TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND.
I grew up in Northern Virginia and completed my undergraduate degree at Clemson University, where I had dreams to go into medicine. Maybe it’s the millennial in me, but I came to realize that I didn’t want my tombstone to list only my career accolades, so I needed to find some work-life balance. Optometry serendipitously entered my life, and it was the perfect combination of creative problem-solving and helping people.
WHERE DID YOU GO TO OPTOMETRY SCHOOL, AND DID YOU PURSUE ANY ADDITIONAL TRAINING?
I went to the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry. After completing my doctorate, I decided to complete a Fellowship in Medical Contact Lenses at Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health and Science University.
YOU RECENTLY LEFT THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO OPEN AN EYE CLINIC
IN COSTA RICA. WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS BEHIND THIS CAREER CHANGE? TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR NEW PRACTICE, OJOS DEL MAR.
The feeling of burnout is real, and my husband and I were feeling it through the pandemic. We lucked out with airline raffle tickets and booked our first post-pandemic trip to Costa Rica (Figure 1). The rest is history. We had an early relationship goal of wanting to live abroad, and I had a long-term goal of creating my own practice.
During our visit, we came to understand that while there were great doctors in the capital, San Jose, patients were lacking options near the cute coastal towns we had come to love. So, in a sense, you could say the opportunity to open Ojos Del Mar found us. With him being an entrepreneur, opening a practice abroad together was a perfect combination of our skill sets.
Ojos Del Mar translates to eyes of the sea and is our ode to the practice we hope to create. We wanted to establish a space that immediately conveyed a sense of trust, tranquility, and beauty. Optometry provides the gift of sight, and we wanted to ensure this sense was fully engaged while immersed in our space. We are prioritizing customer service, technology, and providing the highest level of care. We also connected with local artists to provide art throughout the clinic to enhance the visual experience (Figure 2).
WHAT IS THE STATE OF HEALTH CARE AND EYE CARE IN COSTA RICA?
Health care in Costa Rica ranks high, but the vast majority of clinics are located around the capital city of San Jose. We’ve been fortunate to meet some incredibly talented San Jose-based eye care professionals and look forward to working with them to expand the eye care market. However, we are located along the rural coastline—6 hours from San Jose, where there is far less access to care.
EXPLAIN OJOS DEL MAR’S EYE 2 EYE PROGRAM AND THE RESERVED SPOTS EACH MONTH FOR PATIENTS TO PAY WHAT THEY CAN FOR SERVICES. WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THESE GOODWILL MEASURES? HOW HAS THE COMMUNITY RESPONDED?
We’re in someone else’s backyard and we’re becoming part of a new community, so being a great neighbor and contributing member of society was important to us as we developed the concept of Ojos Del Mar. The Eye 2 Eye program is our primary initiative and involves partnering with neighboring schools to provide free eye screenings to children and their teachers. We also provide incentives for our normal clients to participate and donate to our program and we are impressed at their excitement to be part of our mission.
Our other community initiative includes “Pay What You Can” appointments. As a premium eye care clinic, we recognize that not everyone can afford our services, so we intentionally reserve appointments each month for patients who qualify as our way to provide care to everyone within the community.
YOU HAVE DECIDED TO PROVIDE TELEMEDICINE AND CONSULTATION SERVICES TO THE PATIENTS YOU LEFT BEHIND IN SEATTLE. WHAT LED YOU TO MAKE THAT DECISION?
After leaving Seattle, many of my long-time patients began reaching out to me through online platforms to get advice. Although answering some of the questions is quick and easy, I realized that not only is my time and expertise valuable, but also that patients are willing to pay for that experience.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE OF YOUR CAREER THUS FAR?
Although I’ve completed some fun chapters in my career, my most memorable experiences occur when I help my patients with scleral contact lenses. When the skills you acquire can translate into immediately helping someone live a better life, it is extremely rewarding.
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