EYE OWN A BUSINESS

Why Half Your Patients Are Walking Out Without Buying Glasses

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Chris Millet, Managing Director of Global Sales for Modern Optical, for an honest and timely conversation about what the data is telling us — and what independent practices can no longer afford to ignore.

Capture rates in the independent channel have dropped below 50% for the first time, and the reasons go deeper than the economy. Chris and Steve explore the shifting consumer mindset around affordability, brand loyalty, and the experience patients are now expecting when they walk through your door. They discuss the K-shaped economy playing out inside optical dispensaries, why the "sell up" strategy that worked for years is losing its grip on a growing segment of patients, and what the most adaptive practices are doing differently right now.

But this conversation goes beyond sales strategy. It's about being honest with yourself — about your inventory, your approach, and whether the practice model you've built still matches the patients walking in today. Chris shares practical examples from practices across the country that are plugging leaks, having better conversations, and finding ways to keep patients in the optical without pressure or pretense.

 

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How to Actually Hire an Associate OD (When Nothing Else Is Working)

Finding and hiring an associate OD has become one of the most frustrating challenges in independent practice — and most owners have no idea why their approach isn't working.

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo digs into the reality behind the associate shortage: the problem isn't only that there aren't enough doctors. In many cases, the way practices recruit, communicate, and present themselves is quietly disqualifying them before a candidate ever picks up the phone.

Why are qualified ODs going silent after interviews? Why do job postings sit untouched for months? And what does nearly $200,000 in student debt have to do with the way a young doctor reads your job ad?

Drawing on recent research into what today's ODs actually want from employers, Steve unpacks the psychology behind how this generation evaluates opportunities — and why transparency, structure, and specificity matter far more than prestige or promises of "someday."

 

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Eye Care in 2030: What's Coming, What to Ignore, and How to Prepare Now

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo tackles something that's quietly weighing on a lot of healthcare professionals right now: uncertainty about the future.

What's actually coming? What's hype? And what does any of it mean for independent practices like yours?

Drawing on recent research across multiple healthcare forecasting sources — including data from the AMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, Pew Research, and McKinsey — Steve breaks down the ten most significant trends shaping healthcare through the end of the decade, with a specific lens on what they mean for independent optometry.

Some of what's coming is disruptive. Some of it is genuinely good news — especially for the parts of practice most of us actually care about. And some of it won't affect your specialty at all.

But here's the through line: the practices that will thrive in the next five years aren't necessarily the biggest or the most technologically advanced. They're the ones that use the right tools to clear the administrative noise — and protect the human relationships that no algorithm can replace.

If you've been feeling uncertain about where eye care is headed, this episode won't add to that anxiety. It's designed to replace it with clarity.

 

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She Thought She Needed More Staff. She Needed This Instead.

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo welcomes back optometrist and practice owner Dr. Kristina Pusz for a deeper conversation about the one thing most growing practices are missing: structure that actually sticks.

Steve and Christina explore what happens when a practice is growing on the outside but quietly unraveling on the inside — staff turnover, things slipping through the cracks, and a leader waking up in the middle of the night unable to turn her mind off. Christina shares how shifting from sporadic, one-sided staff meetings to a structured, accountability-driven leadership system changed not just her practice, but her life.

This conversation goes beyond meeting agendas and to-do lists. It's about psychological safety, the courage to let go of control, and why the practices that run the most efficiently are often the ones with the fewest people — not the most. Christina opens up about her own struggle with micromanagement, what her team finally said to her that forced her to change, and why the doctors who say they don't have time for this kind of structure are often the ones who need it most.

If your team goes quiet when you ask for feedback, if accountability keeps slipping, or if you're carrying more than you should be — this one is for you.

 

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AI Isn't Taking Your Job — It's Giving You Your Career Back

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with optometrist and AI early-adopter Dr. Jay Henry and Josh Gosnell, co-founder of Adit, for a practical and eye-opening conversation about what artificial intelligence is actually doing inside optometry practices right now — and why the doctors who aren't paying attention may already be falling behind.

