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Welcome to Optometry Simplified.

In this weekly newsletter, I've curated the best resources to help you grow personally and professionally.

My mission is to find what's best for my patients and my practice.

Here's what I've found...

Links I Liked

The best 28 mins on ocular rosacea.

Listen or watch this podcast for some excellent clinical pearls on identifying and managing rosacea. Well done, Kaleb Abbott, OD and David Kading, OD. Optometric Insights​

An update on management of patients on longterm HCQ.

A 2026 revision on HCQ retinopathy screening reinforces familiar principles like ≤5 mg/kg dosing but clarifies risk factors, refines screening expectations, and elevates OCT and FAF as the core tools for early detection. It’s a practical, evidence-based update that will help you manage risk, communicate clearly with prescribers, and protect patients long before toxicity becomes irreversible. American Academy of Ophthalmology​

Research I'm Reading

Manual vs instrument-based meibomian gland expression.

Most optometrists want to do more for their dry eye patients, but the truth is, the “advanced” options often feel complicated, expensive, or hard to integrate into daily clinic flow. A recent paper in BMC Ophthalmology compared manual digital meibomian gland expression to instrument-assisted mechanical compression. The findings may surprise you. BMC Ophthalmology​

Deep Thoughts

Most optometrists want to keep growing as leaders and clinicians.

However, many of us learn only through summaries and secondhand interpretations.

We listen to a podcast about a book.

We skim an article someone has already filtered for us.

It feels productive, but it rarely “sharpens the saw.”

Stephen Covey, in his classic but still unbelievably relevant 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, reminds us that renewal is what keeps us effective.

Physical.
Social.
Spiritual.
Mental.

This disciplined approach to constant renewal is, in his words, to "sharpen the saw."

And for clinicians, that mental renewal has to include real study. The kind of study that stretches you and forces you to think.

In optometry, this means reading the original research.

Not just the trade magazine recap. Not just the expert panel summary. Not even the lecture slides (mine included).

When we only consume interpretations, we inherit someone else’s conclusions. When we read the study ourselves, we build our own.

That is where clarity happens. That is where confidence grows. That is what separates elite clinicians from average ones.

If you want to be more effective in clinical care or leadership this year, sharpen the saw by going straight to the source.

It is harder, but it is also the path to wisdom, better decisions, and a better experience for the people you serve.

Practice Performance Partners Pick

Stress isn't the enemy you think it is.

In this episode of The Book Nerds Podcast, Aaron Werner, OD, Brianna Rhue, OD, and I dive into The Stress Paradox by Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist.

From redefining “good stress” to balancing life’s pressures with purpose, we discussed interesting insights on fasting, cold plunges, resilience, and how embracing discomfort drives growth.

Can you do me a favor? If you found any of these resources helpful, share this newsletter with one of our colleagues!

See you next week!

--Kyle Klute, OD, FAAO

1515 S 152 Avenue Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68144
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