Author: athena

Episode 30: Dr. Sophia Leung Takes The Road Less Travelled

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

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4.9
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Dr. Sophia Leung, in a conversation with EyesWideOpen host, Roxanne Arnal, the tables are turned.  Once an OD student in Dr. Arnal’s practice, the student has evolved and honed her clinical and mentorship skills.  Together they explore professional burnout, mentorship and types of collaboration in a forthright discussion.

About the Guest

Dr. Sophia Leung has taken an atypical professional pathway following graduation from UW School of Optometry in 2014. After spending some time in private practice, she pursued an Ocular Disease and Refractive Surgery Residency in the US followed by an Advanced Glaucoma and Cornea Fellowship.

Dr. Leung is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), and a Diplomate of the AAO in the Anterior Segment Section.

Currently, Dr. Leung is the Principal Optometrist at a high volume corneal, cataract, and refractive surgical centre in Calgary and the President-Elect of the Alberta Association of Optometrists.

Episode Notes

Dr. Sophia Leung is passionate and thoughtful about mentorship, professional development, and education.

As an OD student, she rotated through many urban and rural clinic settings, including Dr. Arnal’s Alberta private practice.

They discuss their personal and professional insights on mentorship, professional collaboration, and the evolution of optometry. They also delve into stress and practitioner burnout and point to a few interesting reads on the topic (See Resource links).

Dr. Leung shares her not-so-typical pathway after graduation that brought her first to private practice and then to an Ocular Disease and Refractive Surgery Residency in Oklahoma, a state with a very wide scope of practice, followed by an Advanced Glaucoma and Cornea Fellowship.

In her current role, Dr. Leung is developing an OD-to-OD referral model the enhance patient access to ophthalmologic care that also increases time efficiency for ophthalmologists.

She explains how the demand for routine vision exams vis-à-vis medical eye exams will evolve and how this exacerbates the need to improve efficiencies to meet the rising demands for patient care

She challenges her OD colleagues to rethink primary care optometry and outlines why primary care will unavoidably migrate to medical optometry.  An insightful 30-minute discussion.

Resources

Click the play button at top of page to listen.

 

ROXANNE ARNAL,

Optometrist and Certified Financial Planner

Roxanne Arnal graduated from UW School of Optometry in 1995 and is a past-president of the Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) and the Canadian Association of Optometry Students (CAOS).  She subsequently built a thriving optometric practice in rural Alberta.

Roxanne took the decision in  2012 to leave optometry and become a financial planning professional.  She now focuses on providing services to Optometrists with a plan to parlay her unique expertise to help optometric practices and their families across the country meet their goals through astute financial planning and decision making.

Roxanne splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Dr. Glen Chiasson.

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Eyewear Style Experts Are Made, Not Born!

Human Resources, Managing Others, Marketing, Merchandising

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Scientific research gathered by Florida State University with more than 100 scientists reveals that true expertise is mainly the product of years of intense practice and coaching, and that ordinary practice is not enough. To reach expert levels, you need to constantly push yourself beyond your abilities and comfort levels.

This report stated that what truly distinguished ordinary from extraordinary was that those who are experts continually analyzed what they did wrong, adjusted their techniques, and worked arduously to correct their errors.

Did You Learn Style in Optical School?

When it comes to style expertise, I can share that when I graduated as a Registered Optician in 1989 that no one taught me how to style eyewear. This skill was not part of the opticianry curriculum. I did learn how to select the best frames for a high myope and how to adjust the temples and nose pads, but nothing about fashion and style. I still cringe when I remember selling small frames to men with big heads because they required a high minus prescription. The frame looked ridiculous and was far from fashionable. At that time, I was only using my optical science skill set and not taking into consideration balance and proportion, let only anything that resembled style.

The longer I worked as an Optician, the more disillusioned I became with my career choice. I was bored selling the same frames every day and felt like I was not doing impactful work. I began to look at other careers as a way out of the optical industry.

