Monthly Archives: September 2015

In early 2013, Alicia Telega, OD, was on track to opening a practice cold in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when she hit a roadblock.

By Whitney Hauser, OD—1. It's all about expectations. My father has said that to me countless times over the years, and truer words were never spoken.

Parents of patients at Little Eyes in Carmel, Indiana, often ask Katherine Schuetz, OD, what to look for and how to know if their child is having any vision problems. “A comprehensive eye exam is the only way to get it done, and it doesn’t mean you are a good or bad parent,” she explains.

Juanita Collier, MS, OD, FCOVD, of Cromwell, Connecticut, opened 4D Vision Gym two years ago, after seeing the demand for vision therapy services in her region. In fact, even as a relatively new practice, she says she’s been very busy. New patients are booked two months out. “I’ll do some primary care for family members of patients. However, due to my waiting list, most of my patients are here for the specialty care I provide, not necessarily primary care.”

Odees and the make-school-fun approach of Lake Worth Eye School are the brainchild of Trina Lieske, OD. The eye school is now a part of her practice that she initially opened in January 2006, Vision City of Lake Worth, in Lake Worth, Texas. Here’s how the expansion developed.

Cathy Doty, OD, can pinpoint her determination to open a practice for pediatric and special-needs patients to a little boy she saw in October 2014. The family had a long wait to get onto her schedule—she’s one of the only InfantSEE® and Medicaid providers for pediatric patients in the area. But when she saw him, she recalls feeling heartbroken. At 18 months old, he was developmentally delayed and she could sense the family’s stress.

Arlene Espiritu, OD, says that getting children involved in their exam experience is an important part of easing their worries. “If there is any apprehension, I quickly get the chief complaint from the parent, and right away address the child,” Dr. Espiritu says. Map out a plan for the exam.

Monica Allison, OD, of Stone Oak Vision Source® in San Antonio, Texas, has built a significant practice through orthokeratology. As the success stories mount, more families are interested in this option for their children, she says.

Leslie O’Dell, OD, wanted to have a stronger voice. She had enjoyed working in a medical/surgical practice for the past 11 years, and the fit seemed ideal after a residency in ocular disease. But as the years went on, “I developed more of a desire to be a leader. I wanted to have a say in the technology and staffing,” she says.

Amir Khoshnevis, OD, the Vision Source® administrator in North Carolina, and Michael Clark, OD, were having lunch one day in Charlotte when they walked past the display windows in the private practice that Michelle Mumford, OD, had opened in December 2011. Dr. Khoshnevis decided to go into the practice and ask Dr. Mumford to join him for dinner, so he could tell her about Vision Source®.