the human brain. Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, founder and CEO of VisionFirst, explains how focusing on the eye-brain connection can lead to innovative vision and eyesight treatments and improvements. Joining Harbir Sian, he explains which vision therapies and training programs offer positive results – and which ones are actually doing more harm than good to your eyes. He breaks down why eye patching is bad, why pencil pushups are good, and how to be wary of bad health advice shared all over social media...
Aug 13, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 191
How would you like to build your practice and develop a culture to a place that the growth of the business perpetuates even if you are not seeing patients yourself? Sounds too good to be true? Dr. Kiran Ramesh is a multi-practice owner, renowned speaker, business coach, and more. In this episode, Dr. Ramesh shares how she built her first practice to a point that she could step away and use her business savvy to buy and develop more businesses both inside and outside of eyecare. Dr. Ramesh shares...
Aug 06, 2025•22 min•Ep. 190
As optometrist's we are providing advanced care and performing procedure far beyond simply vision correction on a daily basis. From disease detection and management, to treating various conditions, to digging foreign bodies out of eyes... we know that more than someone who asks "which is better, 1 or 2?" However, since we are doing these things on a daily basis, we often forget how remarkable they are. But sharing these stories with our friends, family, the public, etc is how we can help change ...
Jul 30, 2025•10 min•Ep. 189
In the previous episode, we spoke with Dr. Petar Prpic about how he built his specialty lens clinic ( Prpic Eyecare ). In that discussion, Dr. Prpic touched on some of the challenges he faced in his journey to developing his expertise in the realm of specialty contact lenses. In the second part of this discussion, we dive deeper into one of the most common challenges that all ECPs face (not just specialty lens providers); higher order aberrations (HOAs). In this episode, we discuss what the diff...
Jul 23, 2025•36 min•Ep. 188
Whether you specialize in dry eyes, myopia management, or specialty contact lenses, the journey can be quite similar. From the magical moments when you help a struggling patient to those seemingly-endless visits when the treatment doesn't seem to be working... every clinician who leans into some type of specialty care has experienced the highs and lows. In part one of this two part series, Dr. Petar Prpic shares his journey into specialty contact lenses and how he and his brother (Dr. Ivan Prpic...
Jul 16, 2025•37 min•Ep. 187
Dr. Madan is the immediate Past President for BC Doctors of Optometry and the Chair of the Government and Professional Affairs Committee. She completed a residency in ocular disease at the Eye Center of Texas in Houston and is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. In addition to all of this, Dr. Madan currently practices in an MD/OD setting, where she provides advanced services such as treating glaucoma and offering PRP eye drops to dry eye patients. All of this makes her the perfect gu...
Jul 09, 2025•9 min•Ep. 186
How comfortable are you recommending high end products to your patients? Whether its contact lenses, boutique frames, or ophthalmic lenses, recommending the best-in-class to patients has long been a challenge for many ECPs. But why? And, more importantly, how can we overcome this hurdle? In this episode, I chat with Dr. Pavan Avinashi who is the owner of Hollyburn Eye Clinic in North Vancouver. Over the last 22 years, Dr. Avinashi has built Hollyburn into the type of clinic many ODs aspire to ru...
Jul 02, 2025•32 min•Ep. 185
Dr. Cedrick Mah graduated from Waterloo in 2022. He then completed his residency in Oklahoma. Cedrick is a Fellow of the American Association of Optometry, a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, and newly crowned Young Optometrist of the Year by the BC Doctors of Optometry. In this episode, we discuss Dr. Mah's experiences practicing to the fullest scope within optometry. Through his recent training and experience, Cedrick has been able to prescribe medications, order blood tests, and p...
Jun 25, 2025•11 min•Ep. 184
It is not often that we have the opportunity to witness the launch of a whole new class of soft contact lens. But today, we have the unique opportunity to explore CooperVision ’s MyDay Energys®. Joining Harbir Sian to talk about the first and only daily disposable lens in the industry to offer DigitalBoost™ technology are Dr. Nathalie Trottier and Dr. Evelyn Lo . Together, they explore how this lens combines innovative aspheric design and material technology to deal with eye dryness and fatigue ...
Jun 18, 2025•22 min•Ep. 183
Red Light Therapy is gaining a lot of momentum in recent years. It has been used for mood, hair growth, and many other health benefits. But how does photobiomodulation (PBM) help our eyes? In this episode, Dr. Graham Merry, MD discuss the history of PBM and the exciting future for this technology in eyecare. Dr. Merry is one of the pioneers of PBM in North America, he has published landmark papers that have shown the positive effects of PBM on patients with AMD, and he has co-founded multiple co...
