Kiranjeet Sran, OD, was introduced to Women In Optometry as a “rockstar.” It turns out, she literally is. She’s one of the lead singers of Punktum Remotum, a band that performs for SVOSH fundraisers at SUNY and elsewhere in the New York area. She’s also taken to the stage to sing with Bad Habits, Eyedocs of Rock.
But she’s also a beating the drum to get more corporate-affiliated ODs interested in providing myopia management services. Lumos Eyecare is located inside a Costco in Bridgewater, New Jersey. She acquired the location, but it had been without a doctor.
REBUILDING A PRACTICE
So she began to rebuild the practice – and refamiliarize herself with contact lenses. “I came from a job where I didn’t touch contact lenses. So I began to look into MiSight 1-day lenses as well because the practice already had trials in stock.” She took the certification course and, about a month ago, began to see if she could make it part of the patient conversation.
Almost immediately, she did. In the first month, she gained about five myopia management patients – all of whose parents are both surprised that she is offering this service in a corporate-affiliated location and who were a little frustrated that they hadn’t been told by any previous eye care provider.
“Even patients who want to think about it thank me for letting them know that it’s an option,” she says. Her commitment to the initiative has become stronger in the weeks she has been offering it. “I saw a 17-year-old patient who was a -7.00D and had a retinal hole. His parents were so sad that they did not know about any of the risks or treatment options for progressive myopia. That’s when I realized how important it is that we offer the option.”
RUN WITH IDEAS
Dr. Sran says her contact lens representatives have been giving her great ideas for years. “I always listen to their ideas, and I’m running with this. I decided not to overthink the implications of offering this service in a corporate-affiliated location,” she says.
It is also helpful as she rebuilds the practice. “The previous doctor was beloved, so some patients are a little curious about me – and what I know. By working to elevate the experience, I can add to their confidence,” she says.
She already has an Optos retinal imaging system, and she’s just added the Topcon Myah optical biometer and corneal topographer. “We’ll be doing myopia risk assessments on all of our children and teens,” she says.
Although patients are often initially surprised that she talks about myopia management therapies as something she can offer, she is trying to revise that paradigm. “I want to normalize the idea that optometrists in every mode of practice can educate and work with patients with progressive myopia. There’s a benefit to everyone that more optometrists become involved,” she says.
She adds that her professional network has expanded since she made this decision. At Vision Expo East, she met Maria Sampalis, OD, founder of Corporate Optometry, and Glenda Aleman, OD, who began offering myopia management and orthokeratology in her independent practice inside a Walmart location in 2018. “It’s exciting to talk with other practitioners who see opportunities outside of the conventional ones,” she says.
Read the 2018 story with Dr. Aleman (then Dr. Glenda Moheeputh) here.
Listen to Dr. Sampalis talk about pushing through your fears in this WO Voices podcast.
