Jade Coats, OD, FAAO, of Rogers, Arkansas, wants patients to feel like she's in their corner, inside and outside of the exam room. She's ready with a list of resources to help patients who need some emotional support as caregivers or patients undergoing treatment. Being empathetic, she says, costs her no additional time but creates mountains of goodwill and can contribute to better outcomes. 

Interprofessional collaborative practice involves health care providers from different specialties working together beyond traditional referral models. 

"It's not just referring someone out and saying you're working with them, but actually working with those professions to bring the best outcome for the patient," says Amy Moy, OD, FAAO, CPCO, FNAP. 

Other fields, particularly in hospital and community health settings, already embrace this model, with professionals coordinating care plans and sharing patient management responsibilities, but optometry has some catching up to do, she says.

Julie Poteet, OD, MS, CNS, FONS, says that a new FDA-approved therapy, photobiomodulation, for treating dry aged-related macular degeneration (AMD), could be a game-changer for optometrists and patients. For those with a family history of AMD, the implications of this new therapy are especially important. Genetic predisposition plays a role, but environmental factors can influence whether those genes lead to disease. If research continues to support photobiomodulation’s effectiveness, Dr. Poteet believes it could become a critical early intervention tool, helping to preserve vision before irreversible damage occurs.

 Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, FSLS, wears two hats—practicing optometrist and co-founder of Dr. Contact Lens. In a 23-minute podcast, she reminds both doctors and sales reps that they are the “sharks” in the industry, holding the key to patient relationships. Through The Eye Pitch Book and her “three-frog strategy,” she encourages better communication between vendors and optometrists. The next big boost for a practice, she says, might be in one of those pitches—if people take the time to listen. 

Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, an internationally recognized expert in eye care, and Tanya Gill, OD, founder of We Love Eyes, discuss cosmetic eye product safety, the downside of false eyelashes and talking eye hygiene with your patients on this episode of WO Voices. 

Social determinants of health, collectively, are "all the non-medical elements that shape somebody's daily lives that affect and influence how they experience and access health care," says Amy Roan Moy, OD, FAAO, CPCO, FNAP, an adjunct associate professor of clinical optometry at the New England College of Optometry. In this 19-minute podcast, she reviews ways that optometrists, lawmakers and communities can be better prepared to deliver culturally safe health care by understanding the social determinants of health. 

On a 50th birthday trip to Paris, Dr. Lauretta Justin, founder of CEO of You and Optometry Divas, planned a photo shoot that led to her writing a book about practical yet inspired goal-setting. Listen to her tips here and download the book for more guidance. 

Three female ODs spoke at the Women In Optometry Leadership Conference, called "Leadership Unleashed," held during the American Academy of Optometry meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, in November 2024. Hear how Jade Coats, OD, FAAO; Essence Johnson, OD, FAAO, Dipl ABO; and Mila Ioussifova, OD, CNS, FAAO, FOWNS, have tapped into their inner leader at various times in their careers. 

Dr. Coats spoke about how she is realizing her professional impact as a young OD; Dr. Johnson talked about those who have influenced her to make an impact on her community; and Dr. Ioussifova brought the two ideas together to show how unleashing leadership can result in personal impact and growth, too. 

In this episode, Kara Foster, OD, of EyeCare for You, in Apex, North Carolina, recounts how she made the decision two years into practice to stop accepting vision and medical insurance payments. Her direct-care model can serve as an illustration of how women ODs can practice creatively and achieve financial independence and balance. Hear more about how she did it. 

Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, and Amy Gallant Sullivan, founder of Eyes Are the Story optocosmetics, take a look at the habits that can undermine healthy eyes when it comes to skin care and cosmetics. Listen to their practical tips about replacing cosmetics and what to do and avoid when it comes to beauty products, as well as resources to share.