A Special Farewell

A SPECIAL FAREWELL  

What you’re reading is officially the last issue of Significant Findings. We have published 157 editions of my thoughts, musings, and a peek into what I deem a very blessed life.

When I sat down to write today, I knew I wanted to make this one special. Therefore, we’re combining Hot Topic, Outside the Lane, and Can You Relate sections into one “love letter to optometry and all of eye care.”

It’s not often that we have the privilege to do what we love and, in most cases with optometry, get paid well to do it. As optometrists, we sit at the perfect intersection between science, compassion, and human interaction while guarding the life-altering power of vision. This skill is nothing to take lightly, and many of us (myself included) forget what a powerful ability this is. Vision is not just a sense; it is how people navigate their world, create memories, follow their dreams, and maintain independence. Patients trust us to protect this sense so deeply tied to the human experience and identity. Think about that…people are trusting you with their sight! Which, although I’m incredibly biased, is the most important sense. Few health care fields offer such a powerful ability in such a (relatively) low-stress environment.

Optometry is also a profession rooted in human connection. You’d better love your fellow man and enjoy communicating with them if you want to succeed! Many of our patients return year after year, often for decades, to see us. This allows ODs to build relationships that feel more like extended family rather than appointments. We watch our patients’ families grow while guiding them through changes in their eyesight. We are there for some of life’s milestones, including a student’s first clear view of the blackboard (or smart board, or whatever they call it now), ensuring they pass their driver’s test, making sure those contacts fit perfectly on their wedding day, and everything in between. I can’t count the number of patients that have asked me how my son Brooks is doing or if our dog Buddy has gotten into any trouble lately (he has…we’ve went through two elfs on a shelf these past 3 weeks. I’m still finding elf limbs in the dog’s poop).

Whatever area of optometry you call home, it is rewarding. We are lucky to make significant differences, however we choose to practice. Every job in optometry is equally important as any other. Whether you’re at a high volume corporate practice where you are often the first doctor of any specialty that your patient has seen in quite some time (I experienced this myself during those weekend shifts at America’s Best all those years ago), or detecting subtle retinal or optic nerve changes, easing the discomfort of a severe dry eye, or simply helping your patients feel more confident in their everyday vision, we affect our patient’s lives in profound ways. You never know which child in your examination chair might be thinking how lucky you are to be doing what you’re doing and that maybe, just maybe, they should follow in your footsteps. Have fun being an optometrist. I sure do, and it’s allowed me to never dread a day of “work” in my life.

In addition, it is our responsibility to stay up to date on all the new developments in eye care! Our patients trust us to know the latest and greatest. One of the reasons I suspect many of us got into the profession is that it is intellectually rich and constantly evolving. Every day brings advanced imaging, new pharmaceuticals, and an ever-expanding scope. Our profession demands this curiosity to always be at the forefront, allowing us to blend problem-solving with empathy.

Now, it goes without saying that optometry and eye care as a whole face challenges. Every profession does! Heck, AI is eliminating many of those high-paying computer engineering and STEM jobs by the thousands each year! Optometry has faced challenges before and has always emerged stronger and better equipped to help our patients. As guardians of vision, we dedicate our careers to ensuring our patients receive proper eye care.

Yet the many online retailers selling glasses and contact lenses have clearly prioritized profit over patient safety in ways that border on unethical. They treat medical devices as mere commodities while actively bypassing the professional oversight that is essential to eye care. We have seen online sellers exploit loopholes in the FTC’s Contact Lens Rule (which is comedically named), using passive verification calls to obtain expired prescriptions or substitute brands without our approval. These can result in serious complications for our patients. In fact, some online vendors even encourage bypassing comprehensive eye examinations, selling contact lenses based on outdated or unverified data to make a buck. It’s shameful, although not entirely surprising. This, combined with stagnant reimbursements and cost-cutting measures by insurance companies, aims to make our lives more difficult while actively jeopardizing our patients’ eye health.

Just this week I had a patient whose major medical insurance company sent someone to their house to do an eye examination. The patient stated that they had “no bleeding” in the eyes and had “a little cataract that they don’t have to worry about.” In reality, this patient had 3+ nuclear sclerosis, 3+ cortical, and 3-4+ central posterior subcapsular cataract. Did those cataracts develop in the 2 weeks since that at-home “examination”? Probably not.

My friends in eye care, these challenges are real; however, they are not overwhelming. Our patients trust us, our communities respect us, and our staff admire us. Very few professions offer the mix of science, compassion, and immediate effect that ours does. The future of optometry has never been brighter. Technology will allow us to monitor the whole body through the eye; AI-enhanced diagnosis will enable us to be better doctors; and new treatments for myopia, dry eye, and ocular disease will make us indispensable.

Last I checked, computers and cell phones aren’t going away anytime soon, so our patients’ eyes will be more stressed than ever. In fact, our patients are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of eye health in a screen-heavy world. We aren’t just refraction experts who can count to two; we are primary care providers for vision, systemic wellness, and prevention. The work we do matters, and I firmly believe the road ahead is filled with far more opportunities than challenges. Keep pushing and keep putting the patient first—you’ll never go wrong.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Don’t take life too seriously; you’ll never get out alive.

– National Lampoon’s Van Wilder