Always passionate about fashion, I began to study Image Consulting and became fascinated with the profession. Image Consultants are experts in marketing and fashion. They style clients to improve their appearance and help them to achieve personal and business goals. I was intrigued with the process and willing to put in the time and study to learn more so I could make a move to a new profession.

Is Fashion Art or Science?

Fashion design is definitely art. It takes a creative person to design clothing that other people want to wear, but as I studied Image Consulting more, I learned that there is a science to dressing body types and personalities. Now I was hooked!

When I made the conscious decision to come back to optical it was only if I could learn to be an Expert Stylist and bring my love of image branding and fashion to my daily work. With the combination of image consulting training and solid optical experience, I now had the hands-on experience to create and develop the 5 Spec Style personalities.

Having this structure, allowed me the freedom to stop assuming anything about the people that I was fitting with eyewear and gave me a scientific approach to fashion and style that I was able to systematically implement and repeat with every client.

Spec Style Personality
The science of Spec Style personality is the combination of analyzing the body types, the clothing styles that complement the body types, hair styles, personal complexion and facial features.

Breaking down an individual’s personal style with science and practice allows us to be unbiased as we analyze and assess our
clients to better help them select eyewear. You are then not simply selling glasses; you are selling style expertise.

You can learn how to assess someone’s Spec Style just by looking at them. Seriously!

Top 5 Things to Assess Your Client’s Style and be the Expert Eyewear Stylist:

1. The design lines in their clothing: straight or curved?
2. The fabrics they are wearing: textured or smooth?
3. The colours in their Wardrobe: deep, light, bright, muted?
4. Hair Style: straight or curly?
5. Facial features: curved or angled?

Once you have assessed these personal details, select eyewear that mirrors or mimics the same. For example, if your client is wearing a tweed jacket that appears textured, select eyewear that has texture in design or material. If they have smooth, sleek straight hair, select eyewear in shiny plastic or metal with straight edges.

Moving away from what you intuitively default to in conversation is not easy, but it is necessary to learn new techniques. With
intentional and deliberate practice, you will confidently be able to refer to what you are specifically seeing with each individual
instead of falling into the trap of repeating the same vocabulary. Your clients will have confidence in your expertise, and they will buy from you.

1 Harvard Business Review, July- August 2007, The Making of An Expert

WENDY BUCHANAN

Wendy Buchanan, Eyewear Image Expert is a Registered Optician, Image Consultant and Educator.  She is the creative force behind the Be Spectacular Eyewear Styling System® for Eye Care Professionals.  Wendy helps eye care practices to systematically reinvent their eyewear dispensaries to create an exceptional buying experience and increase profits.

Connect with Wendy on Instagram   https://www.instagram.com/bespectaculartraining/

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Location. Tips on Getting it Right!

Finance|Wealth, Office Design & Renovation, Practice, Real Estate

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The location you pick for your practice is one the most critical business decisions you will make, and for new practices which rely on attracting new patients, will determine how quickly you reach profitability or even survive.  Here is a list of things to consider.

