Up Close With Jacob Lang, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO

What led you to specialize in corneal disease and contact lenses?

I found myself compelled to pursue a residency as I progressed through my education at the New England College of Optometry (NECO) in Boston. My residency positioned me to become the optometrist I wanted to be, and cornea was always cool. Think about it: It’s an optically clear tissue! How cool is that?

When I was in school, there was a huge expansion of technology in anterior segment, including LASIK, wavefront aberrometry, and corneal topography, as well as in specialty contact lenses, including overnight orthokeratology and scleral lenses. (NECO was ahead of the curve here.)

All of this made cornea and contact lenses an appealing specialty to me, along with my amazing mentors who inspired me to work hard and never stop learning. They steered me down the path that makes me the optometrist I am.

How do you see optometry changing in the next 10 years?

Optometry is going to have to take a larger and more integrated role in eye care, specifically medical eye care and managing patients with ocular disease. With the baby boomers progressing into retirement age, there’s going to be an increased demand, whether it be in ocular surface disease, glaucoma, or retinal disease, which is going to require diversification of health care providers and an evolution of health care.

With a limited number of ophthalmologists and lack of growth in ophthalmology programs, optometry is poised to take on a larger, more important role. I don’t believe this means an exclusion of ophthalmology, but more an integration. Each profession has its strengths and weaknesses. Practicing mutual respect and honesty and keeping our patients’ vision and ocular health as top priorities can lead to a better, more integrated future.

You are behind the Instagram handle SeeOneTeachOne. Tell us the story behind this.

SeeOneTeachOne is a spinoff of the adage see one, do one, teach one. Eye care is a very visual specialty that requires nuance when examining complex cases. Many residents ask me, “Why do you think it’s this condition or that condition?” “How did you know it was this pathogen?” and so on. Many of my initial answers are, “Because that’s what it looks like.” That is not a great explanation for young doctors, so we delve into the “Why,” but my point is that clinical experience is huge. My hope is that by sharing my experience on Instagram, I can inspire curiosity, make others better doctors, and continue the lifelong learning that optometry demands. I suppose that’s the mission statement: To inspire and further collaboration, education, and learning.

What is a typical day in your life? What keeps you busy, fulfilled, and passionate?

Most of my days are spent in direct patient care. I tend to numerous corneal and ocular surface disease patients, glaucoma patients, in addition to comprehensive care. I work alongside Associated Eye Care’s ocular disease resident, whom I try to keep busy and inspire to be a future leader in optometry.

I have an awesome 8-year-old son, and spending time with him is always a pleasure. Becoming his second grade teacher wasn’t something I had planned, but COVID-19 had other ideas. It’s been an interesting career change, that’s for sure! In more typical times, I enjoy spending time with him and my wife on the golf course in summer and on the ski slopes in winter.

I also enjoy speaking at conferences. Anyone can read a textbook, but engaging and inspiring people to see things from another perspective has always been a goal of mine. Textbook answers, statistics, and percentages are memorization. Though those are critical, real patients aren’t found in textbooks.

You are an avid golfer and fly fisherman. What about each do you like? Do the skills needed in either of these hobbies translate to optometry?

Both offer a nice distraction to unplug from work while offering a beautiful backdrop. I love being outside. It’s a great way to spend time with close friends and family. One of the things I like about these activities is that you must be completely in the moment to be good at either one. If there are distractions or your mind is wandering, if your focus is not 100% concentrated on the task at hand, you won’t perform at your best. I find this intense focus to be therapeutic.