapy to help student use all of their visual skills for academic success.  

Dr. Neda Gioia and Dr. Julie Poteet talk about a new certification program to deliver much-wanted nutrition education to patients. The Certified Personalized Nutrition Certification is available at significant savings to members of the Ocular Wellness and Nutrition Society.

In this WO Voices podcast, Melissa Barnett, OD, FSAO, FSLS, FBCLA, talks with Leslie O'Dell, OD, FAAO, about the places where their careers have overlapped - particularly in dry eyes. Hear them talk about their work with the Intrepid Eye Society, Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society and more. 

Kaitlyn Duran, OD, is a 2023 graduate of Indiana University School of Optometry, where she mastered time management skills that allowed her to focus on her studies, her competitive running and her husband. She details the apps and strategies she uses to stay organized and how the discipline will help her as she starts her career and pays off student loans. Congratulations, Dr. Duran - and the class of 2023. Can't wait to see what you do! 

In this episode, Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, FOWNS, CFMP, of Shrewsbury, New Jersey,  and the new president of the Ocular Wellness and Nutrition Society, talks with Rebecca Treen, an OD candidate with the class of 2026 at SUNY College of Optometry, on how wellness and nutrition resonate with today's students, patients and a growing number of health care providers. 

Kerry Giedd, OD, of Eola Eyes in Orlando, Florida, talks about the opportunities with presbyopes and emerging presbyopes. With more treatment and contact lens options available today, there's more that optometrists can do for their patients. 

Maria Sampalis, OD, is founder of Corporate Optometry on Facebook and practices optometry in Cranston, Rhode Island. She talks with WO about how she began to fill an information gap for corporate-affiliated ODs and where that has taken her, as well as what she has learned from the experience. 

Carissa Dunphy, ABOC , founder of opticiannow.com and a marketing specialist at PECAA, brings her wealth of experience as an optician and a marketer to this podcast. Listen as she describes the important role that opticians can play as often the final touchpoint of a patient's visit. 

Beth Lachance, chief executive officer of REVA Global Medical, talks about the increasing demand on her company to provide medical and optometric virtual medical assistants to help with front office or back office efforts. If you've wondered whether a virtual medical assistant can benefit your practice efficiency, how much it could cost and how your staff might react, take a listen. 

In this episode, Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA,  and optometrist Ukti Vora, MBA, MOptom, FAAO, talk about how teleoptometry and where it's going. Ukti Vora, host of the podcast Nerdy Optometrist, shares the experiences of doctors who use it highly effectively to see more patients each day - in a way that's convenient for both doctor and provider. 

Ray Corbin-Simon, OD, of In Focus Vision Center & Eyecare in Piscataway, New Jersey, is on the Neurolens Advisory Board. Here, she talks about how  contoured prism helps her own symptoms of headache and fatigue and the tools that ODs have available to help patients with these surprisingly common symptoms. 

Kara Ramsey Foster, OD, opened EyeCare for You in Apex, North Carolina, in 2015. A few years later, she was stressed by the feeling like she was working for managed vision companies rather than herself. So she changed to a direct care, fee for service model. Hear her explain how she did it and how she's sharing the idea with other doctors through her directcaredifference.com website and program. 

For the first time in SECO's 100-year history this year, an outgoing female president will hand the gavel to an incoming female president. SECO President Christine Cook, OD, FAAO, and President-elect Michelle Cooper, OD, talk about the changing demographics of the profession, the need for representative leadership and how SECO is revitalizing its live education meeting after the pandemic. SECO will be held March 1-5 in Atlanta. Learn more here. 

Christine Howard, a licensed dispensing optician and optical manager at Eyes on Plainville, in Plainville, Massachusetts, details how this practice has created a superior handoff process. From practice goals on optical metrics, learning from EssilorLuxottica representatives and leaning into brand recommendations in the exam room, Howard shares tips for making the transition from exam lane to the optical smooth and efficient. 

Vision Source members Cheryl Chapman, OD, of Omaha, Nebraska, and Cristina De La Pena, OD, of Houston, Texas, are headed for the annual Vision Source meeting, The Exchange, in April. Dr. Chapman has been going for years, while Dr. De La Pena went for the first time in 2022, shortly after joining Vision Source. Both go to learn and exchange ideas - and here they share tips on how they make the most of the meeting, whether it's an attendee's first time or 30th. 

Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD, is dean of The Ohio State University College of Optometry. In this WO Voices podcast, she talks about the career choices she's made, balancing marriage, motherhood and an impressive legacy of research, writing and inspiring students -- as well as her love for quilting, her creative outlet. Hear her describe her influences and the moments where doors opened and her path forward became suddenly crystal clear. 

Millicent Knight, OD, FAAO, FAARM, FNAP,  Senior Vice President, Customer Development Group at EssilorLuxottica North America, shares her passion for lifelong learning and how EssilorLuxottica is powering ECP education through its Leonardo platform.  Dr. Knight explains what's on the platform, how it can be used to fit the needs to doctors and staff members where they are, and how she would have loved to have access to this kind of a platform when she was in private practice. 