Jun 11, 2025•51 min•Ep. 182
Which type of refractive surgery procedure is the best option for your patients? Is it PRK? LASIK? What about SMILE? What are the differences between these? In this episode of The 20/20 Podcast, we have the opportunity to chat with two pre-eminent corneal surgeons to discuss the latest updates in refractive surgery. Dr. Michael Boyd is the owner of Boyd Vision in Burnaby, BC and has been performing refractive surgeries for over 30 years. Dr. Darrell Lewis is a highly trained corneal surgeon who ...
Jun 04, 2025•30 min•Ep. 181
Have you noticed the recent changes in Google's search? Have you seen the AI tool that shows up when you search? It's handy for the person doing the search. But how does it affect your business? In this episode, I chat with Tyler Kemp, who is a marketing expert and account manager specializing in marketing for the eyecare industry. Tyler is known for turning digital trends into practical, actionable insights, making him a trusted voice for anyone looking to grow their brand in a competitive mark...
May 14, 2025•57 min•Ep. 180
With so much change in the geopolitical landscape and in the world of optometry, it is natural that many current and prospective optometry students may be worried about studying in the United States. In this episode, I sat down with two current students at the New England College of Optometry, Nyah Miranda and Ewan Kelly , about their journey as pre-optometry and current optometry students. Learn about what life is like in Boston and how NECO is supporting students through these tumultuous times...
Apr 23, 2025•35 min•Ep. 179
Dr. Howard Purcell is one of the most well-known names in the optometry community. From his vast experience working in industry (from Johnson & Johnson to Essilor) and now his role as the President and CEO of the New England College of Optometry, Dr. Purcell truly is an influential figure in the industry. In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Purcell at NECO about a variety of topics that are affecting both students and optometrists. From changes in board exams to navigati...
Apr 16, 2025•47 min•Ep. 178
Conor Heaney is an optometrist based in the UK who has mastered the business and marketing side of his business. His practice - which happens to be located in a large, old bank building - generates over $2 million dollars in revenue while only running one exam lane and despite Conor having completely stepped away from patient care himself. Sounds too good to be true? In this episode, Conor shares his path to optical success as well the systems other business owners can put into place to help the...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 177
What is the biggest regret you have in your life? Is it something you said? Something you did? That time you lost your temper? Or perhaps is it something you didn't do? An opportunity missed? In this Eye2Eye episode of The 20/20 Podcast, Harbir shares his thoughts on regret... what causes it and what we can do to avoid it. The answer is to be bold and take action. Here is the quote from Trevor Noah (Born a Crime): I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done in life, any choice that I’ve made. But I’m...
Mar 26, 2025•10 min•Ep. 176
QUAY Australia was started in the music festival scene, as brand to bring art, music, and eyewear together. In its first decade, QUAY grew to become a popular, global brand that could be seen on the faces of countless celebrities around the world. While QUAY initially began as direct to consumer sun brand, the company is now re-launching as an optical brand that wholesales a full line of ophthalmic and sun frames to ECPs. In this episode, QUAY CEO, Katherine Cousins share the origins of the bran...
Mar 19, 2025•40 min•Ep. 175
What if you were told that what you learned in optometry school was wrong? What if you learned about ways to treat your patients that not only different, but sometimes the opposite of what your training has taught you? Would you be open to these new ways? Would you be skeptical? Dr. Amrit Bilkhu is a residency trained, behavioural Optometrist based in Toronto who specializes in pediatrics, binocular vision disorders, and visual processing challenges. The area of behavioural binocular vision take...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 174
We all know that passion is important. We've been told to find what we are passionate about in our work. Successful entrepreneurs romance about how passionate they were about the idea that sparked their growth. But what happens a few years... a few months... sometimes just a few days into the process... When things start to get hard, mundane, boring? Passion can fizzle. How do we stay motivated then? In this episode, we discuss the idea of the long term goal and vision being the real driver of s...
Mar 05, 2025•13 min•Ep. 173
Dr. Brianna Rhue is the owner West Broward Eyecare, co-founder of Dr. Contact Lens, and self-proclaimed Pop Tart (that last one makes sense if you've met Dr. Rhue in person or if you've heard her speak before). In her second appearance on The 20/20 Podcast, Dr. Rhue helps us better understand how we can be more intentional about our interactions with our industry partners. Brianna makes the comparison of walking the floor of a trade show as optometrist/business owner to being like a Shark on Sha...
