Passing the Torch at Optometry Giving Sight | Dr. Allen Interviews Lois Schoenbrun & Donna Mikulecky In this inspiring episode of the podcast, Dr. Joseph Allen sits down with two visionary leaders in global eye care: Lois Schoenbrun, outgoing Executive Director of Optometry Giving Sight (OGS), and Donna Mikulecky, who had just stepped into the role. With over three decades of nonprofit leadership, Lois reflects on her journey—from leading the American Academy of Optometry to guiding OGS thro...
Jul 02, 2025•43 min•Ep. 54
In this episode of Eye Give a Damn, Dr. Allen sits down with Dr. Jason Compton — contact lens guru, business owner, and passionate AOA volunteer — for an inspiring and practical conversation that covers the full spectrum of private practice success. Dr. Compton shares his journey of returning to the community where he was raised to open a clinic in a highly competitive area. He dives into how he builds strong patient relationships, leverages internal marketing strategies, and fosters a culture w...
Apr 25, 2025•32 min•Ep. 53
In this episode of Eye Give a Damn, Dr. Allen chats with Dr. Jessilin Quint, an optometrist, speaker, and industry leader known for her innovative approach to dry eye care. Dr. Quint shares how she built a successful dry eye treatment spa within her private practice, Smart Eye Care in Maine, designing it to feel more like a spa than a traditional clinic. From curating a relaxing patient experience to implementing cutting-edge treatment protocols, Dr. Quint walks us through how she’s made dry eye...
Apr 24, 2025•36 min•Ep. 51
In this episode of Eye Give a Damn, Dr. Allen is joined by Dr. Neal Troyer — optometrist, educator, and co-founder of the Eyecare Republic — for a powerful conversation about the future of eye care and the deeper connections between vision, nutrition, and wellness. They discuss why Dr. Troyer helped launch a new independent ECP alliance and the challenges facing traditional optometry in the age of tech and telehealth. With a shared passion for how lifestyle impacts eye health, Dr. Allen and Dr. ...
Apr 23, 2025•50 min•Ep. 52
In this episode of the Eye Give a Damn Podcast, Dr. Allen sits down with Trudi Charest, also known as The Eye Care Marketer, to talk all things marketing, personal branding, and how eye care professionals can thrive in today’s digital world. Whether you’re an OD who owns a clinic or just looking to build your personal brand, this conversation is packed with actionable insights. Trudi shares strategies for social media, tips on how to show up online authentically, and why branding matters even if...
Mar 28, 2025•44 min•Ep. 50
In this episode of the Eye Give a Damn Podcast, Dr. Allen sits down with licensed optician and industry consultant Jackie O’Keefe Lincoln, who brings 43 years of wisdom and experience to the table. From her unexpected start in the field to speaking on stages and consulting in clinics, Jackie shares insights that will change the way you think about patient care. They dive into: 👓 How to build trust between doctors, staff, and patients 💬 Why communication is key to a great glasses experience 🤝 ...
Mar 21, 2025•42 min•Ep. 49
In this episode, Dr. Joseph Allen (@DoctorEyeHealth) sits down with Dr. Darryl Glover to discuss the power of personal branding in optometry. With a career spanning multiple roles—including eyewear consultant, optometric technician, office manager, and optometrist—Dr. Glover shares how his diverse experience shaped his entrepreneurial journey and helped him build a standout brand in the eye care industry. Dr. Glover introduces his B.R.A.N.D. framework (the “secret sauce”) offering practical stra...
Mar 13, 2025•39 min•Ep. 48
Andrew Kemp, OD, FAAO, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at University of Houston College of Optometry and AOA’s 2022 Optometric Educator of the Year Award winner, who is providing hands-on education in a community-based clinic. Working with optometry students at a clinic in Dallas, Dr. Kemp is proud to provide a wide variety of care to an underserved population. His goal as an educator is to foster an environment where students are comfortable asking questions, going through the process, and ma...
Dec 12, 2024•36 min•Ep. 47
In this discussion with Dr. Joseph Allen ( @DoctorEyeHealth ) he shares how getting fired from his first OD job was one of the best things that happened to him. He also discusses his journey to reinvent himself within the dry eye space to help his specialty contact lens patients. Learn about his practice’s core values, GIFTS: Generosity, Initiative, Faithfulness, Teamwork and Simplicity. Dr. Kading also goes in depth on how he uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a variety of ways from marketing...
Nov 27, 2024•40 min•Ep. 46
Roya Attar, OD, MBA, DHA, is a professor and director of optometric services at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Mississippi Medical Center. For instance, Dr. Attar utilizes AI to manage her emails and as a scribe to help her focus on her patient while the program takes notes and fills in the EHR, which she reviews afterward. She discusses some of her favorite AI programs and different ways they can be incorporated into your daily professional and personal life. Like any other new ...
