Advertise on podcast: WO Voices

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.

In this episode, Diane Hilal-Campo, MD, a New Jersey ophthalmologist and founder of Twenty/Twenty Beauty, tells Melissa Barnett, OD, FAAO, FSLS, FBCLA, that her goal in creating Twenty/Twenty Beauty was to change the narrative about eye health and beauty products. From seeing patients with dry eye exacerbated by their make up and removers to reading beauty editors' advice that went against good eye hygiene practice, Dr. Campo created a line of cosmetics that are not only eye-safe, but beneficial for the delicate eye area. Learn more about in-office inventories and an affiliate program at trytwentytwenty.com. 

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. 

As a young woman, Jade Coats, OD, FAAO, faced a cancer diagnosis that made her fully aware of the fragility of life. The experience forced her to re-evaluate what matters and led her to prioritize a work/life balance that works for her. This cycle—of being fully present at work and careful self-care and participation in things that bring her joy—allows her to show up to patient care and what is important to her in her private life more completely.