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What does your ideal optometry practice look like?
Eye Own a Business is your go-to resource, whether you’re an established owner or aspiring optometrist.
Hosted by Dr. Steve Vargo, this podcast offers expert insights to help you grow your practice, enhance patient care, and so much more. Follow us and keep dreaming big!
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 23, 2025
Tuesday Dec 23, 2025
The future of optometry is evolving, and today’s new grads have different expectations, career goals, and challenges than ever before. In this episode, I sit down with Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, President and CEO of New England College of Optometry, to discuss what the next generation of optometrists really wants—from practicing to the full extent of their licensure to navigating student debt and business ownership. We also explore the shifting dynamics between experienced ODs and new graduates, the role of AI and technology in optometry’s future, and how seasoned doctors can mentor and attract young talent to their practices.
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Tuesday Dec 16, 2025
Tuesday Dec 16, 2025
You might be leaving thousands of dollars on the table in contact lenses every year—and not even know it.
If you’ve ever stared at your CL numbers and thought, “We’re busy… so why isn’t this more profitable?” this episode is for you.
In this conversation, you’ll step into the shoes of a practice owner who stopped guessing and started treating contact lenses like a real profit engine. Dr. Justin Bazan didn’t do it by chasing every new brand or arguing over pennies per box—he did it by simplifying. He chose the right partners, leaned into key relationships, and built a strategy that rewards his practice for doing what’s best for patients.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by vendors, confused about rebates, or frustrated that your associate isn’t on board with your preferred brands, you’re not alone. Justin has been there—and he walks you through the exact mindset and moves that changed everything, including why going deeper with fewer companies created more freedom, not less.
By the end, you’ll see your CL line differently: not as a chaotic cost center, but as a focused, trackable, and highly profitable part of your business.
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Tuesday Dec 09, 2025
Tuesday Dec 09, 2025
In this conversation with Dr. Brianna Rhue, you’ll step into a new way of thinking about your practice: not as a small business desperately trying to keep up with tech, but as a tech-enabled practice that happens to deliver incredible eye care. Instead of treating AI like a buzzword or a threat, you’ll see how it becomes the quiet engine behind smoother days, fewer bottlenecks, and more time with patients.
Brianna doesn’t sugarcoat the reality: ODs who ignore this shift will feel more irrelevant over time. But she also shows you a path that feels doable, even if you’re not “techy” and you’re already maxed out. From missed calls and broken systems to data you never use and staff who are stuck doing mundane work, she’ll show you how AI can quietly take weight off your shoulders while you stay firmly in control.
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Tuesday Dec 02, 2025
Tuesday Dec 02, 2025
In this episode, you’ll step into one of the most overlooked opportunities in eye care—an opportunity that affects every patient over 40 and can quietly transform the way your practice grows.
Dr. Amanda Nanasy shares a story most of us forget: presbyopia isn’t just a refractive change… it’s an emotional moment. It’s the instant a patient realizes their vision—and their identity—is shifting. And for many, it feels like a reminder that time is moving faster than they’d like.
But inside that discomfort is massive potential.
You’ll hear how simple conversations, better expectations, and a patient-centered fitting process can turn frustration into relief… uncertainty into confidence… and lost revenue into lifelong loyalty.
If you’ve ever rushed through a presbyope conversation, avoided bringing up multifocal lenses, or assumed a patient “wouldn’t be interested,” this episode will change how you approach these moments.
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Tuesday Nov 25, 2025
Tuesday Nov 25, 2025
In this episode, you’ll step into a challenge almost every practice owner faces—but few want to admit: you’re surrounded by data… and still making decisions based on gut feel.
Alongside Cathy Firman from GPN, you’ll walk through what happens when you stop guessing and start listening to what your practice is already trying to tell you—through revenue per exam, capture rate, staff performance, and the quiet leaks that add up over time.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by dashboards, unsure where to focus, or hesitant to “look under the hood,” this episode will help you take your first clear step. Because when you learn to read the data, you don’t just run a healthier practice—you lead with confidence instead of reaction.
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Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
In this episode, you’ll step inside a world few of us ever see—one where every decision carries weight, pressure is constant, and clarity is non-negotiable.
Last week, I spent a day learning from a retired Air Force fighter pilot, and what struck me wasn’t the complexity of the cockpit or the intensity of the mission. It was how much their world mirrors ours. Because while we may not be flying at 500 knots, many practice owners feel like they’re in a dogfight every single day—reacting, scrambling, and hoping things don’t fall apart.
This episode is about what happens when you stop reacting and start leading with intention.
You’ll hear how fighter pilots plan, communicate, execute, and learn with a level of focus that turns chaos into clarity. And more importantly, you’ll discover how those same tools can bring direction, confidence, and momentum back into your practice.
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Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
Tuesday Nov 11, 2025
In this episode, you’ll discover how world-class thinkers approach leadership, communication, and growth—and how their lessons can transform your practice.
What can an optometrist learn from the CEO of Disney, a best-selling author on sales, and a self-made billionaire who started a company with $5,000? As it turns out—everything.
You’ll hear what happens when clarity replaces complexity, when confidence replaces hesitation, and when action replaces perfection. You’ll see how persuasion becomes service, how storytelling turns strategy into movement, and how purpose fuels persistence long after motivation fades.
If you’ve ever felt stuck managing the business side of your practice or wondered how to lead and grow without losing yourself in the chaos, this episode will challenge the way you think about what’s possible.
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Tuesday Nov 04, 2025
Tuesday Nov 04, 2025
In this episode, you’ll discover why the next 12 to 18 months have the potential to redefine what it means to practice optometry
AI isn’t coming — it’s already here. And while some doctors are still debating its relevance, others are quietly building practices ready to lead the next era of connected care.
Dr. Rupe Hansra, VP of Professional Affairs at Topcon Healthcare, joins Dr. Steve Vargo to explore how AI is transforming everything from diagnostics to communication — and why optometrists stand at the center of this revolution.
You’ll learn how “Oculomics” is unlocking insights that go far beyond the eye exam, and what steps you can take now to future-proof your practice for the changes ahead.
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