Before going to college and optometry school, Imrana Momin, OD, was a personal shopper for clients at an upscale department store. Despite making a substantial income, her passion for optometry never wavered. “I wanted to be an eye doctor since sixth grade when I had my first eye exam. I was always fascinated by optometry. Now, I get to live my dream, and I get to do it every day,” she says.
That dream gained a new focus when she established an independent practice next to a Walmart location in Bay City, Texas, at the start of 2024. She was familiar with the company after previously practicing next to a Sam’s Club in Richmond, Texas before leaving to start a family and a private practice near her home in Sugarland, Texas.
With her private practice gaining traction and two small children under the age of 2, Dr. Momin sought supplemental income to support herself in a way that provided her with independence. The Walmart location just an hour away presented the perfect opportunity. “The community needed an optometrist,” Dr. Momin says. “I leave my home at 9 a.m., work from 10 to 6, and get home by 7 p.m. I love going to a smaller town and getting away from the chaos of the city for those days. The patients didn’t have many doctors and don’t always get the kind of attention they would like, so the patients appreciate me being there. It’s my goal to make sure they understand what they need and what they can do for their ocular health.”
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS
Dr. Momin brings advanced technology to her practice in Bay City, a community of less than 20,000. She carries her Meibovue camera to document patients’ meibomian glands. “If their glands are undamaged but they have signs or symptoms of dry eye, I can start them off on interventions like fish oil supplements, artificial tears and prescription medications. But if their glands are damaged, they may need office treatment such as intense pulsed light or radio frequency treatment.”
Her comprehensive care includes routine eye exams with dilation and visual fields for all patients. She also offers myopia management, which is not typically available to children in the area. She has been trained to prescribe MiSight one-day lenses and needs no special equipment to do so. When she sees children with refractive changes and other risk factors, such as parents being myopic, she explains why earlier intervention can slow myopia progression. Being able to offer this service within reach for families is important. “If families have to travel an hour each way to start with myopia management treatment, it complicates compliance issues,” she says.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Dr. Momin’s patients appreciate her personalized, attentive care. “It surprises them.” She schedules patients every 30 minutes and works alone in the office. She’s with them from the moment they walk in and through the pretesting, so she knows their history by the time the exam begins. “By then, I’m already deep into conversation with them about their vision needs and concerns.”
Patients tell her they love her attentiveness and the education they receive. “I have patients with diabetes who don’t know they should be getting a dilated eye exam every year,” she says.
“Word is getting around that there’s a doctor who practices independently next to a Walmart.” Her husband, who works in information technology, created a QR code for her doors that allows patients to schedule an eye exam immediately. “It’s a nice way to capture their interest and intent as they’re thinking of scheduling an eye exam.”
Dr. Momin finds the Vision Center associates friendly and helpful. Since Texas is a two-door state, the associates do not work with or for Dr. Momin, but they are excited about her presence, and she’s happy to answer any questions they might have.
Dr. Momin is as excited about her career and the profession now as she was as a curious sixth grader. “That experience as a child is the first point I made in my optometry school applications. I loved optometry then, and I love what I do now.”
