Andrew Karp Group Editor Lenses and Technology

Like many of you, I was enthralled watching the recent Olympic Games. Of course, the performance of individual athletes was thrilling. But it was the teamwork that impressed me most. No matter how great the athlete’s performance was, none of them would have been able to accomplish it without the support of teammates, coaches and trainers.

That got me thinking about what goes on in an optical dispensary. The analogy between the Olympics and dispensing eyewear may seem farfetched at first, but think about it for a moment. Each person in an optometric practice, optical shop or retail store plays an integral part in creating the best experience for the patient. They are the patient’s support team.

From the optician or optometrist down to the receptionist, lab technician, assistants and administrative staff, each member of the team must perform at a high level in order to assure that the patient walks out the door with a great looking, great fitting pair of eyewear or contact lenses. In the case of an optometric practice, they need to feel assured that the quality of their eye exam was first rate, and that the doctor addressed all of their concerns. The goal is to give the patient the eyewear and eyecare they need to function at their personal best in their daily lives.

Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care/Acuvue.

Olympic soccer star Heather O’Reilly.

In another sense, though, it’s the practice, not the patient, which is actually the performer. Gary Gerber, OD of the Power Practice, an organization that trains optometrists, makes this point. He had invited Bret Davis, a skilled sports agent who has represented NFL coaches and executives and also happens to be president of Briot USA, to give a seminar for his group members on negotiating (see related story on page 40). “Davis showed us there’s a lot you can learn from professional sports about running an optometric practice,” said Gerber. “When the practice is running well, it’s like getting your team ready for the Super Bowl.”

Patients judge the quality of their optical experience against other local eyecare practices and optical retail stores, and they award the best performer with their loyalty. This amounts to winning a gold medal or a Super Bowl trophy for your team.

Optical laboratories also need to perform at world class levels. They’ve got to please their accounts, whether they’re making prescriptions for an independent practice, optical retail chain or managed vision care company. As in any manufacturing situation, effective teamwork is essential to doing a job right the first time. Every step in the process must be executed with flawless precision, or else the job must be redone. Try repeating the process several hundred, or several thousand times a day, and you’ll quickly appreciate the incredible skill and dedication to excellence required to be a top-performing lab.

Whether you work in a professional practice, retail store or lab, you and your teammates are being continually challenged to deliver world class eyewear and eyecare. Dedicating yourself to the task is the first step toward meeting that challenge. ■