Episodes
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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.
Big thanks to NECO for providing space and organizing these conversations!
Connect with Harbir:
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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 navigating student debt, there are a lot of topics on top of students' minds at this time. Beyond optometry school, there are questions about the future of the profession including how to continue attracting high-quality candidates and improving access to care. Is the answer more schools? Does increased industry involvement help? How much industry involvement is ok?
This conversation will bring a lot of value to students, new grads, and veteran optometrists who are interested in thinking of new ways to improve optometry school and elevate the profession as a whole.
Connect with Harbir:
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Episodes manquant?
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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 their practices grow. He also shares how he developed the Optical Success Academy, which has helped over 300 optometrists elevate their practices.
Learn more about the Optical Success Academy:
https://opticalsuccessacademy.com/
Connect with Conor:
https://jonesand.co/about/founder-conor-heaney-jones/
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 donāt regret anything Iāve ever done in life, any choice that Iāve made. But Iām consumed with regret for the things I didnāt do, the choices I didnāt make, the things I didnāt say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. āWhat ifā¦ā āIf onlyā¦ā āI wonder what would haveā¦ā You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days.
Here is the quote from William Hutchinson Murray:
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back ā concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:
that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in oneās favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.
Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.
Connect with Harbir:
Instagram.com/HarbirSianOD
The2020Podcast.com
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 brand and how they have approached this new chapter in the brand's journey. In addition, Katherine shares thoughts on the pros and cons of what she sees happening in the optical industry from a CEO's perspective. As well as some sage advice for other CEOs and business owners out there.
Learn more about QUAY Optical:
Website - https://www.quay.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/quayaustralia/?hl=en
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@quay
Wholesale - [email protected]
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 takes into account many of a patient's past health and developmental issues/milestones when developing a treatment plan. Amrit calls this holistic approach to vision Functional Optometry.
In this episode, we explore Dr. Bilkhu's journey from being a new grad to specializing in BV to opening her own private practice. The part of the discussion that really sets this episode apart is our dive into the BV world. Much of what BV docs do seems to be a bit of mystery to majority of the eyecare world. Is this deliberate or is it an accidental result of poor communication? It turns out that its a bit of both.
This episode will change the way you look at binocular vision, how it can help our patients, and how it can be more accessible to all of us.
Learn more about Dr. Bilkhu's Pediatric Eye Care Masterclass:
https://dramritbilkhu.thinkific.com/products/courses/pediatric-eye-care-masterclass
Launching Wednesday March 12th
Save $100 on registration with code: READYSETSEE
Connect with Amrit:
Instagram.com/dr.amritbilkhu
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 success... and happiness. Always having something to work towards and and look forward to is what keeps us happy and motivated when times get tough. It is the pursuit of growth, not passion, that will help us achieve our goals.
Connect with Harbir:
Instagram.com/HarbirSian.OD
LinkedIn.com/in/HarbirSianOD
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 Shark Tank. We have the ability decide who we want to invest in.
Given her unique perspective as an optometrist and someone who is trying to introduce her other business to optometrists, Brianna has a deep understanding of how to maximize the interactions between buyer and seller. So much so, in fact, that she wrote a book on the topic!
Dr. Rhue has a wealth of knowledge on many topics related to the business of eyecare... from her passion in myopia management to her ideas on leaderships styles and productivity, this episode is loaded with great info to help each of us improve.
Connect with Dr. Rhue:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannarhue/
Connect with Harbir:
Instagram.com/HarbirSian.OD
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 expansion. Dr. Spiro share insights and data from the meeting to help us understand why scope expansion is necessary for our profession, the healthcare system and, most importantly, for our patients.
We also dive into some of the different ways that CAO is support optometry and optometrists across the country. But, no matter how much our associations do for us, ultimately it comes down to each of us to continue to work to make the profession better.
Learn more about CAO resources:
http://www.opto.ca/
Book your hotel for CAO Congress:
https://events.canplaninc.ca/cao2025/home?lang=en
Connect with Harbir:
Instagram.com/harbirsian.od
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 the early days of COVID lockdown. It was somehow lost shortly after recording but I was luck enough to recover it very recently. I was impressed by the fact that the discussion we had about nutrition, veganism, and making decisions based on science was all still very relevant 5 years later. So I decided it was still worth sharing it.
Connect with Dr. Nagra:
Instagram.com/dr.matthewnagra
Connect with Harbir:
Instagram.com/harbirsian.od
Watch on YouTube:
youtube.com/harbirsianod
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 supported by Thea Pharma Canada and recorded at their headquarters in Toronto. A big thank you to Thea for their continued support of the podcast.
Connect with Harbir:
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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?
In this episode, Dr. Corte shares how he and his wife decided to make the move. We also discuss what makes a successful business partnership and, maybe most importantly, how to develop a fulfilling career for yourself in eyecare.
