If you were putting together a Who’s Who list of optometric leaders in ocular surface disease, Dr. Whitney Hauser would undoubtedly make the cut. In addition to masterminding the launch of the TearWell Advanced Dry Eye Treatment Center at the Southern College of Optometry where students get dedicated ocular surface disease clinical hours, she launches the new ECP focused educational website Dry Eye Coach this Fall. The concept behind her latest venture is novel: short videos recorded by the leading dry eye disease voices in optometry and ophthalmology (“coaches” include Dr. Paul Karpecki and Dr. Bridgitte Shen Lee to name drop a few). Videos will update doctors and their staff on the latest trends and techs in dry eye management. Wondering what you should invest in next? How do you read those pesky InflammaDry indicator markings? There’s a video for that. It’s like having a room full of your favorite ODs on conference call for all your dry eye needs, and as you listen to Dr. Hauser’s personal philosophy on dry eye diagnosis and management, you’ll see there is so much to learn.

Dr. Hauser is passionate about educating both patients and practitioners, and faced with a sea of negativity about the future of optometry, this educator sees big opportunities for both new grads looking for their first jobs and established practitioners reinvigorating their practices. She talks about the biggest challenge she feels her students face entering the job market: how to stand out among an every-growing sea of new graduates to snag the best practice opportunities? Set yourself apart with a specialty. Many hiring doctors are looking to start Dry Eye Centers of Excellence but don’t have the familiarity with new tech in the field or the passion to delve full throttle into the nuances of successful dry eye care. A new associate trained and enthusiastic about dry eye management could take the helm of this type of project and immediately start returning on the investment made by his or her employer.

What tech do you need to start a dry eye center? What treatments are most successful in her practice? Who’s the ideal dry eye patient to target and how do you reach them? Dr. Hauser answers all this and more on this edition of the Defocus Podcast!

Follow Dr. Hauser on twitter @drwhauser for the latest dry eye industry news and stay tuned to Dry Eye Coach expected launch with its first round of videos in the coming weeks.