Steve, Jay, and Josh cut through the hype and the fear to talk about what AI can realistically do for your practice today: answering phones after hours, scheduling patients, scrubbing claims, scribing, and flagging the moment a patient call starts to go sideways. Dr. Henry shares how his group practice uses AI from the first touchpoint to the last — and how it's transformed not just efficiency, but culture. His staff smiles more. His charts are done before he leaves. He goes home.

But this conversation isn't just about technology. It's about getting back to why you became a doctor in the first place. The administrative grind that's quietly burning practices out isn't inevitable — and AI may be the most practical tool available right now to push back against it.

If you've been curious about AI but don't know where to start — or you've been waiting for a reason to take it seriously — this episode is a good place to begin.

 

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Contact Lens Strategy with CooperVision: Driving Success in Your Practice

In this live episode of Eye Own A Business podcast, we’ll explore how a well-defined contact lens strategy can help you achieve your practice goals. Gain valuable insights into building a strategy that aligns with your team, patients, and long-term vision. A dynamic panel of colleagues will share real-world experiences and actionable tips, giving you the chance to learn from peers, ask questions, and leave with a clear roadmap to elevate your contact lens business.

Speakers:

• Dr. Tara Vaz - CooperVision
• Dr. Kaleel Shaheen II - Hills & Dales Vision, Inc
• Dr. Jennie Zolman - Draisin Vision Group
• Steve Vargo - IDOC

easyvision™ — What patients want. What you deserve.​ Offered exclusively through IDOC and manufactured by CooperVision*, a customer brand family of MyDay® and clariti® 1 day. Patients will love the comfort, convenience, and performance1 — available at prices lower than branded contact lenses and only available through your practice, you’ll love what it does for margins and keeping patients and their reorders where they belong — with you.†2 

 

That’s easy.​

 

*For product and safety information, visit coopervision.com/safety.​ 19534 03/26

 

Learn more at https://idoc.net/vendors/easyvision/ 

 

Why Your Patients Want to Say Yes — But Keep Walking Out the Door

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Jenna Ellsworth, National Account Manager for CareCredit, to tackle one of the most common — and costly — moments in any practice: the patient who was ready to say yes, but walked out the door anyway.

Why does this keep happening?

Steve and Jenna make the case that price objections are rarely just about money. More often, they're a signal that the patient wasn't given the right information, at the right moment, in the right way. And in most practices, that conversation is happening too late — or not at all.

From when to introduce financing options during the patient journey, to how doctors and staff can bring it up naturally without feeling like a sales pitch, this episode offers a practical roadmap for keeping more patients in-house and helping them actually follow through on the care you're recommending.

If you've ever watched a patient hesitate at checkout — or leave to "think about it" — this episode will change how you think about the price conversation and give your team the tools to have it with confidence.

 

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The Simpler Optical: Reducing Complexity to Increase Capture

In this episode, Dr. Steve Vargo sits down with Susan Daly, Head of Optical Products at IDOC, live from IDOC Connection to tackle a challenge every independent optometry practice faces: complexity in the optical.

From overloaded frame boards to overwhelming lens options, today’s opticals are often suffering from the “peanut butter problem”, too many choices leading to decision fatigue for both patients and staff. The result? Lower capture rates, walking scripts, and missed revenue.

Susan shares a practical path forward, showing how simplifying your frame selection, lens offerings, and conversations can increase capture, improve team performance, and create a better patient experience.

You will learn:

• Why fewer choices can lead to more sales
• How the three-pair presentation drives confident decisions
• Why confusion, not price, is often the real barrier
• How to simplify your lens strategy without sacrificing quality
• A clear framework to communicate value in under two minutes

If you want a more efficient, profitable optical that feels easier to run, this episode gives you the blueprint.

Get free IDOC Essential Membership just by using IDOC Labs. 

 

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