Blog

Reading time 3:56   WHAT MAKES OUR REPUTATION I learned in childhood that reputation is important.  As a result, we need to protect it.  Every action, reaction or response goes into making up our reputation. Our honesty, integrity, reliability and expertise are also contributors.   What we stand for and how we treat others on a daily basis are […]

Reading time 4:25 Communication has changed a lot in the past twenty years and continues to evolve.  Text communications, e-mail and social media can all be overwhelming.  But, right now, I would like to talk about an old standard- the phone.  Though more and more of our patients are using alternative methods for communicating with our offices, […]

Reading time  4:10 Sometimes we forget how important positive feedback can be to our staff. We assume that they know how much we appreciate what they do and how much they contribute to our practices.  But the fact is, it’s important to share what we are thinking with our co-workers and not just keep it to ourselves.  I […]

Reading time 3:44 I’m sure that you have probably heard the word Namaste at some time in your life.  When I learned the actual meaning of this word, it became a new favorite of mine.  I think it has great application to the practice of optometry and to life in general.  On this last day […]

Reading time 3:34 WHAT IS A PATIENT? “A patient is the most important person in the institution- in person or by mail. A patient is not dependent on us- we are dependent on them. A patient is not an interruption of our work- it is the purpose of it. The patient is not an outsider […]

Reading time 4:29 Any optometric office has certain basic pieces of equipment that allow us to provide vision care. If these instruments are not in proper working order, then it becomes difficult to do our job.  Therefore, the maintenance of our instruments should be of the utmost importance.    “THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY” After graduation, I […]

Reading time 6:15 We know social media participation is important to our practices.  And of course, we want to do it well. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.  For every inspired post you create, how many more times did you struggle to find something to say?  The fall back post is always something about the importance of routine […]

Reading time 5:38 THE TOXIC OFFICE I am posting this blog five days after Halloween. But in keeping with the Halloween theme, I decided to write a blog about something I find scary in a practice. Toxicity.  Not the obvious type of toxicity with drugs, but rather a toxic environment. We are health care providers.  Though most of our efforts are on improving the health of […]

Reading time 5:09 ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN During my first year on staff at the Cleveland Clinic, I learned a valuable lesson from a first year resident in ophthalmology. I was responsible for teaching the residents the basics of primary eye care. That included optics, refraction, contact lenses, low vision, and anything else that came up.  I was […]

Reading time 5:24 Let’s talk about the social media platforms used most often by optometrists.  This discussion will center on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.  Of course, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google+ are also used by optometrists, but with less frequency. There are unique characteristics and demographics for each social media platform. Therefore, each platform has different pros and cons to consider […]

Reading time 3.26 Ever thought about your superpowers?  Sure optometry allows us to help our patients by taking care of their eyes and visual system.  That’s the reason we all wanted to become optometrists.  It also allows us to make a decent living and provide for our families.  But did you ever stop to consider […]

  Reading time  5.18 The Problem Do you ever get frustrated when a patient presents with a preventable problem?  Whenever I see a patient like this, I feel compelled to review my attempts at patient education.  Did I do enough?  Is there something else I could do that would be more effective in the future? The source of my recent […]

Reading time 5.05 I intended to write a single blog on websites.  But, the content just kept growing into now three parts. I don’t think that I can stress enough how important your website can be to your practice.  It is worth taking the time to be certain it represents you well.  It is the […]

Reading time 3.48 Let’s talk some more about our websites and the many possibilities to improve its impact on visitors to the site.  This is part two of a series on websites.  The first part of the discussion is in the previous blog. The first blog dealt with the style of your website including choices […]

  Reading time 5.42 By now it should be obvious that there are good reasons to have a website. A few possible functions of a website are marketing and giving 24/7 access to your practice. It can offer general information about your office policies, hours, directions and insurances accepted.  You might choose to add appointment scheduling, contact lens […]

  “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”     Romeo and Juliet   Act II, Scene II    William Shakespeare (1564-1616)   Reading time 4:30 min.   I have to disagree with William Shakespeare a little.  When it comes to a person’s name, sometimes it […]

Reading time 2:57   I find the origin of words and phrases fascinating. This phrase was a new discovery for me, not because I had never heard it before, but rather because I just became aware that it has an actual meaning.  In movies (i.e.  “Scent of a Woman”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuYUzjNiZqk ) or just in jest, I have […]

Reading Time 4:13   Recently I realized how important show and tell can be in taking care of our patients.  We all learned early in our careers to never assume a patient knows how or what they should be doing. For that matter, are they actually doing what they say they are? On our tight schedules, it is […]

Reading time 4:10 “If people are highly successful in their professions, they lose their senses.  Sight goes. They have no time to look at pictures.  Sound goes.  They have no time to listen to music.  Speech goes.  They have no time for conversation.  They lose their sense of proportion- the relationships between one thing and […]

Read time 3:04 This may not be breaking news, but there is still a valuable lesson to be learned.  In August 2016, I began to notice a new commercial related to eye care.  It was somewhat of a media blitz.  The subject- dry eyes.  The company –Shire Pharmaceutical.  As an optometrist, I realized the ad […]

Reading time: 3:52 I called a plumber to repair a dripping faucet in my bathroom.  He was prompt, efficient and competent.  I asked him about other work I might need done in the future.  I just wanted an estimate of the approximate cost.  Instead, what followed was a detailed discussion about all the possibilities; shut off valves, taking faucets apart, non-freeze […]

Reading time:  3:49 We’ve all been in other doctors’ offices either as a patient or visitor. Keeping our eyes open and observing can give us some valuable lessons.  There’s always something to we can learn- sometimes positive and sometimes negative.  I accompanied my mother to her oral surgeon’s appointment.  What I saw was all positive.  It was […]

Reading time 3:30 My dog is a more cooperative patient than many patients who walk in my office door.  I am blessed with a wonderful Golden Retriever named Champ.  He developed an eye infection. Antibiotics and steroids have not resolved the infection. So I decided to seek out the advice of a veterinarian specializing in ophthalmology. In their office, a technician reviewed the […]

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash Reading time 4:18 I am a bionic woman. After many surgeries, I am now the proud owner of two artificial knees and two artificial hips. Performing daily activities and being independent are wonderful gifts that many of us take for granted. I learned valuable lessons while my joints were failing, and as I recovered from […]

Reading Time: 2:17 I am a night owl and often catch bits and pieces of a lot of the late-night shows. One show in particular, made quite an impression on me. On May 12, 2016, one of Jimmy Fallon’s guests was Meghan Trainor. She sang at the end of the show and what he did […]

Reading time: 3:00 I took my mom to an oral surgeon’s office. We walked into the office and the front desk staff all welcomed us with a smile. They looked at us as soon as we walked in, even if they were on the phone. After greeting us, the staff completed the requisite paperwork quickly. But, what impressed […]

Reading time: 2:41 Why did I decide to write a blog? I have always valued sharing experiences and clinical pearls with fellow optometrists. I have learned so much from these casual conversations. Some information has had major impacts on my practice, but many ideas were small simple things that made my life a little easier. […]