Oh, by the way, Ryan also recently launched his own podcast. Be sure to check it out at https://www.youtube.com/c/ryanreflects.
Connect with Dr. Corte:
https://www.ryancorte.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ryanreflects
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryancorte/
Connect with Harbir:
instagram.com/harbirsian.od
youtube.com/harbirsianod
linkedin.com/in/harbirsianod
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 expansion in optometry. In this episode, Dr. Evelyn Lo (President of the BCDO) and Dr. Sarah MacIver (Chair of Continuing Education Committee at UW Optometry) discuss why scope expansion is an integral part of creating a positive outlook for optometry in Canada.
If you haven't already, be sure to check out the first part of this series with Dr. Sophia Leung (President of AOA) and Dr. Shaina Nensi (President of the OAO). And don't forget to share your thoughts about scope expansion to help push this conversation (and the profession forward).
Connect/leave comments:
Instagram.com/HarbirSian.OD
YouTube.com/HarbirSianOD
LinkedIn.com/in/HarbirSianOD
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 patients in rural locations? Are some professions acting as gatekeepers?
To help us better understand the importance of scope expansion in the optometry world, we will have a two part discussion with 4 different subject matter experts: Dr. Shaina Nensi (President of the Ontario Association of Optometrists), Dr. Sophia Leung (President of the Alberta Association of Optometrists), Dr. Evelyn Lo (President of the BC Doctors of Optometry), and Dr. Sarah MacIver (Clinical Professor at the University of Waterloo).
This episode is the first of this two part series with Dr. Nensi and Dr. Leung.
I hope you enjoy this very important conversation and I encourage you to share your thoughts!
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 Bali
4. Justin Sather, Ravi Tanna, Dr. Trevor Miranda - Macumira, Revolutionary Treatment for AMD
3. Dr. Sheila Morrison and Dr. Evelyn Lo - Myopia Management Pearls
2. Dr. Mindy Blumberg - Remote Optometry, Good or Evil?
1. Dr. Claudine Courey - Dry Eye Deep Dive
A massive thank you to everyone who has taken the time to follow, subscribe, and support the podcast over the years. I am infinitely grateful!
Also a great big thank you to all of our industry partners who have supported the podcast in various ways. It is a blessing to work with industry partners and alongside colleagues who believe in the collective growth of our profession.
I am excited to bring new, exciting interviews to you in 2025. Stay tuned. Happy Holidays!
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 attracting new patients to a myopia management program.
A special thanks to Topcon Healthcare for supporting this episode.
Interested in streamlining your myopia management strategy? Visit myopia123.com , powered by Topcon Healthcare, for valuable tools and resources to enhance myopia management and foster practice growth!
To Learn More about the MYAH, visit https://topconhealthcare.ca/en/products/myah/
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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 optical supply company, Western Optical Supply.
In this conversation, in addition to Joe's entrepreneurial journey, we discuss some of the lessons he has learned through his 20 years of optical experience and advice that he can share of ECPs to elevate their businesses.
Connect with Joe:
WesternOptical.com
linkedin.com/in/joe-sabel-8712558/
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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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 prescribing to treat rosacea and demodex.
This is an episode for dry eye nerds to feast on!
Here is a link to the microscope Dr. Mila was referring to:
https://www.celestron.com/products/lcd-digital-microscope-ii?srsltid=AfmBOooIefp6AEwPNXsdKmPFWl-QvzPsd3akUE3t39mJQIb4vbgraet6
Connect with Dr. Mila:
https://www.instagram.com/eyedoctormila/
Learn more about Dr. Mila's nutrition program:
EyeThriveWellness.com
https://www.instagram.com/dryeyenutrition/
https://ocularnutritionsociety.org/
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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Dr. Alexa Hecht has built a huge presence online, she created valuable industry relationships, and she is working towards becoming a partner in a busy optometry practice... all this in the first 3 years of her career!
In this episode, Dr. Hecht shares her journey from optometry school to creating success in her career. We discuss the "why" of social media, how to get more involved in industry, and finding that elusive work-life balance.
This is a must listen episode for students and new grads looking for tips and advice on how to supercharge your career!
Connect with Alexa:
www.instagram.com/dr.alexahecht
www.linkedin.com/in/alexa-hecht-201439157
https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.alexahecht
Big thanks to the Dry Eye Summit team for giving us the space to record this interview.
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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Pierre Bourre is an eyecare industry expert with over 30 years experience. From working as an licensed optician to overseeing the entire national sales team at Essilor Canada, Pierre has seen the industry from many different angles through many different periods.
In this episode, we discuss how the industry is changing, what are some opportunities for ECPs to take advantage of advances in technology, and where we all need to be vigilant so we don't let control of the industry slip into the wrong hands.
Connect with Pierre:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierrebourre/
Big thanks to the Dry Eye Summit team for giving us the space to record this episode.
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! http://www.aboutmyeyes.com/podcast/
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