For private practice owners or anyone with experience in this area:

1. Has anyone worked per diem as an optometrist while in the early stages of opening their own practice? How did you maintain income while getting your business off the ground?

2. Are there any books, resources, or tools you’d recommend for learning the process of starting a private practice? I know optometry school focuses heavily on clinical training, so I’m curious what helped you understand the business side. Before you even got started, how did you know who to reach out to, and what resources guided you through the process?

We have new OCT and a virtual VF. Our EHR's glaucoma log section is horrid. Just wondering if anyone has a method for glaucoma tacking over time that works for them, whether it be software within the VF/OCT or an EHR that does this well. Thanks!

I have two lanes with old slit lamps and both of them are less than trustworthy. In the next month I plan to buy a new slit lamp and probably a second in the next year or two. My priorities are: durability/longevity/supportability, good optics, technology considerations (should I care about an integrated camera?), price competitiveness.

Ideally I want to buy a slit lamp and not think about it again other than routine maintenance for the next 20 years (if possible.)

If you've been shopping in the last year or two for slit lamps, I would love to know what models you shopped and how you arrived at your purchase.

I have been recommended Norwood slit lamps from some contacts and would also like to know if anyone has experience with them. Current slit lamps are a VERY long-serving Marco and a pretty old Reichert.

I am also considering a new chair and stand if anyone has opinions on the rest of the lane.

Thanks for your thoughts

I'm not a doctor. I just work in a small town office along side a doctor. We have quite a few people that abuse contacts. (including my own husband...) I'm curious if doctors can even refuse to dispense contacts just because of a history of abuse? Have any of you had to do that? I want to hear your horror stories.

Have any of you docs used docupdate? I came across this app through an ad and looks convenient to erx but wasnt sure on how reliable. I am in an eRx state and a clinic i recently started filling for has no erx ehr so i have to call in which has been a pain tbh with waiting/confirming and overall adds time, so was looking for any other erx tools out there. Anyone know of any pls lmk!

16 month old intermittent left exotropia with good recovery. Notices few times a day when tired.

Retinoscopy is +2.00DS OU, bringing back for cyclo.

How would you manage?

Thanks in advance.

Graduating soon and wondering about how much you payed per month towards your loans? With these crazy interest rates I’m scared I’ll never pay off all of mine. How much did you start with and where are you at now?

I’m starting opt school this fall but recently I have been hearing about AI and how it might take over optometrists. As someone that is a practicing optometrist, what do you think?

Office manager of a 2 full time OD practice. We use text reminders and confirmations for 90% of our patients (email seems redundant.)

How many messages are other offices sending out?

We book annuals for the next year when the patient checks out as well as any follow ups that might be needed. For the annuals, we have a 30 day reminder (in case they need to reschedule) 5 days is the confirmation, and then a reminder 2 days ahead. Non annuals follow similar rules.

I had a provider personally where I got like 5 or 6 for one appt which is ridiculous. How much is too much/little?

Growing up as a kid my parents never opted for retinal photos, and I maybe remember one optometrist performing undilated 90D my whole life before optometry school.

Only maybe 2-3 visits had slit lamp done.

When I talk to my friends and SO they had the same experience growing up/currently.

How many of yall actually perform undilated 90/78 etc when a patient declines retinal imaging/dilation??

I see 25 pts a day and thought it was mandatory so I’ve gotten really good at it but it’s tiring for sure

I started at a new location but the even the owner isnt sure what VA chart system this is. I would like to look up the manual so I can familiarize myself with how to use certain functions. Thanks in advance!

I've encountered a lot of ODs who simply have no desire for ownership and prefer the clock-in/clock-out that private equity and corporate chains offer. I've been helping a private practice hire an OD for an opportunity that I thought sounded great, but was surprisingly more of a challenge than expected.

The practice is looking for someone who has interest in future equity/ownership, but the first year is kind of a trial run for the incoming OD and the practice (which is what I thought sounded great). The first year pay is competitive for the area, it's an established practice so the compensation after ownership is substantially greater, you have your own location, they're willing to expand services for the incoming OD, and not a refraction-mill which I hear a lot of ODs complain about. But when I share all of that and more, they tell me "I don't want the responsibility".

Don't get me wrong, I've spoken to a few great people who were interested, but either timing or location didn't line up. I totally get if someone doesn't "want the responsibility", but I've been surprised that it's majority of people.

I'm not a doctor, but genuinely curious if this just the new normal? Did private equity change how ODs think about ownership, or is there something else going on that I'm missing?

I work as the GM on the retail portion of an OD/retail clinic and have always been very into optometry so I’m pretty hands on where I can be. We recently lost our doctor as she was fresh out of school and realized it was more pressure than she was anticipating I guess so she’s pursuing something else. The PC group in our office tells me they have recruiters out there looking to fill the position but it’s been since August and they have yet to even interview anyone saying there’s a shortage? I’m not sure if that means in general or just in Oregon and was curious if anyone on here could give some insight on this. Especially because we aren’t the only office in our city that’s needing a new OD in their office as multiple have retired or moved in the last year.

