Millicent Knight, OD, FAAO, FAARM, FNAP, is the senior vice president of customer development at EssilorLuxottica North America. She describes herself as an advocate for lifelong learning, always striving to be the best for her patients that she can be. “The only way to meet your patients’ needs is to stay updated with all the information that is available,” Dr. Knight says. Leonardo, the new learning platform from EssilorLuxottica, can help.
EssilorLuxottica is empowering eye care professional (ECP) education through Leonardo by keeping users up to date on science, information and technology in the eye care industry. Dr. Knight says that Leonardo is available 24/7 across all devices and holds more than 7,000 hours of educational content delivered in a variety of formats, making it convenient for users. Most of the content is free: there are on-demand video lessons, interactive written courses and live sessions taught by renowned industry experts. “There is something for everyone,” Dr. Knight says. “You will never visit the same Leonardo twice, and there is learning content available to fit seamlessly into your day.”
Leonardo also holds updated information on various professional development programs, including lens technology, brand ambassador programs, masterclasses in myopia management and presbyopia, ABO courses and new hire programs.
“As business owners, it is important to keep staff engaged and efficiently trained,” Dr. Knight says. She says that using Leonardo can lead to greater staff engagement, higher employee satisfaction and a better patient experience.
It’s important to gain any edge in differentiating a practice, and education is a central component of that, she says. When she was in practice, for example, she realized she wanted to incorporate a more holistic approach with her patients. That passion drove her to find the research and education that eventually led to her achieving a fellowship in anti-aging, regenerative and functional medicine.
“I consider myself to be an early adopter of new information,” Dr. Knight says. “It is a critical part of maintaining the best possible patient care.”
RUNNING A RELAY RACE
Dr. Knight, a 100-meter relay runner in college, says running an optical business can feel the same in lots of ways. As a former practice owner, she describes the necessary efficiency and teamwork to run a successful practice as being like a relay race— no matter how strong each individual team member is, they cannot win the race alone and must pass the baton with care. From the front desk to the technician, to the doctor and optician, “nobody can drop the baton,” Dr. Knight says. She says Leonardo enables a practice team to consume any and all information they deem necessary to feel confident in their space, helping them run that race faster and more efficiently. “I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have Leonardo in place to help us make more sustainable choices,” Dr Knight says.
Leonardo users will find that the platform contains not only content covering many optical topics but also in many formats and lengths. The content is so deep and varied that it meets staff members and doctors where they are. Plus, the system helps users find additional content to continue their learning journey. Leonardo can identify that the user who searches content on optical products, for example, may be interested in similar topics and present more options.
Using this robust learning platform allows providers to focus on patient care, knowing that the platform can provide introductions and advanced levels of information to staff to help them be better opticians, technicians and managers.
In the optical industry, science and technology change quickly. In order to meet the needs of patients with the best possible treatment and product options, access to continuing education is key. Visit Leonardo.essilorluxottica.com to get started on your learning journey.
Listen to Dr. Knight discuss how Leonardo can help eye care practices in this WO Voices podcast.
Dr. Millicent Knight: Empowering ECPs With Lifelong Learning Through Leonardo
