How comfortable are you recommending high end products to your patients? Whether its contact lenses, boutique frames, or ophthalmic lenses, recommending the best-in-class to patients has long been a challenge for many ECPs. But why? And, more importantly, how can we overcome this hurdle?

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Pavan Avinashi who is the owner of Hollyburn Eye Clinic in North Vancouver. Over the last 22 years, Dr. Avinashi has built Hollyburn into the type of clinic many ODs aspire to run: a 6-lane, modern practice with 7 ODs, a dedicated aesthetics spa, and a reputation for offering the best options in eyewear.

So, how did Dr. Avinashi build his practice to this level? Today, he shares his top three recommendations for business owners who aspire to offer the best to their patients.

Big thanks to Hoya Vision Care Canada for their support of this episode.

Learn more about Hoya and their premium lens offering:

https://www.hoyavision.com/en-ca/vision-products/

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Dr. Cedrick Mah graduated from Waterloo in 2022. He then completed his residency in Oklahoma. Cedrick is a Fellow of the American Association of Optometry, a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, and newly crowned Young Optometrist of the Year by the BC Doctors of Optometry.

In this episode, we discuss Dr. Mah's experiences practicing to the fullest scope within optometry. Through his recent training and experience, Cedrick has been able to prescribe medications, order blood tests, and perform various advanced procedures for many patients. Coming back to Vancouver,

the discrepancy in scope is abundantly clear.

From reducing wait times to reducing healthcare costs and redundancies, Dr. Mah shares why and how advancing scope will benefit our profession and, most importantly, benefit our patients.

Big thanks to the BCDO for giving us the space to record these interviews during the annual conference in May 2025.

Stay tuned for more of these short episodes on scope optimization on The 20/20 podcast. We will be sharing thoughts from optometrists from across Canada who have varied and extensive experience in the matter of scope optimization.

Let's all get on board and help our profession continue to grow!

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It is not often that we have the opportunity to witness the launch of a whole new class of soft contact lens. But today, we have the unique opportunity to explore CooperVision’s MyDay Energys®. Joining Harbir Sian to talk about the first and only daily disposable lens in the industry to offer DigitalBoost™ technology are Dr. Nathalie Trottier and Dr. Evelyn Lo. Together, they explore how this lens combines innovative aspheric design and material technology to deal with eye dryness and fatigue due to digital device use. They also discuss how the MyDay Energys® contact lenses can provide comfort to its users and offer visual endurance.

Big thanks to CooperVision for supporting this episode.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/

Red Light Therapy is gaining a lot of momentum in recent years. It has been used for mood, hair growth, and many other health benefits.

But how does photobiomodulation (PBM) help our eyes?

In this episode, Dr. Graham Merry, MD discuss the history of PBM and the exciting future for this technology in eyecare.

Dr. Merry is one of the pioneers of PBM in North America, he has published landmark papers that have shown the positive effects of PBM on patients with AMD, and he has co-founded multiple companies in the PBM space.

If you were ever curious about how red light therapy works and how it can help your patients, this is the discussion for you!

Learn more about Arunalight and related studies, go to:

Arunalight.com

Connect with Dr. Merry:

[email protected]

Thanks to Bright Optical for supporting this episode.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/

Which type of refractive surgery procedure is the best option for your patients? Is it PRK? LASIK? What about SMILE? What are the differences between these?

In this episode of The 20/20 Podcast, we have the opportunity to chat with two pre-eminent corneal surgeons to discuss the latest updates in refractive surgery.

Dr. Michael Boyd is the owner of Boyd Vision in Burnaby, BC and has been performing refractive surgeries for over 30 years. Dr. Darrell Lewis is a highly trained corneal surgeon who has recently joined the Boyd Vision team. Boyd Vision is the first refractive surgical centre in BC to offer the latest in lenticule extraction technology (aka SMILE).

In this episode we will cover the following questions:

How do PRK, LASIK, and SMILE all compare to one another?

Who is the right patient for each of these types of surgery?

What makes SmartSight a better option?

How important is treating dry eye before surgery?

How can optometrists help to improve patient outcomes?

Learn more here:

https://www.boydvision.ca/referral-guide/

Big thanks to Boyd Vision for supporting this episode.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/

Have you noticed the recent changes in Google's search? Have you seen the AI tool that shows up when you search?

It's handy for the person doing the search. But how does it affect your business?

In this episode, I chat with Tyler Kemp, who is a marketing expert and account manager specializing in marketing for the eyecare industry.

Tyler is known for turning digital trends into practical, actionable insights, making him a trusted voice for anyone looking to grow their brand in a competitive market. He also shares his expertise on his own platform, TyTalksMarketing, where he offers tools and tips for thriving in the digital space.

In this episode, you will learn:

• How the most recent updates to the Google algorithm affect your business
• How you can optimize your SEO to improve your ranking
• The difference between awareness campaigns and lead generation
• The importance of training your staff to optimize marketing

Connect with Tyler - https://www.instagram.com/tytalksmarketing

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/

With so much change in the geopolitical landscape and in the world of optometry, it is natural that many current and prospective optometry students may be worried about studying in the United States. In this episode, I sat down with two current students at the New England College of Optometry, Nyah Miranda and Ewan Kelly, about their journey as pre-optometry and current optometry students. Learn about what life is like in Boston and how NECO is supporting students through these tumultuous times.

Big thanks to NECO for providing space and organizing these conversations!

Connect with Harbir:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Dr. Howard Purcell is one of the most well-known names in the optometry community. From his vast experience working in industry (from Johnson & Johnson to Essilor) and now his role as the President and CEO of the New England College of Optometry, Dr. Purcell truly is an influential figure in the industry.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Purcell at NECO about a variety of topics that are affecting both students and optometrists. From changes in board exams to navigating student debt, there are a lot of topics on top of students' minds at this time. Beyond optometry school, there are questions about the future of the profession including how to continue attracting high-quality candidates and improving access to care. Is the answer more schools? Does increased industry involvement help? How much industry involvement is ok?

This conversation will bring a lot of value to students, new grads, and veteran optometrists who are interested in thinking of new ways to improve optometry school and elevate the profession as a whole.

Connect with Harbir:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Conor Heaney is an optometrist based in the UK who has mastered the business and marketing side of his business. His practice - which happens to be located in a large, old bank building - generates over $2 million dollars in revenue while only running one exam lane and despite Conor having completely stepped away from patient care himself.

Sounds too good to be true?

In this episode, Conor shares his path to optical success as well the systems other business owners can put into place to help their practices grow. He also shares how he developed the Optical Success Academy, which has helped over 300 optometrists elevate their practices.

Learn more about the Optical Success Academy:

https://opticalsuccessacademy.com/

Connect with Conor:

https://jonesand.co/about/founder-conor-heaney-jones/

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/

What is the biggest regret you have in your life? Is it something you said? Something you did? That time you lost your temper?

Or perhaps is it something you didn't do? An opportunity missed?

In this Eye2Eye episode of The 20/20 Podcast, Harbir shares his thoughts on regret... what causes it and what we can do to avoid it.

The answer is to be bold and take action.

Here is the quote from Trevor Noah (Born a Crime):

I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done in life, any choice that I’ve made. But I’m consumed with regret for the things I didn’t do, the choices I didn’t make, the things I didn’t say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. “What if…” “If only…” “I wonder what would have…” You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days.

Here is the quote from William Hutchinson Murray:

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back — concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:

that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.

Connect with Harbir:

Instagram.com/HarbirSianOD

The2020Podcast.com

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/