  • Awareness of your brand is critical to building the initial trial visit which ideally will lead to repeat visits throughout the years. Pick a location which is highly visible to thousands of consumers each week. Real estate with good traffic generators like grocery stores, liquor stores, drug stores, popular restaurants/pubs or big box retail like Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Winners, Marshalls, Home Depot etc. The highest volume optical stores in Canada are located in the large regional enclosed malls which provide huge flows of walk-by traffic. Occupancy costs are much higher so these practices must generate very high sales to survive.
  • Ease of access is very important. Most people do not casually visit an optical practice and in fact regard it as an expensive chore, so you want your store on the path of their normal round of weekly or monthly shopping.
  • Mature markets with established practices and loyal patients will be much tougher to penetrate than an area that is growing with new consumers looking for a new service provider.
  • Another key market dynamic is the type of competition. Some markets may have a competitor selling designer frames at close to cost, a battle you will inevitably be drawn into if you locate there. Conversely your research may reveal that the established operators are out of touch with the market and or give poor service, which spells opportunity.
  • Use an experienced retail agent if you can find one. Many real estate (residential) agents will take your business without being able to add any real value. Ask the prospective agent to list the specific retail deals they have done. A good agent will know listed and unlisted vacancies, and importantly what kind of deal is possible with a given landlord. The agent’s fees are generally paid by the landlord.
  • Understand that Optometry/optical stores are one of the best tenants a shopping centre can have. It is a clean, unobtrusive, attractive use, does not use a lot of parking and is likely to generate a good revenue stream for years.
  • Buying versus leasing. It’s great if your occupancy costs can go towards buying a location, but most of these are residential homes zoned for retail, condo ground floors, or commercial condos. These may work if you have a well-established practice, but unlikely to have the traffic necessary to build a business very quickly.
  • Don’t get sucked into taking a space larger than you need, the smaller and more efficient a space the better. Occupancy costs are a fixed expense and can crater your income for the life of the lease if they are out of line.

Recognize that a well-established visible location in productive real estate is one of the biggest drivers of your practice’s value. Take your time planning for it, finding it and negotiating for it.

TOM BOLLUM

Tom Bollum was the founder and CEO of Eye Masters Canada (sold to Lenscrafters) and has held senior management positions in New Look Lunetterie and other optical companies before joining the Avison Young Commercial Real Estate Brokerage retail practice. He has sourced and negotiated locations for many optical stores across Canada.

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3 Key Pearls of Dry Eye Management: A NextGen OD Perspective on the Canadian Dry Eye Summit

NextGenOD, Perspectives, Practice, Products | Services | Industry News, Resources

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Jenny Lee, OD-4, University of Waterloo, contributes her perspectives on the Canadian Dry Eye Summit.

This weekend, members of NextGen OD/Eye Care Business Canada and the CRO (Clinical & Refractive Optometry team) had the opportunity to attend the annual Canadian Dry Eye Summit, held in Toronto, Ontario from November 12th to 13th.

This conference is truly one of its’ kind in Canada, featuring innovative, thought-provoking talks from several heavy hitters in the dry eye management scene from across the country including Drs. Richard Maharaj, Trevor Miranda, Wes McCann and countless other faculty.

The conference also featured live demos and exhibits of various equipment and products hot on the market from industry representatives.

Nyah Miranda OD-1 NECO
Nyah Miranda, NextGenOD Digital Communications Associate at the CRO and NextGenOD.ca booth in the exhibit hall. Nyah is an OD-1 student at NECO.

As a current fourth year optometry student at the University of Waterloo as well as the Vision Science Editorial Assistant for the Clinical and Refractive Optometry Journal, having the opportunity to dip my toes in the dry eye scene this weekend was truly a worthwhile and incredibly informative experience. Here I’ve highlighted three key pearls from my time with some of Canada’s best dry eye gurus.

#1: Now, more than ever, evidence-based medicine is crucial to the progression of optometry.

The extent and scope of optometry is vastly different than where it was even ten years ago.

Likewise, in order to keep up with a rapidly evolving field, it is vital to remain up-to-date with the current studies and to read beyond the conclusion of an article, as aptly stated by Dr. Maharaj.

In a talk about the impacts of nutrition on ocular surface disease, Dr. Kim Friedman broke down each key component (such as dosage and form), presenting the evidence for and against the inclusion of different supplements for dry eye.

Her talk emphasized not only the benefit of paying attention to the literature to support a medical recommendation, but also reading between the lines of a study conclusion and being able to draw your own insights.

Chances are, if we can access this information easily from the internet, so can our patients, and it gives you that extra edge to be able to keep up with them.

#2: Expert opinion is what bridges the gap between a research study and direct patient benefit.
Following up from the previous pearl, as practitioners are the direct points of contact for a patient seeking to manage their dry eye, it is important that we not only synthesize and make our own interpretations but also use this knowledge to develop our own expert opinion that is backed by the knowledge we obtain from reputable, reliable sources.

