Specialty Lens Success

“The future will definitely be customized lenses” says our guest, Daddi Fadel, who works as a clinical scientist with the research team at the Centre for Ocular Research and Education or CORE and as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Daddi is a Fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society, Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association, Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Fellow of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators. Before moving to Canada in the fall of 2022, Daddi ran a very well-regarded specialty lens practice in Italy. Finally, I should say that she is well known worldwide for presentations, publications, books and courses she organizes.

Daddi and I will spend some time on the future of specialty lenses and technologies that are important now and are the bedrock for the future. There are a couple surprises in this conversation so listen carefully.

One of the courses she founded is the highly regarded European School of Scleral Lenses (EUROSCOLE). At the end of the podcast you will hear a special announcement regarding future courses right here in North America.

CORE Website – https://core.uwaterloo.ca

The Summit of Specialty Lenses – https://thesummit-ssc.com

Euroscole (European School of Scleral Lenses) – https://euroscole.com

Eaglet Eye website – https://www.eaglet-eye.com

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at [email protected] with your thoughts.

The post Episode 008: Daddi Fadel on The Present and Future appeared first on Eaglet Eye.

Today we are going to the United Kingdom where our guest, Brian Tompkins, BSc (Hons), FCOptom, FBCLA, is going to share with us many of the elements that make his practice so successful.

Even though the optometric market in the UK is somewhat different than the US, you will find many of the programs he has put in place are similar to successful US practices. But, there are some new twists! Today you will hear about how a 134-year-old Victorian building, a 7,000 £ coffee machine, concierge service, social media, high technology, talented doctors and great people providing great service combine to make the magic of one of the most successful practices in England.

Brian’s practice, Tompkins Knight & Son Optometrists, was founded in 1868 and is located in North Hampton about 70 miles northwest of the heart of London. Brian will tell you that the success of the practice is a team effort supported by his co-director, Nicky Tompkins, two associate optometrists – Keyur Patel and Debra Grant – and finally his dedicated staff.

This podcast is produced by the fine folks at Eaglet Eye. If you think this podcast has value and you want to share it with a colleague, simply use the share link on your podcast player of choice. Check out to the link below to the Tompkins Knight and Son website. You will also find links to Eaglet Eye where you can learn more about the Eye Surface Profiler.

Admit it, you are most curious about that 7,000 £ coffee machine. OK! Then listen in to learn more about it.

Tomkins Knight and Son Optometrists website – https://www.tks-optometrists.co.uk

Tomkins Knight and Son Optometrists Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TKSOptometrists

Eaglet Eye website – https://www.eaglet-eye.com

Contact Eaglet Eye for a virtual demonstration – https://www.eaglet-eye.com/contact

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at [email protected] with your thoughts.

Our guest today is Dr. Cheryl Chapman, FAAO, FIAOMC and Diplomate of ABO. Dr. Chapman is the President of the American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control otherwise known as the AAOMC. This organization is also behind the exciting Vision By Design meeting that is coming up soon September 6 through 10 in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to her responsibilities as President of the organization, Dr. Chapman has a thriving practice called Gretna Vision Source in Gretna, Nebraska just a short distance southwest of Omaha. And, she is the co-founder of Peeq Pro. We will get to know Dr. Chapman, her story and her interesting relationship to orthokeratology and myopia control. Also, you will learn a lot about the AAOMC and its new initiatives to bring specialty lens education to doctors and patients alike as it continues to raise the standards of specialty lens fitting around the world.

Many of you know that Eaglet Eye is investing more resources in adding more orthok lenses to its First Lens Fit algorithms. Therefore, our interest in this area. To learn more about how the Eye Surface Profiler benefits OrhoK lens fitters, go to https://orthokfitting.com.

Regarding the Vision By Design meeting… use the discount code provided in the podcast and below to get a $100 discount on your registration.

$100 registration Discount Code for Vision By Design: SLSPODCAST

AAOMC website – https://aaomc.org

Gretna Vision Source website – https://www.gretnavisionsource.com

Peeq Pro website – https://peeqpro.com

Facebook groups:

The Eye Surface Profiler and orthok fitting – https://orthokfitting.com

Eaglet Eye website – https://www.eaglet-eye.com

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at [email protected] with your thoughts.

