Damaris Raymondi, OD, FAAO, revised her patient approach after hearing “no” repeatedly from patients and parents at her practice. The larger lesson: repeated refusals taught her to examine how she presents care. These early setbacks prompted her to connect with families differently, shorten her message and follow up effectively.
The refusals stung. Her practice, Sur Eye Care, is located in the area she grew up in—Jackson Heights, Queens. As someone who loves her neighborhood and community, she says, “At first, it was extremely discouraging.”
She recalls other practitioners making myopia management seem so easy. Lots of educational materials like pamphlets at conferences and meetings also added to the deceptive simplicity.
Dr. Raymondi brought up her difficulties to mentors and colleagues, and the conversations she had with them began changing her outlook. She began looking introspectively, saying that eventually you have to “admit that you’re the common denominator.” That realization became her turning point. Instead of blaming demographics or parental fatigue, she accepted responsibility and refined her approach.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Being part of the Myopia Collective, a joint initiative of the American Optometric Association and CooperVision, gave her a confidence boost. The Myopia Collective was created in 2024 to rally optometry and its allies to realize a new standard of care for children with myopia.
“It helped so much because I can remember where I was when I first joined the Myopia Collective,” she says. “I really believed in myopia management, and I believed in the science.”
But she felt unsteady about the implementation. The Myopia Collective community fills those gaps. Hearing colleagues offer similar messages and seeing their success in varied communities gave her the courage to simplify her message and persist after refusals.
Simplifying conversations with families works well. She doesn’t overwhelm parents with steps and instead asks about their direct concerns. When parents can’t identify a specific worry, she offers a plain reframe: “You’re worried about your child’s vision getting worse next year.”
She also says to parents that while an ideal start might have been earlier, “I can start now.” If families wish to think it over, she makes it clear the likely trajectory without treatment means the myopia is likely to progress.
She calls myopia management “a numbers game.” The more people she presents it to, the more children will get great. By documenting conversations and offering treatment consistently, her practice continues to grow. Families that initially postponed treatment return months or years later to opt in, often with siblings in tow which increases the amount of myopia patients.
BUILDING A NETWORK
Dr. Raymondi described how she opened local referral doors by being unpretentious and persistent. “You know what works? The old-fashioned cold-calling in person with some cookies and baked goods to just meet those in your neighborhood,” she says.
She began arranging real meetings rather than just leaving a referral card. She recalls telling a local pediatrician, “You’ve been here for many years. I’m just starting out. I would love to let you know what I’m doing.” She also began sending any referring physician customized referral reports showing what needs treatment and how myopia management will address it.
She also reconnected with a college friend who became a pediatrician. Using that connection opened another door for referrals. She emphasizes that it is important to “reach out and put yourself out there. Nobody’s going to know your passion if you don’t go out and express it.” Those pediatricians became vocal referrers because they saw she was doing the right thing by their patients.
Dr. Raymondi remembers the mindset shift in treating refusal as data rather than defeat. “If I would have understood that earlier, then I would have saved myself some heartache. Now, I have no more heartache.”