The true benefit of a conference such as this is that we are able to gather some of the brightest and most well-versed minds in a very specialized aspect of optometric care, and disseminate knowledge through expert opinion.

However, expert opinion is ultimately at the bottom of the evidence-based medicine pyramid – and it is up to the individual eye care professional to look beyond the neatly-packaged one hour COPE lecture to educate themselves.

As Dr. Maharaj stated in his talk on demystifying dry eye, “expert opinion is where it begins, and then we need to climb up the ladder”. The role of industry in educating optometrists on up-and-coming technology and the impacts of staying up to date in the literature are heavily understated.

#3: Ultimately, your patient care comes down to your ability to communicate and use the appropriate terminology.
Dr. Jeff Goodhew and Dr. Tina Goodhew provided an excellent outline of how to present the idea of dry eye management to the patient in a way that not only empowers the patient to seek their own care, but also does not place the onus on the doctor to feel obligated to provide a whole dry eye assessment during a routine eye exam.

Drs. Goodhew and Goodhew, as well as several of the speakers at the conference, highlighted the importance of how to approach the topic of dry eye with the patient, and some salient points and phrases that could be easily incorporated into any eye exam.

Building on this idea, Dr. Maharaj discussed how patients are already doing their own research and developing their own ideas about dry eye before they even come into your office – and as such, it is crucial to be able to use the right language and arm the patient with the correct information so that when it is disseminated to friends and family, there is no room for miscommunication.

At the end of the day, it is your words the patient will remember, and not the result of a randomized controlled trial.

Ultimately, I walked away from this conference with a newfound sense of respect for all the ongoing research and efforts being put into advancing the scope of optometry and the knowledge surrounding what we know about dry eye.

With the resources available to us, it is easier now than ever to stay up-to-date in the field, whether by reading case reports from fellow optometrists or attending trade shows and actively engaging with industry representatives.

I look forward to seeing where my own journey in optometry takes me!

If you are an optometrist looking to contribute back to the community with case reports of your own, the CRO (Clinical and Refractive Journal) is an excellent place to start.

We help you with the process of publishing your own article and becoming a COPE approved instructor! This is an excellent opportunity particularly for those looking to submit case reports as part of the Academy’s Fellowship program. CRO is on the Academy’s list of authorized journals for Fellowship points.

Jenny Lee, OD

JENNY LEE, OD

Vision Science Assistant Editor, CRO Journal

Jenny Lee is an onboarding resident with the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science.

She is a recent 2023 graduate and is passionate about pediatrics and vision therapy.

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NextGenOD Dives Deep into the FYidoctors’ Future Vision Leadership Program

Human Resources, NextGenOD, PathFinders, Talent Acquisition

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Dr. Michael Naugle provides an in-depth explanation of how the FYidoctors’ Future Vision Leaders program works with NextGenOD’s  Nyah Miranda, a first-year OD student at New England College of Optometry (NECO).  Nyah and her Canadian compatriots account for 39% of the year 1 class at NECO.

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Dr. Naugle explains how the $100,000 loan forgiveness program works, how it is tiered by geographic location, explains eligibility and all the details involved with the program.

He also explains that while it appears that income is higher if OD students stay in US, this is actually not the case when you take everything into account. (10 Mins)

Related Links:  
Dr. Naugle’s EyesWideOpen Podcast with Roxanne Arnal 

 

 

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Episode 29: Meeting the Recruitment Challenge at FYidoctors

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

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In his current role as VP, Optometric Partnerships, Dr. Michael Naugle oversees the growth and development of the FYidoctors banner in Canada and is a key figure in recruiting new optometrists. From the company’s inception in 2008 up until 2015, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee.

About the Guest

Dr. Naugle has held many leadership positions throughout his career. Since 2011 until 2016, he served as the Optometry Chairperson of the Canadian Coalition of Eyecare Professionals (CCEPro), a grass roots coalition of ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians.

