Up Close with Robert Chu, OD

Have you always known that you wanted to be an optometrist?

Not even close. My childhood dream job was to become a race car driver. When I realized I probably wasn’t going to be the fastest guy on the racetrack, I decided I needed a more solid career plan, which was optometry. Coming from a family of optometrists, it’s in my blood.

Today, our locations and surgery center in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex offer full-range vision care, specializing in cornea and refractive surgery, LASIK, and advanced cataract surgery.

You practice alongside your mother and wife, who are also optometrists, and your brother, who is a cataract surgeon. Would you recommend working with family to colleagues? Do you have any tips for making it work?

Of course. Working with family is a true blessing. My brother and I grew up working at the family practice, helping out with anything that needed to be done. We developed an amazing team dynamic that we still have today.

Over my 20-year optometric career, I have had valued mentors and role models, but none as dedicated to their patients and to providing unselfishly for their family as my mother. At the age of 75, she still actively cares for patients and stays involved with the practice. She is full of energy.

My advice for working with family is to clearly define everyone’s roles and responsibilities, and to trust and support each other. Surprisingly, at home we really don’t “talk shop;” rather, we simply enjoy each other’s company.

You founded and are the co-president of The Eye Consortium (TEC). How did the idea for this group come to be?

While progressing through various industry roles, TEC co-founder Matthew Alpert, OD, a third-generation optometrist based in Calabasas, California, and I noticed a concerning shift in our industry due to consolidation and aggregation. We came up with an idea to create a “by invitation only” study group to help best-in-class progressive, independent practices maximize their profitability.

We had no idea the groundswell of positivity that would come from doctors and industry. Today, TEC has grown into a network of almost 1,800 practice locations throughout the United States. TEC members pay no fees and the group is open to all doctors who value independence. You can find more information about TEC at www.eyeconsortium.com.

What lessons has your work life taught you?

Learn from the past, focus on the future, and control your own destiny.

What new advances or technologies in the pipeline are you most excited about?

Digital future vision. Technology is advancing at a rate at which we have never seen before. I look forward to technologies that enable practitioners to provide optometric and optical services remotely. This technology must maintain the highest quality of care and preserve the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship. The doctor should always be at the center of this ecosystem, and the technology should merely facilitate it. With that being said, the ability to provide eye care remotely will be an absolute game-changer for expanding access for patients.

What do you do to have fun outside of work?

I love cars! Everything to do with cars, both collecting and participating in motorsports. Stemming from my childhood, I am training to achieve a competition race license. When driving a race car, you must have a singular focus in that moment, and on nothing else going on in your life.

Just as in everyday life, when you’re racing, you have to plan and take control of your direction, speed, and balance in order to maintain harmony and reach the finish line. Maybe it’s not too late to live out my childhood dream.