The post Episode 005: Dr. Cheryl Chapman on The AAOMC and The Exciting Vision By Design Meeting appeared first on Eaglet Eye.

In 2016 he took his first scleral lens patient from “Surviving in a combination contact lens to thriving in scleral lenses”. This was the beginning of Dr. Steven Keith’s growing specialty lens practice. Dr. Keith founded Towne Lake Eye Associates 25 years ago. Since then, he has added two associates Dr. Christopher Luft and Dr. Sara Aamir. Towne Lake Eye Associates is located in Woodstock, Georgia which is about 30 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia. In this episode Dr. Keith shares how he nurtured his specialty lens practice through being mentored and by enhancing word of mouth and investing in his staff and technology.

At the end of the podcast, we give some short practical advice on “tooting your own horn”.

Towne Lake Eye Associates website – https://townelakeeye.com

Eaglet Eye website – https://www.eaglet-eye.com

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at [email protected] with your thoughts.

The post Episode 004: Dr. Steven Keith on Word of Mouth appeared first on Eaglet Eye.

Before I introduce today’s guests, think about the following questions:

Well, you are in luck because these are just a few of the topics that will be discussed today with our guests Dr. Alex Gibberman, FAAO, FSLS and Dr. David Williams, MBA of 2020 Eyecare Ohio. 2020 Eyecare is located in Loveland, OH which is a suburb on the northeast side of Cincinnati. Early in their careers, Dr. Gibberman and Dr. Williams met while moonlighting at a Lenscrafters. Needless to say, they hit it off and started talking about opening a practice together. Today we talk about the different skill sets each brought to the practice, how they marketed the practice and how they maintain important relationships to enhance word of mouth referrals. Starting a specialty lens practice from scratch? They have some words of wisdom.

2020 Eyecare Ohio website – https://2020eyecareoh.com

ICSC Meeting, July 28 and 29, 2023 – https://www.icscmeeting.com

Eaglet Eye website – https://www.eaglet-eye.com

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at [email protected] with your thoughts.

The post Episode 003: Dr. Alex Gibberman and Dr. David Williams on Building Referrals appeared first on Eaglet Eye.

“You have to be all in” says Dr. Coan when talking about specialty lenses. Being “all in” started during her residency at Pacific University. We cover a lot of ground in this conversation from practice marketing to staff support to workflow to technology and advice for new fitters. I found one of her marketing techniques humorous and effective. That is when she turns around an ophthalmologist’s public relations visit to her office to benefit her practice. Dr. Coan’s enthusiasm for what she does is infectious. You can hear her smile when she talks.

Dr. Coan is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control, Fellow of the Scleral Lens Education Society and a Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association. These are important fellowships, and they demonstrate Dr. Coan’s personal investment and commitment in this area of specialization.

Coan Eye Care and Optical Boutique – http://www.coaneyecare.com

Pacific University School of Optometry Residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses

To learn more about fellowships:

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at [email protected] with your thoughts.

The post Episode 002: Dr. Roxanne Achong-Coan with “You have to be all in” appeared first on Eaglet Eye.

His first impression of scleral lenses was that they took up “too much time”. Little did he know that several years later they would become his specialty. For our inaugural episode of the Specialty Lens Success podcast, our guest is Tom Arnold, OD, FSLS. He says to fellow specialists “You are the difference between seeing and not seeing. You are the difference between being in pain and not in pain.”

In this episode, we explore Dr. Arnold’s journey in optometry and specialty lenses. We dig into the strategies and tactics he used to build his successful specialty lens practice. And, we talk about the resources available to those that are newer to specialty lenses. Finally, we talk about the upcoming ICSC meeting in Ft. Lauderdale and how he and his fellow organizers have enhanced the meeting.

The specialty of specialty lenses is very rewarding in many ways. Dr. Arnold encourages those in this specialty and those considering it to invest in continuous learning.

During our conversation, Dr. Arnold mentioned several resources. Links to these resources can be found below:

Is there someone you would like to us to interview for the podcast? Is there subject matter you would like us to explore? Contact me… Ted Newill at [email protected] with your thoughts.

The post Episode 001: Dr. Tom Arnold on Building A Specialty Lens Practice appeared first on Eaglet Eye.