He is the a past President of the New Brunswick Association of Optometrists in 2000-2002, before which he served as the Registrar of the New Brunswick Association of the Optometrists from 1997-1998.

Dr. Naugle was part of a large group practice in Moncton, New Brunswick, that was one of one founding groups of FYidoctors. In 2017 he transitioned full time to the FYidoctors leadership team and is the executive sponsor for the Future Vision Leaders Program supporting the next generation of Canadian optometrists.

Episode Notes

EWO host, Dr. Roxanne Arnal talks with Dr. Michael Naugle about the challenges facing Optometry today, with a focus on those faced by the newest generation of ODs.

Dr. Naugle outlines how the Future Vision Leaders forgivable loan program is tiered by location providing an up-front loan of up to $100,000 which is forgiven by $20,000 for each year the recipient is with FYidoctors. He outlines eligibility and how the program is tiered based on geographic location.

Dr. Naugle breaks news regarding a new collaboration with New England College of Optometry (NECO) which supports 3rd and 4th year Canadian students with a full forgivable loan to cover 3rd and 4th year tuition.

He provides concrete examples of how the “doctor-owned – doctor-driven” DNA of the company has lead to providing superior patient care through the unusual acquisition of diagnostic tools for members.

Dr. Naugle explains how the traditional binary roles of owner/manager or clinician has been expanded at FYidoctors to accommodate different perspectives for ODs at all stages of career development by adding options that include leadership without ownership and ownership without the burden of management – an innovative and flexible approach.

Listen to the full 29 min. podcast for further insights into the FYidoctor story and evolution.

Resources

 

ROXANNE ARNAL,

Optometrist and Certified Financial Planner

Roxanne Arnal graduated from UW School of Optometry in 1995 and is a past-president of the Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) and the Canadian Association of Optometry Students (CAOS).  She subsequently built a thriving optometric practice in rural Alberta.

Roxanne took the decision in  2012 to leave optometry and become a financial planning professional.  She now focuses on providing services to Optometrists with a plan to parlay her unique expertise to help optometric practices and their families across the country meet their goals through astute financial planning and decision making.

Roxanne splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Dr. Glen Chiasson.

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Next Generation ODs Supported by FYidoctors Future Vision Leaders Program

Finance|Wealth, NextGenOD, Perspectives, Resources, Sponsors

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5
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FYidoctors announced the launch of  their “Future Vision Leaders Program”, which will provide up to $100,000 in forgivable, individual loans, to support the next generation of Canadian Optometrists. This new initiative is design to help both new and recent optometry graduates.

This new program comes at a time when efforts to recruit young optometric professionals, particularly in ex-urban and rural areas, have been amplified by virtually all players in the market, including corporate and independent optometry organizations and individual independent practices.

Up to $100K – Selective and Forgivable
“FYidoctors was founded on doctors defining what eye care looks like—both now and in the future,” says company Chair and CEO Dr. Alan Ulsifer. “This includes the vision to bring the highest level of eye care to all regions of Canada, with special appreciation and presence in rural and under-serviced areas. Eyecare and vision is too important to the quality of one’s life to be limited in availability. We are excited about the Future Vision Leaders program to help us fill these important public needs while giving the next generation of optometrists rewarding opportunities.”

FYidoctors will assess applicants on an ad hoc basis and selectively offer 100% forgivable loans of up to $100,000 for new graduates as well as those who have graduated within the last several years. Successful applicants who enter the program will be partnered with clinics in either urban, rural or remote regions, with the aim of bolstering the future of the industry while giving Canadians in those regions better all-around access to eye care.

Apart from the forgivable loan, graduates who enter the program will also receive competitive base rate compensation, optical benefits and access to world-class innovation, leadership and development opportunities, according to the company.

