One to Watch: Katherine Rachon, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO

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Please share with us your background.

I spent the first half of my childhood in Northwest Indiana and the second half in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I always loved being in and around water. Looking back, I’m amazed that I went to optometry school instead of becoming a marine biologist. I completed my ocular disease residency at Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers in Louisville, Kentucky, then traded my Midwestern fresh water for Virginia’s salty waves.

Describe your current position.

I am a full-time medical optometrist at Virginia Eye Consultants, a tertiary care OD/MD practice. I see a variety of subspecialty cases—glaucoma, neuro-optometry, cornea, retina, postoperative care, you name it. I am one of two residency and externship directors at our clinic, and we host students from six optometry schools. Most of our new patients and ER visits filter in through optometry first, and I love being able to share our intense schedule and case variety with students and residents.

Who are your mentors?

I have to thank all of the optometrists and ophthalmologists at Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers for a very tough, but rewarding residency that taught me how to thrive in an OD/MD tertiary care setting. My experience gave me the confidence to step into my role at Virginia Eye Consultants, where Walt Whitley, OD, MBA, FAAO, has been a tremendous mentor.

What has been the most memorable experience of your career thus far?

When I heard the news that the state of Virginia had expanded its scope of optometric practice to include laser procedures. I wasn’t a major player in the legislation like Jeffrey Michaels, OD; Lisa Gontarek, OD; Jerry Neidigh, OD; and Amanda Umlandt, OD, FAAO, but I was proud to do my part to help.

What are some new technological advances you find particularly exciting?

As a doctor who sees a high volume of glaucoma cases, I am most excited to see how virtual reality will change the standard of care for monitoring glaucoma. If I could eliminate complaints of patients taking visual field tests, I would have time to see five more patients a day! In all seriousness, using virtual reality technology will also make this necessary test easier for our geriatric and disabled patient populations.

Describe a typical day in your life.

My day begins, reluctantly, with waking up early to lift weights before leaving for work. In between patients, I speak with visiting drug representatives, review cases with externs and residents, and plan my next adventures. At the end of the clinic day, externs and residents do an end-of-day wrap-up with us, where we discuss challenging or interesting cases. In the evenings, we attend journal club meetings, case presentations, or local society dinners. If no professional events are scheduled on a weeknight, I simply watch TV and unwind. On weekends, I’m traveling, scuba diving, or fossil hunting!

What advice can you offer to individuals who are just now choosing their career paths after finishing optometry school or a residency?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your peers and find a mentor. Observe your local optometrists and ophthalmologists in clinic and in surgery, and build comanaging relationships with them. Get involved in your local American Optometric Academy (AOA) and American Academy of Optometry chapters, go to your state and local meetings, and donate to the AOA Political Action Committee to help maintain and advance our scope of practice. It will make you a better clinician and allow you to provide better care to your patients.