Acquiring a turnkey independent practice has allowed Whitney Territo, OD, and her husband and co-owner John Manard, OD, to focus on growth and enhancing their business skills. Being part of the Vision Source network and using Vision Source NEXT has supported them at every step, she says. Hear her discussion her evolving goals from acquisition, transition and beyond. 

Today, Jill Saxon, OD, FAAO, is executive director, professional strategy at Bausch + Lomb. But she started her career in the U.S. Navy, leaving after eight years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserves. In honor of Veteran's Day, WO asked Dr. Saxon to reflect on the enduring lessons and experiences she gained from being an OD in the military. WO thanks all ODs who served and serve as a member of the Armed Forces for their service. 

In this podcast, Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, and Pam Lowe, OD, FAAO, note that the oldest millennials have now turned 40. That presents eye care professionals with a huge opportunity with all of these new emerging presbyopes. The doctors talk about the conversation they have with patients and the innovations in options for these patients. 

Alexis Meyer, entering her third year at University of California Berkeley School of Optometry, won the Optometry Divas scholarship in the summer of 2022. The scholarship -- open to women OD students -- requires that applicants develop a detailed plan. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Alexis wants to start her career in corporate optometry - and learned much more about it through this process. That was precisely Dr. Lauretta Justin's idea in creating this CEO of You scholarship. 2023 candidates can apply now at optometrydivas.com.

Lisa Hornick, OD,  FAAO,  of Rocklin, California, received the Thought Leader Award at a recent Optometry Divas meeting for her proactive approach to dry eye. As a dry eye sufferer herself, she understands the quality of life issues. Lauretta Justin, OD, CEO and Founder of Optometry Divas, notes that as she was looking to add services to her Orlando, Florida, practice,  it quickly became clear that dry eye was the number one complaint patients had. Hear their discussion here. 

When Gabrielle Szwajca-Drewniak, OD, graduated with $153,000 in student debt - with $20,000 of that compounded debt while she was in school. When mortgage brokers told her she couldn't qualify for a mortgage loan without a co-signer, she came up with an aggressive repayment plan. Last year - about two years after graduation, she had zeroed those out and opened Opt Vision Studio in Chicago, along with the first floor of the building. Minimizing student debt allowed her to jump at the opportunities that came her way, she says. Hear how. 

In the second part of this discussion on diversity in optometry, moderator Ruth Shoge, OD, MPH,  FAAO,  Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at University of California Berkeley; Camille Cohen, OD,  a Pearle Vision licensed operator in  Brooklyn, New York; Damaris Raymondi, OD, of New York City, social media influencer and podcaster;  Sathi Maiti, OD, a clinical research fellow at Periman Eye Institute in Seattle, Washington; Monique Mohammed, OD, MS, an ocular disease and primary care optometry resident; and Nia Ebrahim, a student at State University of New York College of Optometry student, talk about the promising signs of change and the steps that still need to be taken to create a more equitable and inclusive environment. 

In this powerful roundtable discussion, five optometrists and one optometry student share their stories of the pressures of being first-generation Americans in optometry school and how and why representation matters. Hear from moderator Ruth Shoge, OD, MPH,  FAAO,  Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at University of California Berkeley; Camille Cohen, OD,  a Pearle Vision licensed operator in  Brooklyn, New York; Damaris Raymondi, OD, of New York City, social media influencer and podcaster;  Sathi Maiti, OD, a clinical research fellow at Periman Eye Institute in Seattle, Washington; Monique Mohammed, OD, MS, who is currently an ocular disease and primary care optometry resident; and Nia Ebrahim, a student at State University of New York College of Optometry student. 

What's in the No Surprises Act and how might it apply to optometry? Viola Kanevsky, OD, of New York, New York, president of the New York State Optometric Association, is hoping for guidance on how this can be implemented fairly in smaller practices.  Listeners can also find more information about the act from the American Optometric Association here. 

Ukti Vora, MBA, M. Optom, FAAO, is director of clinical affairs at Eyecare Live and the host of the Nerdy Optometrist podcast. She joins WO Voices to talk about the advances in telemedicine and what that might mean for optometry. As patients become more tech-savvy, they will expect their practitioners to accommodate more remote and hybrid visits.  

When Ann Rhea Miller, OD, opened Visual Eyes in Lima, Ohio, in 2014, she was bringing a former practice back to life and knew she needed practice management guidance to make it successful. “I knew optometry but I didn't know anything about running a successful business. I wanted to join a community of successful mentors who could share their tips and strategies,” she says. Between Vision Source and support and programs from Elite vendors like Essilor, she continues to build her thriving practice. 

When Wynde Ashman, OD, of Family Vision Care in Muncie, Indiana, was asked to challenge herself to present Varilux progressive lenses to patients by name, she accepted it. The 30-day challenge changed some of her habits. hear how she's presenting this option to earlier-stage presbyopes and what it has done for patient loyalty and sales.