Additionally, individuals could be eligible for guaranteed minimum pay and moving expenses.  “I was a young optometrist when we founded FYidoctors in 2008,” says Dr. Michael Naugle, FYidoctors’ Vice President, Optometric Partnerships, “and I have benefited from our OD-owned and controlled model that allows us to practice to the highest level of care due to our emphasis on technology and advanced eye care. As the largest collegial ownership model, we are always looking for the best optometric talent. This one-of-a-kind program helps serve our collective goals in a way that everyone—especially the health care industry—wins. We are excited for its launch and to congratulate our first cohort of Future Vision Leaders.”

Young ODs wanting more information on the Future Vision Leaders Program are invited to email the company at: Optometryleaders@fyidoctors.com for more details and to initiate a discussion with a program advisor.

 

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Episode 28: Delivering Dry Eye Clinical Excellence Through “Channel-Protected” Products

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

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Dr. Trevor Miranda describes his multi-practice location on Vancouver Island with UW ’95 classmate, Eyes Wide Open host, Dr. Glen Chiasson. In particular, Dr. Miranda stresses the importance of having great products that are “Channel-protected” for optometry in building a Dry Eye Sub-specialty

About the Guest

Dr. Trevor Miranda graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1995. He is a private practice optometrist and partner at Cowichan Eyecare, five full-scope optometric practices on Vancouver Island which offer Dry Eye, Low Vision, Myopia Management and Vision Therapy specialties. Trevor is a past CEO of Eye Recommend and founder of Sunglass Cove. He is a co-founder of MyDryEye and the Dry Eye Summit; he is dedicated to dry eye treatment and has co-launched My Dry Eye, a Canada-wide network of optometrists who have a special interest in treating dry eye. In his spare time, Trevor enjoys playing hockey, soccer and golf, and being a Rotarian.

Episode Notes

Dr. Trevor Miranda describes his five-location practice (Cowhican Eyecare) with nine eye docs on Vancouver Island.  He discusses how sub-specialities including vision therapy, myopia management and dry eye have been incorporated into the DNA of their independent practice. Two locations have dedicated dry eye clinics.

Dr. Miranda reveals the clinical approaches and practice protocol the group has deployed in order to generate a significant revenue stream from dry eye. He also delves into importance of team culture and staff training in delivering clinical excellence and practice efficiency.

Dr. Miranda stresses the importance of the dry eye technicians in their practice. This allows him to run a full state of primary eye exams while the practice delivers clinical excellence in dry eye.

Omni-channel e-commerce and custom communications plays a very important role in the practice.  Dr. Miranda advocates Optometry channel-protected products like the new preservative-free eye drop entrant into the Canadian market, Dry Eye Relief products (Aequus Eye Care). Aequus is supporting optometry with excellent and well trained representatives, a fact that Dr. Miranda appreciates.

Resources

 

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto. In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. As  a host of  “Eyes Wide Open”, Glenn  looks forward to exploring new new technologies and services for eye care professionals.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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IRIS Announces New Partnerships in BC and Ontario

Practice, Products | Services | Industry News

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IRIS, The Visual Group, continues to consolidate their national footprint with the with renewal of partnerships in British Columbia and Guelph, Ontario.

The group currently has 32 locations in BC, 13 in Ontario and over 100 across the country.

Strengthened Position in BC
New partnerships were announced for Vancouver Island locations in Parksville and Langford, BC.

Parksville IRIS

In Parksville, Optometrist Dr. Adam Reid and Optician Manager, Tammy Baker  are the new shareholders, along with IRIS. The locations has a longstanding record of success for over 20 years with the previous IRIS partner, the late Dr. Gerald Trees.

Dr. Adam Reid, originally from Bowden, Alberta is a Pacific University School of Optometry graduate, and has been practicing Optometry at IRIS for 8.5 years

Tammy Baker, originally from Clearwater, BC graduated from the NAIT optician program in 1996. Baker joined IRIS 29 years ago and transferred from the lower mainland to Vancouver Island in 2007. She has been managing the Parksville location since December 2014.

