In this InSight Studio interview, we speak with Dr. Art Epstein on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, and why "Dry Eye" is an Antiquated term. He hits on some of the big issues in ocular surface disease today, including:

* Will meibography become a standard of care?
* The current crop of OSD treatments
* Whether meibomian gland clearance is necessary to treat the underlying condition

Registered ODwire.org members can discuss this video & ask Dr. Epstein questions in this thread

By 2020, there will be approximately 126 million people with emerging or established presbyopia in the United States!

In this webinar, Pamela Lowe, OD, FAAO (past president of the Illinois Optometric Association) will join us to discuss how to best service this exploding population, which can represent an important growth opportunity for your practice.

We'll talk about:
* How to best raise patient awareness of presbyopia, and present their correction options
* How to identify good candidates for multifocal contact lenses
* How to get your staff to actively engage with presbyopic patients and help educate them

We'll also discuss "The Alcon Multifocal 3:2:1 Advantage", and the materials, replacement schedules, and designs of their current multifocal lines.

A Q&A will follow the talk, don't miss it!

Discuss the webinar in this thread & ask Dr. Lowe questions!

Practice management expert - and Best Practices Winner - Dr. Carrie Alfieri gives us top tips on staffing the optometric office.

We discuss:

* How to develop and use a set of "core values" that underlie your staff development
* The methodology to use when going through the recruitment and hiring process
* How to communicate with your staff to keep them motivated and engaged - including the use of vision boards and the Fish Philosophy.

Interested in becoming a Best Practice? Apply today!

Leave any comments or questions for Dr. Alfieri in this thread.

The application process to become a Best Practice in 2020 is now open!

In this interview, I catch up with Dr. Steve Rosinski and we talk about why every optometrist reading this should consider applying to the 2020 Best Practices program!

I also took a quick video of Dr. Rosinski at Vision Expo West kicking off the application process for 2020.

Former Best Practice's winner Dr. Thomas Quinn also takes a turn at the mic describing the program, and why you should apply. The video ends with Dr. Michele Andrews and a giant chocolate cake:


Learn more at https://www.eyecarebestpractices.com, and leave any comments or questions for Dr. Rosinski in this thread.

In this ODwire TV segment, Best Practices 2019 winners Drs. Ben Azman and Katie Greiner sit down with us to discuss co-management.

We hit on:
* The benefits of co-management to both the patient and the optometrist
* How to establish (and nurture) co-management relationships with ODs, OMDs, and other health care professionals
* How to use co-management to build your practice

Leave any comments or questions for Drs Azman & Greiner in this thread.

In what has become a something of a September tradition, Alcon invited members of the eye care press to their headquarters in Ft. Worth to update everyone on the most important developments at the company, and what you might see in the coming year.  I decided to take the trip to check out what was going on.


(this group of people is responsible for most of what you read about your chosen profession.. scary thought!)

Sergio Duplan, the President of Alcon North America, kicked off the presentations, and was followed by: the GM of Alcon US Vision Care, Sean Clark; the GM of Alcon US Surgical business, Jim Di Filippo; and a VP from their Medical Affairs division, Dr. Roee Lazebnik.

Here are my notes from the talks I thought ODwire folks would be most interested in. These are my totally biased opinions, mixed with some actual facts.

(Disclosure -- Alcon provided a buffet lunch for all attendees, and invited everyone who stayed in Ft. Worth after the event to dinner.  Other than that, the trip was on our own dime...)

In this InSight Studio interview from Optometry's Meeting 2019 in St. Louis, Dr. Ben Chudner sits down with us to discuss private equity in optometry. He hits on:

* What private equity is
* The differences between different private equity groups
* Where companies are looking to invest
* What makes a practice an attractive target for private equity
* Should your practice be acquired by private equity?

Leave any comments or questions for Dr. Chudner in this thread.

We'd like to invite you to an upcoming, free online event that we're holding in conjunction with ZEISS:
This two-day complimentary program offers live sessions and an interactive product showcase—all within a virtual exhibit hall—designed to provide you with the latest technology innovations and clinical solutions for your practice.

In this episode, Dr. Casey Hogan of Oak Lawn, IL, a CooperVision Best Practices honoree, talks to us about Sjogren's Syndrome, and how she used her passion for treating the disease (and her personal experience with the condition) to help build her practice.

She also shares tips on how docs can identify and manage these patients and how to send & receive referrals from other specialists, such as rheumatologists.
Weigh in with your feedback here on ODwire.org.

And for more info about the Best Practices program, watch this intro video with Dr. Michele Andrews.

In this episode, Dr. Stephen Cohen, a 2018 CooperVision Best Practices honoree shares how critical it is for practices to balance modern technology and patient care.

We will be putting up videos over the next several weeks and months where each of the Best Practices will be sharing tips.

Weigh in with your feedback here on ODwire.org.

And for more info about the Best Practices program, watch this intro video with Dr. Michele Andrews.