Optometry and Ophthalmology Working Together, Not Separately
There was a time when optometrists and ophthalmologists did not work together. If you talk to older optometrists and ophthalmologists, you will learn that they considered each other rivals. Now many optometrists and ophthalmologists work together, either in a co-management capacity or within the same practice. One reason for this is the growth of refractive […]
Visibly (Formerly Opternative) No Longer Offering Online Vision Tests
The online vision screening site Visibly, (formerly Opternative) was removed from service in August 2019. Since 2016, the American Optometric Association (AOA) has been lobbying the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the site’s online vision test did not have a premarket review from agency, nor did it receive approval for safety or efficacy. The […]
Surprise! Your Patient Still Has Issues After Refractive Surgery
Refractive surgery is great, isn’t it? It can allow patients with myopia and cataracts to achieve close to perfect vision. As good as it is, even refractive surgery has its downsides. Any time there are problems, there will also be complaints from patients. You can’t make all patients happy all the time, but you can […]
Patient Retention
True story: As a kid with myopia in the 1980’s, I had a succession of optometrists. The reason for this is that my mother’s employer’s insurance changed from one carrier to another frequently. As a result, the doctor who saw me two years before didn’t always accept the new insurance. Despite these changes, Mom got […]
The Good Ol’ Days Weren’t Always Good
“When I was starting out…” “Back then, we did things differently. For example…” “We didn’t have (insert tech device here) in the 19 (insert decade here) and we got the job done just fine.” Who hasn’t heard statements like those many times over the course of a lifetime? It’s enough to make you think that […]
Keep an Eye on the Business
Today, many doctors are experiencing practice consolidation as smaller practices merge with larger ones. Despite this trend, there are still many optometry practices with single owners and only one or two doctors on staff. For the private practice owner focused on growing and thriving in today’s competitive market, taking advantage of new ideas in medicine, […]