Feb 26, 2025•55 min•Ep. 172
Ask "what can I do for my profession?" Dr. Martin Spiro, current President of the Canadian Association of Optometrists, joins the podcast to discuss some of the most pressing topics that are at the forefront of optometry in Canada. Dr. Spiro had just returned from the Optometric Leadership Forum in Ottawa, which is an event held by the CAO to bring leaders in Canadian optometry together to discuss the future of the profession. Not surprisingly, the primary topic of discussion this year was scope...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 171
Dr. Matthew Nagra is a doctor naturopathic medicine, a staunch believer in the benefits of a vegan diet, and a defender of scientific integrity. A brief scan of Dr. Nagra's Instagram page will tell you he is dedicated to sharing helpful nutritional information that is back by science. In the process, he has found himself fighting back against the mountains of nutritional misinformation (and disinformation) that is shared every day on social media. This episode was recorded almost 5 years ago, in...
Feb 12, 2025•44 min•Ep. 170
Dr. Claudine Courey is the founder of Eye Drop Shop , which has become one of the leading online retailers for eyecare products in Canada and the USA. She is also a clinical expert in specialty contact lens and dry eye. In this episode, we discuss what has changed in Claudine's professional and personal life in the past few years; how she balances family, clinic, and entrepreneurship; and some advanced clinical tips for fitting scleral lenses and treating complex dry eye cases. This episode was ...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 169
Dr. Ryan Corte is an optometrist, entrepreneur, and a well-known presence in the eye care industry who is based in North Carolina. Ryan had been working as a co-owner in two sub-lease optometry practices in Charlotte, when a new opportunity arose for them to expand their business to Ashville, NC. Suddenly, Ryan and his wife were posed with the decision of whether or not to move their family to a new city with new challenges. How does one decide whether or not to act on an opportunity like this? ...
Jan 29, 2025•50 min•Ep. 168
The profession of optometry in Canada is at cross-roads. Down one path, we see governments reducing fees, other professions encroaching on our territory, and corporate entities lowering the value of the services we provide. Down another path, we have the opportunity to fight for increased scope, the opportunity to provide better access to care to our patients, and generally improve the public perception of what optometry stands for. This week's episode is the second in a two-part series on scope...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 167
Scope expansion is a hot topic in main areas of the medical world. When one profession gains the rights to provide certain types of care, it often means they are encroaching on another profession's territory. But that expansion can often benefit thousands (if not millions) of patients. So, not surprisingly, there are often heated battles for these contested territories. And many questions arise... Which profession should be allowed to do which procedures? How do we improve access to care for pat...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 166
2024 has was an incredible year for The 20/20 Podcast. From interviews on remote eyecare to AI to revolutionary new treatments - there has been so much to learn about the evolution of the industry. In the final episode of 2024, we review the TOP 5 episodes of the year. These are the episodes that were downloaded the most on Apple and Spotify and viewed most on YouTube. Here are the TOP 5 interviews that we will review in this episode (ranked!!): 5. Aldo Zuccaro - CooperVision and Plastic Bank in...
Dec 18, 2024•45 min•Ep. 165
Join us for an episode with Dr. Sherman Tung, one of only 150 optometrists globally with an FIAOMC Fellowship and a leading expert in Myopia Control Treatment. Dr. Tung shares his journey to building a successful myopia management practice in Vancouver, revealing how the Topcon MYAH played a crucial role in his growth. He offers valuable insights and actionable data for practitioners at every level, covering when to initiate treatment, how to interpret key metrics, and effective strategies for a...
Dec 11, 2024•38 min•Ep. 164
Joe Sabel started his career in the optical industry as a sales rep for Essilor. But his career took a quick turn (ultimately for the better) thanks to some blunt feedback he received from a client early on. From that moment, Joe decided he was going to become more than a salesperson, he wanted to become a resource from everyone he dealt with in the industry. Since then, Joe has become more and more heavily involved in optical industry all the way to point of becoming the owner of a well-known o...
Dec 04, 2024•44 min•Ep. 163
From spinning autologous serum and measuring Vitamin D levels in-office to showing patients live demodex mites under a microscope, Dr. Mila Ioussifova is taking dry eye treatments to new heights in her practice. In addition to being one of the foremost dry eye experts in America, Dr. Mila is also a trained and certified nutrition specialist. In this episode, we dive into how nutrition is linked to dry eye, which macro nutrients changes can we make to support eye health, and how Dr. Mila is presc...
Nov 27, 2024•45 min•Ep. 162
