When Lori Blackmer, OD, graduated from Southern College of Optometry in 1987, women made up just 15% of her class. At the time, the idea of women running their own private practices wasn’t something she had considered—until a classmate introduced her to a female optometrist in Memphis, Tennessee, who had built a thriving business. “It was eye-opening,” Dr. Blackmer recalls. “I had never seen that women could run practices and own businesses.”
That realization shaped her path. After three years of working in a large clinic in New Orleans, Dr. Blackmer took over a retiring optometrist’s practice in Picayune, Mississippi—just an hour north of New Orleans. She has spent the last 35 years growing Picayune Eye Clinic, raising her family and mentoring the next generation of optometrists.
Among those mentees was Hannah Massengale, OD, who joined the practice full-time following her graduation from 2024 University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Optometry. She had completed a clinical rotation in Dr. Blackmer’s office. For Dr. Massengale, it was a homecoming—she grew up in Picayune but had never met Dr. Blackmer before her rotation. “I was a little nervous coming back to my hometown,” she admits. “But it was my goal. My mom’s a schoolteacher here, and I knew I wanted to serve this community.
A PRACTICE THAT FEELS LIKE HOME
From the start, Dr. Massengale saw something special in Dr. Blackmer’s approach. “Every patient tells me, ‘We love Dr. Blackmer.’ She takes time to talk with them, and she genuinely cares. Patients drive two or three hours to see her, even from Florida,” she says. In a county of 75,000 people with no full-time ophthalmologist, the practice provides true primary eye care—seeing everything from infants to complex pathology cases and guiding patients through every stage of their vision needs.
Dr. Blackmer knew she needed another doctor in the practice, and Dr. Massengale was the perfect fit. “Just like my student doctors, if she has questions or needs reassurance on a diagnosis, I’m here,” she says. “Our practice has grown so much that we can’t manage it as a single-doctor office anymore. Dr. Massengale is here full-time, and Bonnie Keaton, OD, works with us part-time.”
But as much as Dr. Blackmer supports her younger colleague, she also acknowledges how much she’s learned from her. “She came in ready and raring to go,” Dr. Blackmer says. “She’s more skilled at certain procedures than I am—things like YAG laser and chalazion removals. I trust her completely, and I don’t hesitate to send those cases her way.”
EXPANDING AND EVOLVING
The growth of the practice has led to physical expansion as well. What started as a single exam lane has grown to seven, with additional pretesting rooms and diagnostic equipment. Dr. Blackmer invested in a $300,000 expansion last year to keep up with demand. But there are limits. “We’re maxed out on space,” Dr. Blackmer says. “We’ve run out of waiting room chairs and parking spots. Unless we take it to a whole new level, we’re at capacity.”
That reality plays into the larger question of the future of the practice. Like many independent optometrists, Dr. Blackmer is thinking about what’s next in her transition plan. “Initially, I wasn’t sure a young doctor could afford to buy into a practice like this,” she admits. After meeting with Erich Mattei, MBA, president at the consulting firm Akrinos, she began to explore options. “There are a lot of ways to bring in an associate and structure a transition.”
For Dr. Massengale, the possibility of becoming a partner is a strong draw. “Before I even joined, I asked myself, ‘Would I want to be a partner with her one day?’” she says. “She has built this practice from the ground up, and her insight is invaluable. I didn’t come in with a business background, but she’s been an incredible guide—not just clinically, but in leadership and practice management.”
TRANSITION PLAN
As they continue to serve their community, both doctors recognize the importance of the work they do—not just for their patients, but for the future of independent optometry. “This practice is part of my retirement plan,” Dr. Blackmer says with a laugh. Still, she would prefer not to sell to private equity, and bringing in an associate or eventual partner means she has more influence in the practice’s future. “But more than that, it’s part of this town. I may live here for the rest of my life, and I want to be proud of what it becomes.”
For Dr. Massengale, that future is one she’s eager to step into. “I’ve never known anything different than having a strong female leader at the helm,” she says. “Dr. Blackmer built something amazing here, and I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Read more stories on how optometrists structure their ownership models here.
Photos courtesy of Dr. Blackmer