Nov 14, 2024•52 min•Ep. 45
As the AOSA president at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, Maggie Dunn has worked alongside members of the Ohio Optometric Society to advocate for the profession. She discusses her passion for scope expansion and meeting with legislators to educate them on all that optometry students are learning and what optometrists are doing in practice. Her philosophy for speaking to elected officials is: “Speak from the heart and speak the truth.” Maggie shares her thoughts on how she and her ...
Oct 31, 2024•39 min•Ep. 44
J. Daniel Diaz, MD, and Diana Shechtman, OD, FAAO, work side by side at Retinal Consultants of Miami. In this episode, Dr. Allen interviews them both to learn how they work together to serve their patients. Dr. Diaz and Dr. Shechtman agree that success starts with mutual respect and trust in each other and feel that collaborative care is the only way forward. Listen in as they discuss their backgrounds and the patient population they serve. They also share their thoughts on how other optometrist...
Oct 17, 2024•39 min•Ep. 43
Listen in as they discuss the benefits of vitamins, supplementation, and lifestyle changes for preventing and slowing down many diseases, including age-related macular degeneration. Professor Nolan is a world-renowned scientist and researcher based in Waterford, Ireland where he established the Macular Pigment Research Group and founded the Nutrition Research Centre Ireland. His current research interests include the study of key nutrients for cognitive function, ocular nutrition, and brain heal...
Oct 03, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 42
Dr. Jill Saxon shares with Dr. Joseph Allen how her officer training in the Navy helped her become the leader she is today and she shares the story of a specific soldier that helped inspire her to think big and give back. She then transitioned to private practice in her hometown in New Jersey, where she had the opportunity to work with Bausch + Lomb as a consultant. Eventually, B+L approached her with the opportunity to join full time. She discussed her 10 years in industry and its global impact...
Sep 20, 2024•40 min•Ep. 41
Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, was involved early in the development of scleral lenses and is now considered a legend in specialty contact lens fitting. In fact, she was one of the authors to publish the first contemporary scleral lens textbook in 2017. She also spent four years in an ophthalmology practice, where she became certified in California to treat glaucoma. Currently, she serves as the Director of Optometry at UC Davis in Northern California. She believes every optometrist should get invol...
Sep 05, 2024•41 min•Ep. 40
Viola Kanevsky, OD, was born in the former Soviet Union, but after a family “adventure” they settled down in New York City when she was a child. Like most optometrists, she worked in several modes of practice early on, but today, she owns a specialty pediatrics practice in Manhattan. She loves seeing children and considers it “play time” rather than an exam. Her advice for working with kids is to think outside of the box, be patient, and follow their lead. She shares her tips on how to fit infan...
Aug 22, 2024•49 min•Ep. 39
Mile Brujic, OD, FAAO, is an international optometric educator with over 2000 lectures given to date. For 22 years, he has been with the same practice, where he’s now one of the partners. He shares with Dr. Joseph Allen how he entered the speaking world by developing dry eye and contact lenses CE courses for opticians. His keys to success include putting in the hard work to truly master the content and a commitment to getting raw, honest feedback and taking it to heart to improve. Working with i...
Aug 08, 2024•49 min•Ep. 38
Dr. Cory Lappin knew as an optometry student that he found his passion for dry eye, cornea and anterior segment disease as his fellow students commonly complained about symptoms of dry eye. After completing his residency at Cincinnati Eye Institute, he was fortunate to join Phoenix Eye Care and Dry Eye Center of Arizona, where he was mentored by the legendary Dr. Art Epstein. Since publishing the Ultimate Guide to Dry Eye, Dr. Lappin has continued to pursue his passion for writing and educating,...
Jul 25, 2024•52 min•Ep. 37
Mark Schaeffer, OD, FAAO, was born into eyecare and worked every job possible in the family practice before going to optometry school after earning an undergrad degree in marketing. As part of MyEyeDr, Dr. Schaeffer is the Clinical Excellence Captain, helping onboard new doctors in the group. He firmly believes that optometrists need to prioritize their expertise and invest in “chair time” with each patient to provide education and create value. Listen in as he and Dr. Allen discuss their approa...
Jul 11, 2024•42 min•Ep. 36
Currently practicing at a multi-disciplinary brain injury center in Virginia, Dr. Theis discusses her personal journey to finding her clinical subspecialty. As an athlete who suffered a lot of concussions when she was younger, she had trouble reading for more than five minutes at a time. Then, while exploring other fields during her pre-med studies, she had her first visit with an optometrist who prescribed prisms and changed her career path. The doctors discuss various brain injuries and other ...
