WO Voices

When Dawn Pfingsten followed makeup tutorials by younger women to the letter, the results were often less than desired. That's when this U.S. Air Force veteran created Just Doing My Best, a lifestyle and beauty platform designed to help more mature women achieve great results—and confidence.

Jessica Haynes, OD, of Charles Retina Institute, stresses that primary ECPs play a decisive role in early intervention for patients with geographic atrophy (GA). “First, the patient has to get a diagnosis,” she says. “Everything starts at that point.” This editorially independent content is sponsored by Astellas.

Be the kind of leader that people want to follow. Join this special episode of Visionary Voices, brought to you by Alcon. Kristen Brotherson, general manager, US Vision Care at Alcon, and Dr. Kristin Anderson, director of professional education and development, US Vision Care, discuss how distilling leadership principles into a mantra helps the team's understanding and focus. Kristen Brotherson details what works for her: Simplify, Clarify, Magnify.

On this episode of WO Voices, Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, talks with Joshua Davidson, OD, FAAO, founder of Eyederm Cosmetics, to learn about his company. They discuss his doctor‑founded, “Euro‑clean” line of eye‑safe cosmetics and skincare and the company’s doctor‑driven approach to bringing those products into practices.

Two integrative eye care giants, Julie Poteet, OD, MS, CNS, FOWNS, and Millicent Knight, OD, FAAO, FAARM, sat down at Academy 2025 Boston to chat about nutrition and eye health.

This editorially independent content is sponsored by Astellas. In this episode, Julie Rodman, OD, MS, FAAO, and Carl Danzig, MD, both of Florida, highlight the importance of early detection and referral for geographic atrophy (GA), now that therapies exist. As a retina specialist who wants to see pathology in its early stages, Dr. Danzig says it's rarely too early to refer to a retina specialist to assess. All primary care optometrists should aim to identify GA with fundus autofluoresce...

Driven by her experience on the front lines of surgery, Anahita Dua, MD, MS, MBA, FACS, founded Healthcare for Action, an organization to train and empower healthcare workers to run for public office. As underfunded systems strain patient care, Dr. Dua argues that those who understand medicine can craft the most effective health policy—and she’s on a mission to send more clinician-candidates into government over the following years.

Rachael Wruble, OD, has built a career defined by leadership and community engagement—all while balancing the demands of family life. Her story highlights the value of being proactive in local optometric communities, forming meaningful connections and redefining what success looks like. Through her continued support of young ODs and her advocacy for inclusivity in the field, Dr. Wruble is helping shape a progressive future of optometry.

Dr. Maples explains how patient feedback—including not feeling rushed, being listened to and receiving clear explanations—inspired her to deconstruct what makes an eye exam feel meaningful. She shares how mindfulness and reflexive listening can help providers build trust, improve outcomes and reduce burnout. The goal, she says, is to help more patients feel seen and heard—even on the busiest clinic days.

Interprofessional collaborative practice involves health care providers from different specialties working together beyond traditional referral models. "It's not just referring someone out and saying you're working with them, but actually working with those professions to bring the best outcome for the patient," says Amy Moy, OD, FAAO, CPCO, FNAP. Other fields, particularly in hospital and community health settings, already embrace this model, with professionals coordinating care ...

Brianna Rhue, OD, FAAO, FSLS, wears two hats—practicing optometrist and co-founder of Dr. Contact Lens. In a 23-minute podcast, she reminds both doctors and sales reps that they are the “sharks” in the industry, holding the key to patient relationships. Through The Eye Pitch Book and her “three-frog strategy,” she encourages better communication between vendors and optometrists. The next big boost for a practice, she says, might be in one of those pitches—if people take the time to list...

Social determinants of health, collectively, are "all the non-medical elements that shape somebody's daily lives that affect and influence how they experience and access health care," says Amy Roan Moy, OD, FAAO, CPCO, FNAP, an adjunct associate professor of clinical optometry at the New England College of Optometry. In this 19-minute podcast, she reviews ways that optometrists, lawmakers and communities can be better prepared to deliver culturally safe health care by understanding the social...