Shelby Brogdon, OD, is forging an unconventional career path that brings together boutique dry eye care and mobile clinical research.
A few months ago, Dr. Brogdon realized she needed a change. She had been working at a large OD/MD practice and eventually hit a wall. “I launched our dry eye clinic, but I was still juggling cataracts, glaucoma and diabetes cases along with routine eye care,” she says. A demanding daily patient load left her burned out, keeping her from growing her specialty practice or balancing motherhood.
JOINING NOH EYES
When Dr. Brogdon’s friend and colleague Ada Noh, OD—who opened Noh Eyes in Little Rock three years ago—moved to Dallas last fall, she saw an opportunity. “Dr. Noh was commuting to Little Rock every other week to see patients while also living and practicing part-time in Dallas. It just made sense for us to join forces,” Dr. Brogdon says. In June, she officially came on board. Going forward, Dr. Noh will be on-site at Noh Eyes one week each month—working alongside Dr. Brogdon—and Dr. Brogdon will see patients at the clinic solo the rest of the time.
Rebranded internally as “the dry eye dream team” as a nod to the original “Noh eyes left behind” slogan, Noh Eyes focuses exclusively on dry eye relief. They offer advanced therapies—IPL, Radiofrequency, ZEST, NuLids, Rinsada, in-office Autologous Serum Tears and Amniotic membranes. New technology with aesthetic services is likely on the horizon. By operating on a cash-pay model, they have the freedom from vision plan restrictions and the flexibility to deliver truly specialized care.
GAINING EXPERIENCE ON THE ROAD
Amid this transition, Dr. Brogdon has been diversifying her work experience. To bring in extra revenue and learn the ins and outs of clinical research, she signed on with 20/20 Onsite. This company began to bring primary eye care and refractive services to employers in New England and Florida. And when eye care services at research centers became acute during the pandemic, the company expanded its model.
The program within 20/20 Onsite that Dr. Brogdon works with provides services to research centers. The company sends fully equipped vans to clinical trial sites across the U.S.Optometrists meet the van or support staff to perform eye exams required before patients enroll in a trial or before starting medications known to have potential eye side effects. In this role, she performs slit-lamp examination, intraocular pressure checks, dilation and fundus exams.
Dr. Brogdon sees this mobile work as valuable on-the-job training. “We are eager to start bringing on clinical research at Noh Eyes,” she says. “20/20 Onsite is a good opportunity for us to learn the processes and protocols and get some hands-on experience.”
Beyond her dry eye focus and mobile research duties, Dr. Brogdon picks up half-day preoperative and postoperative work with a local LASIK surgeon. But maintaining flexibility remains her guiding principle. With two young children at home, she’s achieved a balance that fulfills her clinical and research interests without sacrificing family time.
FINDING BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY
This new workflow was the change she felt she needed. “You’re not stuck,” Dr. Brogdon says. “A lot of people want a change but think, ‘I can’t do that.’ They can—it’s just uncomfortable. Obviously, there are some sacrifices, but being there for my family is worth it.” She recognizes that her income will likely dip this year compared to her previous OD/MD salary, but she considers that a short-term compromise with long-term potential.
Dr. Brogdon’s advice to optometrists who feel burned out or are seeking a healthier work-life balance: “Your family, happiness and mental health should always come first—life is too short.” She encourages ODs to explore the variety of paths they can take, whether it’s fill-in work, mobile programs like 20/20 Onsite, part-time contracts or niche referrals to build a career that fits their personal and professional goals.
LOOKING AHEAD
As she helps to develop the dry eye dream team and deepens her clinical research skills, Dr. Brogdon believes the practice will continue to grow as a community resource for dry eye care and a leader for innovation and research in Arkansas. “The goal is to be the referral center—Do you have dry eyes? This is where you need to go—and a resource for fellow optometrists, ophthalmologists and health care providers,” she says. It’s a long journey, but it’s an exciting one.