Jun 20, 2024•49 min•Ep. 35
Dr. Whitley wears many hats as a practicing optometrist at Virginia Eye Consultants, where he also serves as Director of Professional Relations and Education and Regional Medical Director. Since graduating around the same time Restasis hit the market, Dr. Whitley has been at the forefront of recent research and innovation in the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease. In fact, he’s been involved in more than a dozen clinical trials and enjoys lecturing to share his key learnings. Dr. Whitley...
Jun 06, 2024•28 min•Ep. 34
Justin Schweitzer, OD, FAAO, is a leader at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, SD, focused on managing glaucoma, anterior segment disease, and pre-operative cataract and glaucoma care alongside his surgical partners. Since Dr. Schweitzer sees glaucoma diagnosis as a puzzle with multiple pieces beyond pressure, they discuss the latest in diagnostic tools, medications, drug delivery systems, at-home monitoring, and surgical procedures. They also consider the difference between patient-based tre...
May 22, 2024•30 min•Ep. 33
Dr. Bynum discusses the importance of incorporating new technologies and always learning to deliver the best care to your patients -- and build your practice and business. She realized early on that she had to be good at a lot things because referrals aren't always easy or convenient for her patients. She has developed strong relationships with other healthcare professionals in her town and surrounding communities to build her network. Dr. Bynum is excited for the future of optometry and the opp...
May 10, 2024•46 min•Ep. 32
Dr. Brianna Rhue's passion for myopia control runs deep as she grew up in a family of myopes and is married to a neuro-ophthalmologist who shares her passion for myopia research. From how to discuss myopia with parents to the latest research on atropine, these docs dig deep into the diagnosis, discussion, and current and future treatments for this growing epidemic. For more information on the STAR Study, visit: https://www.sydnexis.com/pipeline Key moments: 1:32 Guest Intro 2:48 Family history o...
Apr 25, 2024•40 min•Ep. 31
While optometry school was a last-minute decision for her, Dr. Julie Rodman knows it was the best decision she ever made. During her residency at the VA, she discovered her passion for working with students and watching them grow. Today, as a professor at Nova Southeastern University, she teaches the retina course and serves as the Chief of the Broward Eye Care Institute, exposing her students to a wide variety of pathologies in the real world. She also spent several years as the residency educa...
Apr 11, 2024•40 min•Ep. 30
Dr. Sherrol Reynolds has three key passions: diversity and representation, mentorship, and high-quality eye health care. This has led her to become a strong voice in optometry focused on advocating for the profession’s role in overall healthcare with a goal of increasing communication and collaboration between optometrists and other members of their patients’ healthcare team. She has won numerous awards and held several key leadership positions for the National Optometric Association, Optometric...
Mar 27, 2024•43 min•Ep. 29
Dr. Joshua Davidson has a clear passion for eye care and his patients as an optometrist, which has led him to help solve their problems through innovation and product development. He has become a national expert on Dry Eye Disease and specialty contact lenses. While seeing 30-50 dry eye patients a day and discussing the importance of drinking water, he realized there was a hole in the market. He pulled together a few doctors to formulate a drink mix specifically to help dry eye patients. He disc...
Mar 14, 2024•39 min•Ep. 28
After getting her first pair of glasses at age 12 and seeing the individual leaves on trees for the first time, Pam knew she’d be an optometrist. As an adult, she struggled with her own dry eyes, which led her to focus on helping others alleviate their symptoms. Today, Dr. Pam Theriot advocates for 4 simple steps for a daily hygiene routine: Hydrate, Harmonize, Heat, Heal. Listen in to hear how Dr. Theriot is sharing her knowledge with the masses through her clinic, her book and now the metavers...
Feb 29, 2024•35 min•Ep. 27
When it comes to overcoming obstacles, Dr. Cecelia Koetting likes to tackle them head on. In her mid-thirties while training for a marathon, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer right before the world shut down for COVID. Luckily, her attitude has always been to never ask “why me?” but to find a path forward and roll with it. Her experience battling cancer led her to try to connect with each patient on a more human level. As for optometry and patient care, if Dr. Cecelia Koetting doe...
Feb 15, 2024•34 min•Ep. 26
Michael Cymbor, OD, FAAO, radiates with a passion for optometry, especially when it comes to the connection between exercise, muscle mass, and ocular health. He discusses the research and how different types and intensities of exercise should be considered for different conditions. He knows each patient will have a different reaction to “you should exercise more,” so he makes sure to meet them where they are regarding their exercise routine. Dr. Cymbor truly enjoys mentoring optometry students, ...
Feb 01, 2024•57 min•Ep. 25
