Advertise on podcast: WO Voices

Nieka Sabeti, OD, from Vancouver, British Columbia, talks with Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, ACC, about the growing connection between eye health and cosmetics that inspired Dr. Sabeti to launch CHESHMA Beauty, an eye-conscious beauty brand. Dr. Sabeti, who has a clinical focus on dry eye disease, says that many patients arrive in the exam room with irritation, inflammation, allergic reactions or dry eye symptoms connected to the way they use makeup or the products they choose.

Araba Otoo, OD, MPH, FAAO,  serves as the chair of the American Public Health Association Vision Care Section. In this episode, she talks about how eyecare professionals can look beyond the single patient in the chair to see the larger perspective of eyecare as a public health issue and why that's important.

Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, an optometrist and professional certified coach, and Kim Riordan, OD, of Jacksonville, Florida, discuss Ev’r Beauty, a new line of eye-friendly cosmetics created by Dr. Riordan. Dr. Riordan says she was motivated by years of hearing patients ask what mascara was safe for dry eyes. That need led her to found DAB Cosmetics, named for her grandmother Evelyn, and later launch Ev’r Beauty, inspired by her nickname Ev.

As awareness of perimenopause- and menopause-related health concerns grows, Neda Gioia, OD, CNS, IFMCP, FOWNS says it is time for the eye care industry to recognize how profoundly hormonal shifts can affect vision and ocular comfort. Dr. Gioia said women experience hormonal transitions that differ significantly from men, yet health care systems do not consistently account for those biological differences. “Men and women are biologically different. We know this,” she says. “The discussion is why are we not actually navigating this difference with our health care system?”

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.

In this edition of Visionary Voices, brought to you by Alcon, Kristen Brotherson, general manager, US Vision Care, and Dr. Kristin Anderson, director of professional education and development, US Vision Care, explore how leaders can implement the concepts of simplify, clarify, and magnify. These three inter-related and equally important elements work together to create a workplace culture of empowerment and satisfaction.

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.

Jennifer Martin Maples, OD, FAAO, Dipl. ABO, suggests some strategies for setting—or resetting—goals for the year ahead. Scheduling rest and relaxation is essential to the effort, she notes.

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.

In this special edition of Visionary Voices, brought to you by Alcon, Carla Mack, OD, MBA, FAAO, FBCLA, and Kristin Anderson, OD, FNAP, FAAO, discuss how mentors can help your journey of lifelong learning. Both share the experiences of how they've leaned on mentors and also become mentors to others in turn. Surrounding themselves with people who complement their skills and strengths has allowed them to become stronger leaders.  They also discuss the challenges, such as learning to say no so that they can focus on the essentials.

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.

This editorially independent content is sponsored by Astellas. Carolyn Majcher, OD, FAAO, FORS, Director, Residency Programs and a professor at Oklahoma College of Optometry, notes how the conversation about geographic atrophy has changed with the introduction of complement inhibitor therapies. As most primary care optometrists have access to OCT technology, the opportunity to detect and potentially start treatments creates the opportunity to preserve vision for more patients.

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.

Carla Mack, OD, MBA, FAAO, FBCLA, shares with Kristin Anderson, OD, FNAP, FAAO, how she cultivated her own leadership style. She embraces continuous learning; is concise in communication and proactive relationship-building; prioritizes patient/customer experience; applies business thinking; and adapts to industry change.

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 autofluorescence and OCT, take patient complaints seriously, and collaborating with supportive retina specialists. Dr. Danzig shares his success with sustained complement inhibitor therapy in preserving vision. These advancements in therapies have transformed GA from an untreatable condition into one where doctors can often offer hope. This editorially independent content is sponsored by Astellas.