WO Voices

On Nov. 2, 2021,  Lauretta Justin, OD, of Orlando, Florida, was honored at the annual Theia Awards of Excellence. Hear how eight simple words changed her outlook. Dr. Justin received the Dr. Mae Booth Jones Mentoring Award. Hear what she had to say. 

Riya Paranthan, OD, of Optometric Physicians Northwest in Bellingham, Washington, talks about the changes that her practice is growing through after a recent merger and the support she gets from HEA + PECAA to help the independent practice remain competitive and profitable. 

Deborah Weston, OD, of Weston Town Center Optometry in Florida, says that the practice she and her husband own gained patients and increased profitability by adding time to patient visits and implementing an easier way to connect with patients through MARLO , Alcon’s digital contact lens ordering platform.

Lauretta Justin, OD, founder of Optometry Divas, and Valeria Napoles, winner of the first Optometry Divas scholarship competition, talk about how the process of creating a business plan and getting comprehensive feedback on it has helped her more clearly identify her goals for her final two years at Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry. With a passion for myopia management services fo...

Jessica Kozak, senior vice president of ECP sales at Essilor of America, discusses how EssilorLuxottica is leveraging its resources to provide tools and resources and unlock consumer insights that can drive success for independent eyecare professionals. She also shares the journey toward becoming a combined company and how ECPs benefit. 

Birva K. Shah, OD,  says developing a professional network is one of the most important steps an OD can take if she wants to make a career switch like hers. She's now a medical science liaison in ophthalmology at Apellis Pharmaceuticals. She explains the research and preparation she went through to find opportunities in this career option she had not even imagined when she graduated from opto...

Sally Halim, OD, had to close Village Eyecare in Woolwich, NJ,  to all but emergency patients for nearly two months at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen as she shares which protocols and changes made during the pandemic are part of the routine these days. 

Jessica Marshall, OD, of Holmdel, New Jersey, wanted to get the discussion of age-related macular degeneration out of the exam room and into everyday conversation. So she created "Macula Mondays," a food-themed community event. The program has evolved from an in-office catered offering to renting out a commercial kitchen to educate patients and their friends about the importance of nutri...

Lauretta Justin, OD,  of Orlando, Florida, is using her CEO of You program and Optometry Divas support network to create a unique scholarship experience for third-year optometry students. Sure, there's a financial benefit, but each applicant will receive a customized response and feedback to the business plan submitted with the application. Deadline: Aug. 6. Read more here . 

Natasha Balani, OD , and Sathi Maiti, OD , both came to Periman  Eye Institute in Seattle, Washington, to pursue a clinical research fellowship created by Laura Periman, MD , in ocular surface disease and dry eye. The fellowship has allowed both to delve more deeply into dry eyes and ocular disease, as well as the impact of makeup, and finetune the presentations to their patients about ocular heal...

Jay Yoon, OD , of Chelsea Eye Ophthalmology in New York, NY, has seen patients—often women or marginalized people—whose symptoms and complaints are not taken seriously because of some bias on the part of a provider. She discusses some examples and the lessons learned for optometry and for anyone who may have to advocate for a patient—or themselves. 

In this episode, Janelle Davison, OD , shares the methodical process that she and her husband and business co-owner Jimmie Davison , went through before he made the jump out of corporate America to join her in the office full-time earlier this year. In planning for the move, the couple downsized, created a template for replicating their new practice model, added services, recommitted to supporting...

In this episode, the Instagram influencers behind Dr. Eye Beauty (@dreyebeauty)— Jessica Duran, OD , and Lilia Flores, OD —share how their interest in cosmetics and the eyes have helped spark lively discussions and product reviews by patients and practitioners alike. 

Neda Gioia, OD, FOWNS, CNS , says that functional nutrition is a key element of her Shrewsbury, New Jersey, practice - Integrative Vision. Dr. Gioia says that discussing health, nutrition and lifestyle have expanded her scope of practice to a higher level than she has had in the past. Her goal is to optimize the overall health of every single one of her patients, as well as take care of their ocul...

Kim Reed, OD , talks about the role that optometrists could and should have in advancing clinical research. She also discusses her career path from academia into industry, where she is now senior medical director, clinical sciences, ophthalmology at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , where she is leading clinical trials in wet AMD and diabetic edema.

In this episode, Sherianne James , Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Customer Engagement at Essilor of America, discusses how Essilor uses insights into consumer habits to help raise awareness about the benefits of premium progressive lens technology and drive patient traffic into eye care professionals' practices. 

In this episode, Louise Sclafani, OD, FAAO , of Chicago, and Pam Lowe, OD, FAAO , of Niles, Illinois, talk about why they took the training to become certified to administer COVID-19 vaccines. In addition to doing their part in the fight against COVID-19, they say that it brings optometry further into the primary care inner circle when ODs show that they are ready, willing and able to participate...

Samantha Dodda, OD , is a smart, young, ambitious optometrist completing her residency and occasionally struggling with imposter syndrome—that feeling that you don't have the ability to perform the tasks you've been trained for. Dr. Dodda explains how she has turned imposter syndrome moments into self-reflection that has boosted her confidence. 

Janette Pepper, OD , coordinator for student diversity and inclusion at Southern College of Optometry (SCO), and Mary Hoang, OD , also on the SCO faculty, discuss the education, programs and resources that people can use to understand racial bias and what actions can be taken to create a more inclusive environment for all. 

Jennifer Stewart, OD , a partner at Norwalk Eye Care in Norwalk, Connecticut, and founder of Performance 2020, says that sports eyewear is an overlooked opportunity in many optometric practices. Sports eyewear isn't just for serious competitive athletes but for every patient who steps out on a field, court or track for sports or play. Here's a new, great resource: sportsvision.pro/athlet...

In this episode, Lilan Le, OD ,  director, optometry operations at HEYWEAR, explains how this new model—which just opened its first optical walk-in studio in New York City—provides an eye exam and finished single-vision eyewear or sunwear in 30 minutes. Hear how they do it.  You can visit heywear.com to see their own line of frames. 

Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO , of Tamarac, Florida, and Jennifer Tabiza, OD , Los Angeles, California, created drcontactlens.com as a way to keep the doctor/patient relationship intact—all the way through contact lens orders. By creating a platform to simplify the contact lens ordering process for practices and patients alike, ODs are seeing increased engagement and profitability. 

Ruth Y. Shoge, OD, MPH , s erves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee at Salus University as well as the Diversity and Cultural Competency Committee for the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. She is passionate about educating current and future optometrists about cultural competency and humility and the importance for this kind of education in the curriculum.

Hear how the adaption of scleral lenses in Italy parallels that of the U.S. experience in this unique conversation between Daddi Fadel, DOptom, FSLS, FBCLA, FAAO , and Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA . Hear their plans for an in-person Global Ophthalmic Women  (GLOW) conference in Spain as a way to empower and encourage women in societies throughout the world. Want to be added to the GLOW F...

When Hardeep Kataria, OD, FAAO , joined an ophthalmology practice, she became the first OD and the first woman eye care professional. To help make sure her voice was heard, she learned and gained confidence with negotiating skills she didn't know she had.