Optometric Insights Media

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. Damon Dierker:

Dr. Dierker is Director of Optometric Services at Eye Surgeons of Indiana and an adjunct faculty member at the Indiana University School of Optometry. He practices consultative optometry with special interests in ocular surface disease and retinal disorders. He has developed a dedicated dry eye clinic within his practice and helps colleagues across the country in this area as the creator of Dry Eye Boot Camp and co-founder of Eyes on Dry Eye. Additionally, he serves as President of the Indiana Optometric Association. 

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. Jackie Garlich:

Dr. Jaclyn Garlich is a graduate of the New England College of Optometry. After optometry school, she furthered her training by completing a residency in primary care and ocular disease at the St. Louis Veterans Affairs and obtained her Fellowship of the American Academy of Optometry in 2011. She is the owner of Envision Optometry in Boston and has a strong interest in treating dry eye. Dr. Garlich is also the editor of 20/20 Glance, an optometry newsletter that educates thousands of optometrists on the latest advances in our profession and she also serves as a Major in the Air National Guard. 

20/20 Glance Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/2020glance/

20/20 Glance Newsletter:
https://modernod.com/2020-glance

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. Craig Norman:

A clinician for over 4 decades, he has been involved in the development and evaluation of numerous products and technologies in the soft, GP and scleral lens category. Until the summer of 2018 he was the founding Director of Research at the Michigan College of Optometry, Ferris State University where he remains on the adjunct faculty. 

From its inception in 2002 through 2018 he was a Founder and Education Committee Chairman of the Global Specialty Lens Symposium. 

Mr. Norman has been a Consulting Editor to the Contact Lens Spectrum authoring a column on Prescribing for Presbyopia for 15 years, and more recently along with Patrick Caroline co-author of the History of Contact Lenses column in the same publication.

He is a Member of the Advisory Panel of the GP Lens Institute, Advisory Board Member of the International Keratoconus Academy and has been an Advisory Panel Member to numerous SCL and GP lens companies. 

He has published over 150 articles, posters, videos and book chapters on GP and Soft Lens Design, Presbyopic Contact Lenses, Specialty Contact Lens Uses and Eye Care Practice Management and traveled extensively throughout the world lecturing on a variety of contact lens and eyecare related topics.

Mr. Norman is He is the co-curator of The Contact Lens Museum and host of the Specialty Lenses Unplugged podcast series, as well as the CTO (Chief Thinking Officer) of Wink Productions, Inc. an eyecare training and professional development company. 

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. Howard Purcell:

Howard Purcell, OD ‘84, FAAO was named the College’s 13th president in July of 2018. Dr. Purcell brings to the position a wealth of experience in private practice, academia, and the optometric industry. He is well versed in evolving trends and technologies in healthcare and optometry in particular and brings this expertise to the presidency.

Prior to his appointment as President, Dr. Purcell served as the Senior Vice President, Customer Development for Essilor of America.  He was part of the Essilor team for 10 years.  Prior to joining Essilor he spent 13 years as Senior Director of Professional Affairs for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care.  

Dr. Purcell is a graduate of New England College, Class of 1984, and has long been involved in the school through presenting continuing education, supporting student development, and serving on the Board of Trustees.  Dr. Purcell began his optometric career by participating in a group optometric practice for eleven years with his father, NECO alumnus Saul Purcell, OD ’54, in Miami Beach, FL.

Beginning in June 1991, Dr. Purcell joined the faculty of Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry.  During his career at the college, he was a principle in the development of the Department of Cornea and Contact Lenses.  As Associate Professor, Dr. Purcell was responsible for both the didactic and clinical components of the program. He later reached the rank of Deputy Dean of the college. 

Dr. Purcell is a Diplomate in the Cornea and Contact Lens Section of the American Academy of Optometry. His energetic and enthusiastic style has made Dr. Purcell a popular lecturer internationally. Purcell’s unique philosophies and practices have often attracted the media to focus attention on current optometric issues and research in the industry.

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. Selina McGee:
Dr. Selina McGee is Founder and Owner of Precision Vision of Edmond, a boutique private practice that offers patients a wide range of optometric care via its dry eye center of excellence, specialty contact lens clinic and aesthetics suite. The practice also performs extensive pathology management and laser and minor surgical procedures. In 2018, Dr. McGee introduced eye rejuvenation services to help patients bothered by drooping eyelids or wrinkles around their eyes. In addition to her private practice, Dr. McGee is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Northeastern State University College of Optometry. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, and is Past-President of the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians. She has many relationships with industry, serving on numerous advisory boards. Dr. McGee is the recipient of several awards, including the Heart of American Contact Lens Society Award, RGP Lens Institute Clinical Excellence Award and Alcon Excellence in Contact Lens Fitting Award. She has a dozen publications to her credit that have appeared in Modern Optometry, Optometry Times and Diagnostic Testing for Dry Eye Disease, among others. Dr. McGee has lectured nationally and internationally at meetings such as Alberta Optometric Association, American Academy of Optometry, SECO International, Vision Expo East and Vision Expo West among others. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology (where she graduated Summa Cum Laude) and Doctor of Optometry (also Summa Cum Laude) from Northeastern State University College of Optometry.

 Private Practice:
http://www.pvedmond.com
instagram:  @precision_vision_edmond

Instagram: @selinamcgee
Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-selina-mcgee-od-faao-dipl-abo-57830a7/

Apps Mentioned:  Think Dirty and EWG 

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. Fayiz Mahgoub:
To be updated.