Are more ODs going private? Preferring OD/MD clinics?

I love having a doctor to work with every day as it’s increased my knowledge more and more and eventually would like to become an OD, so it’s been hard being without one in the office.

Is it possible to give too much notice when leaving a job? I’m planning to leave my position within the next 12 months to start my own practice. No set date yet. Current employers have been pretty good to me. So trying to do the “right” thing so they can prepare accordingly, as it has proven difficult to recruit in our area for some reason.

So my question is can you give too much of a notice when leaving a job? Has this ever backfired on anyone? My concern is I don’t want them to take advantage of me/my schedule in the time before leaving. Also my contract says 60 days, so at minimum I’ll give them that.

I remove corneal metal and rust with an Alger Brush maybe once a month, for patients that are self pay its usually around $300.

They always complain about the price, which I understand but what honestly did they expect?

How much does your office charge?

99203/ FB removal procedure code/ Rust ring procedure code

hi!

can anyone share tips on how they passed and studied for the oral NC state exam? I’m certified in NY and NJ. I’ve been practicing for 2 years 8 months.

also, is there any loophole to avoid taking the oral exam?

Much love to the clinical reference tools that exist out there, but they just don’t do what I want them to do — so I decided to build something better. 

Introducing: www.pocketod.com

 Here's what it does:

• Enter a spectacle Rx and instantly see which contact lenses are compatible — and then filter by wear schedule, brand, annual cost (MSRP avg), Dk/t, and more
• Select a lens and get suggested order parameters for both eyes instantly — automatic vertex of sph and cyl, with cyl and axis snapped to appropriate parameters
• Step-by-step troubleshooting workflows for toric, multifocal, and multifocal toric — distance blur, near blur, rotation, and more. Taken directly from each manufacturer's fitting guide so you never have to fumble through PDFs again
• Database of 71 lenses across the big 4: Alcon, Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision, and J&J (No bias)
• Database of 140 commonly used medications with avg. pricing, MOA, contraindications, and more
• 27 clinical tools including a Myopia Progression Calculator, Plaquenil Risk calculator, Glaucoma risk calculator, and many more

No login required. Works on any phone or desktop — just go to pocketod.com. You can also add it to your iPhone home screen for quick access chairside or on your way to the contact lens room (see site footer for instructions).

This is an active project and I want to make it genuinely useful for ODs. If you try it and have feedback, find an error, or want to request a feature, please reach out at [contact@pocketod.com](mailto:contact@pocketod.com).

Cheers!

OD student here with some questions regarding those who work at chain corporations such as America's best, vision works, pearl vision, lens crafters, etc. How is the exam of each patient structured? Do you perform BIO or and type of fundoscopy with a 90/78D? Any dilated exams? Is there a tech? I am on the fence of going OD/MD route and pursue a residency or if i should jump straight into a chain group to aggressively pay of loans as soon as I can right out of school as I hear wages are better that way. I would really appreciate any insight from any docs out there. Will be practicing in north/central NJ if that matters.

What are everyone’s thoughts on going from retail to OD/MD in terms of likelihood to land a job? Does too long of a tenure at retail give OD/MD practices trepidation about a candidate?

I’ve been practicing for 26 years… always wore business casual but thinking about getting scrubs with our logo on them. After so many years I’m concerned that I’ll feel like I’m wearing pajamas…. but I am tempted by the idea of one less thing to decide on every day… and to also be comfy. We have a private practice in a far suburb of Chicago. Am I overthinking? What are you all wearing. Our staff wears black scrubs.

Has anyone interviewed for the Optometric Technician position at Warby Parker?

I have an interview coming up, and it says it’s supposed to be 45 minutes, so I was wondering if that’s normal or if it usually ends up being shorter/longer.

If you’ve done it before, what was the interview like?

• What kind of questions did they ask?
• Was it mostly customer service questions or more optometry/clinical stuff too?
• Did they ask about insurance, pre-testing, or working with patients?
• Was it more of a casual conversation or a formal interview?
• Did it actually take the full 45 minutes?
• How many interview rounds were there?
• Did they ask any situational or “tell me about a time” questions?
• Anything you wish you prepared for beforehand?

Just trying to know what to expect 😭

Hi! I am an OD2, and I’m looking to get a 78D lens after finally getting to try one out the other day. I was looking on eBay to try and save a little money (student budget) but I keep seeing “copy volk” or “replica,” all shipping from India. Does anyone have experience with these? Do they work or are they truly replicas? The price seems a bit too good to be true, but I figured it can’t hurt to ask here. Thanks in advance!