The Langford IRIS location, near Victoria BC, has been a success since its first inception 22 years ago.

Dr. Robert McLaughlin, originally from the UK, was a professional physicist holding a PhD from Cambridge University prior to becoming an Optometrist.

IRIS TEAM Langford BC
IRIS Team in Langford BC

After five years in practice in the UK, he re-located to Calgary where he practiced for eight years. In that time, he worked with Ophthalmologist Dr. Al-Ghoul developing a Dry Eye specialty clinic. While in Alberta he was a council member on the board of the Alberta College of Optometrists.

As a passionate advocate for scope expansion, Dr. McLaughlin completed the Oklahoma College of Optometry’s advanced procedures course.  He relocated to Victoria, BC two years ago. The warm hospitality, outstanding patient care and strong leadership of the successful Langford IRIS team, inspired Dr. Mc Laughlin to partner into his location.

In the IRIS partnership model each location is a separate legal entity and the shareholders only participate in dividends from that specific location.

 

Ontario Location Merges nearby Optical Practice
In Ontario, Optician Elena Klotz has merged her store, Edge Opticians into the downtown Guelph IRIS location

Edge Opticians, a family business, was founded seven years ago while the IRIS location in downtown Guelph was the result of an acquisition of the longstanding Scott Coburn Optical store by IRIS in 2021. The new combined business will operate in the existing IRIS location.

Guelph IRIS

“The IRIS vision of providing high-quality products to patients/clients is what most appealed to me. Having a support network while still maintaining the flavour of my individual practice was also appealing.” said Klotz.

Klotz is a third-generation eye care professional; her father was an Optometrist and mother an Optician. She has been an Optician for over 25 years having trained at Georgian College. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of Guelph.

The new IRIS partnership consists of ownership of shares in an Ontario registered corporation that holds the assets of the downtown Guelph location only.  Elena Klotz will receive dividends based on the profit of this individual location and participate in the appreciation of value of that specific practice as it grows. Elena will also receive a salary as the location’s Managing Optician.

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Episode 27: Bring Style into Your Sales Strategy

Eyes Wide Open, Podcasts

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Wendy Buchanan is a Registered Optician and an Image Consultant. Wendy has a highly successful mobile practice.  She shares her highly unique skill set with Optometry practice owners through a training course and consulting.  Podcast host, Dr. Glen Chiasson explores Wendy’s success formula, how it came about and reveal how Optometry practice owners and managers can bring optical sales to a new level.

About the Guest

Wendy Buchanan combined her Fashion Image expertise with her Opticianry skills to build a hugely successful mobile practice. Over the last 25 years Wendy has built a proven system to style boutique fashion eyewear in multiple pairs with a very high repeat purchase.

Wendy lives in Mississauga Ontario, has a passion for all things fashion, takes an amateur stand at hitting a little white ball and enjoys peanut butter and jam on toast.

Episode Notes

Wendy relates her “optical journey” with podcast host Glenn Chiasson from junior lab tech to registered optician to entrepreneurial eyewear stylist and optometry practice consultant.

She reveals why she initially left the optical industry and pursued an alternative career in image consulting, only to be guided back into the optical world by serendipitous comments by her customers.

Wendy provides insights into the system behind her Be Spectacular framework  which has yielded outstanding results for optometry practices teaching teams to style and sell increasing capture rate.

Resources
Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson

Dr. Glen Chiasson is a 1995 graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry. He owns and manages two practices in Toronto. In 2009, he co-hosted a podcast produced for colleagues in eye care, the “International Optometry Podcast”. He is a moderator of the Canadian Optometry Group, an email forum for Canadian optometrists. As  a host of  “Eyes Wide Open”, Glenn  looks forward to exploring new new technologies and services for eye care professionals.

Dr. Chiasson enjoys tennis, hockey, and reading. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Chiasson splits EWO podcast hosting duties with Roxanne Arnal.

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