Optometric Insights
We accelerate success.
Are you building a practice from scratch and launching a dry eye “spa” experience? 👀
In this OI Show episode, I sit down with Dr. Kayla Volkert to talk about:
– Going cold start in an affluent market
– Using insurance as a bridge, not a prison
– Turning dry eye care into a premium, spa-like service
Hit play to see how she did it and what you can steal for your own practice.
🎧 Full episode out now —https://www.buzzsprout.com/1601521/episodes/19217711
06/22/2026
Most contact lens fits that fail are because of the lenses.
They fail because of the foundation.
The practitioners who achieve the highest contact lens success rates aren't necessarily the ones with access to the best technology; they're the ones who ask better questions before they ever touch a trial lens.
The secret isn't in the fitting. It's in the evaluation.
Before you select a modality, a material, or a brand, your pre-fit assessment needs to answer three critical questions:
1. What is the true state of this ocular surface?
A contact lens placed on a compromised tear film is a contact lens set up to fail. Meibomian gland dysfunction, aqueous deficiency, and lid margin disease are often subclinical, and they are the #1 silent saboteurs of lens comfort and retention.
2. What does this patient actually need this lens to do?
Visual demands, lifestyle, digital device use, and hours of wear matter as much as refraction. The patient who needs crisp near vision for 10 hours of screen time is not the same fit as the weekend athlete, even if their prescriptions are identical.
3. What does success look like for THIS patient?
Setting co-managed expectations before the fit begins changes the entire trajectory of the follow-up process. Patients who understand what "adaptation" means are far less likely to drop out of lens wear.
The lens selection is the easy part.
The clinical detective work before it, that's where expertise lives.
What is the one pre-fit step that you find most practitioners tend to skip? Drop it in the comments.
Interventional glaucoma isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a fundamental shift away from the traditional, “add another drop” mindset.
In my latest OI Show episode, I’m joined by Dr. Jeff Banas, senior and lead optometrist at the Eye Centers of Racine & Kenosha, a glaucoma-centered ophthalmology practice led by Dr. Paul Singh.
We discuss:
- The transition from the “legacy” drop‑first paradigm to an interventional glaucoma approach
- How SLT, intracameral drug delivery, and MIGS/MIBS fit into everyday optometric practice
- The role of the optometrist in front‑line diagnosis, longitudinal management, and surgical comanagement
If you’re interested in where glaucoma care is heading—and how optometrists can play a larger role in interventional care—this conversation is for you.
🔗 Listen to the full episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1601521/episodes/18932220
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