Where to find him:
Augmented Vision Labs Website: https://augmentedvisionlabs.com/

Instagram: @fayiz_m (https://www.instagram.com/fayiz_m)

Facebook: Fayiz Mahgoub (https://www.facebook.com/fayiz.mahgoub)

LinkedIn: Fayiz Mahgoub, OD (https://www.linkedin.com/in/fayizmahgoub/)

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. James Deom:

James Deom is a 2014 graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University. While in school he was the national AOSA president and was the first student to complete his OD and MPH concurrently while at PCO. Upon graduating, he joined Hazleton Eye Specialsits and has grown the office to three locations with a passion for providing full scope optometric care. He is the proud father of three children and his wife Jillian who is a practice Physical Therapist. 

Social Media and Other Resources:
Hazleton Eye Specialists: 
https://www.facebook.com/hazletoneyespecialists/

Try Not to Blink Podcast:
https://www.trynot2blink.com/

Send us Fan Mail

On this episode of The OI Show, Dr. Elise Kramer shared with us how she got started and build her referral-based practice in less than 3 years.

About Dr. Elise Kramer:

Dr. Elise Kramer is a residency-trained optometrist in Miami FL who specializes in ocular surface disease and regular and specialty contact lens fitting.

Her Doctorate degree was awarded in Optometry from the Université de Montréal in 2012 where she received a grant from the Scholarship Program of the Québec Ministry of Education for short-term university studies outside of Québec. Receipt of this scholarship award is based on academic performance. In the summer of her second year, she participated in a humanitarian mission in Laayoune, Morocco where she helped hundreds of impoverished people by giving them free eye examinations and glasses corresponding as closely as possible to their prescription.

During her fourth year, she completed her internship in ocular disease at the Eye Centers of South Florida and went on to complete her residency at the Miami VA Medical Center. Her time there included training at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the nation’s top eye hospital. After her residency, Dr. Kramer became a fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society (SLS) and now serves as the Public Education Chair for the SLS. Dr. Kramer is a member of the American Optometric Association (AOA), the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO). She is also the Delegate of International Relations for the Italian Association of Scleral Lenses (AILeS).  Dr. Kramer has published several important articles and reviews and is participates in clinical research trials. She enjoys lecturing all around the world in several different languages about ocular surface disease and specialty lenses. She strives to assist each patient with quality and advanced eye care whether he or she requires a basic eye exam or specialized eye or vision care.

“My practice has been devoted to the restoring quality vision and ocular comfort to those patients who have been affected by keratoconus, refractive surgical complications (ex: LASIK), corneal transplant surgery, eye trauma, chronic dry eyes, corneal dystrophies and degenerations and many others. Most of my patients who have suffered from vision loss are now wearing custom made contact lenses I have designed using advanced technology. The results are outstanding.”

Where to find her:
Dr. Kramer's IG to https://www.instagram.com/drelisekramer/

Private Practice: 
Miami Contact Lens Institute:
www.miamicontactlens.com 

Send us Fan Mail

About Dr. Justin Schweitzer:

Dr. Justin Schweitzer specializes in advanced glaucoma, refractive surgical clinical care, and anterior segment pathology at Vance Thompson Vision.  He received his professional training and Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, OR.

In 2012 he pursued his dream to focus on glaucoma, advanced anterior segment surgery care and pathology, joining Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  He earned Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry in 2013, is the Optometric Externship Director at Vance Thompson Vision, and Adjunct Clinical Professor of the Illinois College of Optometry and Kentucky College of Optometry.

Dr. Schweitzer regularly lectures on glaucoma, anterior segment pathology, refractive surgical clinical care, and surgical management at state, regional, and national meetings.  He is currently the Chief Medical Editor for Modern Optometry and has contributed book chapters, journal articles, and case studies in peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed journals including Review of Optometry, Optometry Times, Primary Care Optometry News, Optometric Management, The Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Clinical Ophthalmology, and The Journal of Glaucoma.  He has research interests in minimally invasive glaucoma surgery and biomechanical properties of the cornea as it relates to glaucoma.     

Dr. Schweitzer is an advocate of an integrated eye care delivery model and is currently serving as President-Elect for the South Dakota Optometric Society.  

Send us Fan Mail

On today's episode, Dr. Eef van der Worp is back to share with us ways to revolutionize fitting soft contact lenses. 

About Dr. Eef van der Worp :
Eef van der Worp is an educator and researcher. He received his optometry degree from the Hogeschool van Utrecht in the Netherlands (NL) and has served as a head of the contact lens department at the school for over eight years. Eef received his PhD from the University of Maastricht (NL) in 2008. He now runs his own research & education consultancy 'Eye-Contact-Lens' which is based in Amsterdam (NL), and gives courses on ‘How to Present’.

He is a fellow of the AAO, BCLA and the SLS, a lifetime fellow of IACLE and a honorly life member or the Dutch contact lens association ANVC. And he is on the education committee for a number of conferences, including the Global Specialty Lens Symposium (GSLS) in the US and the Dutch Contact Lens Conference (NCC) and Dutch Optometric Society meeting (OVN). He is a board member of the BCLA journal Contact Lens & Anterior Eye.

Eef is adjunct assistant Professor at Pacific University College of Optometry (Oregon, USA), and adjunct Professor at the University of Montreal University College of Optometry (CA) and he is lecturing extensively worldwide and is a guest lecturer at a number of Universities in the US and Europe.

Where to find him:
SoftSpecialEdition newsletter
I-site newsletter
Click here to sign up directly for any newsletter
Eye-Contact-Lens Research & Education - Amsterdam NL
Resources (including the scleral lens guide

Eef van der Worp, BOptom, PhD, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA, FSLS
e-mail: [email protected]