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Welcome to Optometry Simplified.

In this biweekly 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

Everyone needs a refresher.

We've all likely used OCT and taken fundus photos for a while now. So reviewing the basics may feel unnecessary. I beg to differ. Read the Fine Art of Retinal Photography and the OCT Bootcamp to "get a grip on the basics" of imaging. Review of Optometry​

Will 50% of optometry schools close?​
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With the new student loan limits in place, student loan consultant Travis Hornsby considers the huge ramifications for grad school programs. He thinks closures are likely. Not all of a sudden, but gradually. 20/20 Money Podcast host Adam Cmejla responds.

Adverse events from Botox injections?

​Several cases of adverse ocular events from Botox injections are reviewed in the newest edition of the Journal of Medical Optometry. Be prepared when these come to your office.

Research I'm Reading

Talk to your patients about their habits​

We often think about vision outcomes in terms of treatment protocols and technology. But this study reminds us of something powerful: behavioral factors may matter just as much. Clinical Ophthalmology​

How does ortho-k affect the ocular surface in adolescents?

This study looked how ortho-k affects corneal fluorescein staining, tear meniscus height, non-invasive tear break-up time, tear film lipid layer characteristics, and upper and lower meibomian glands after 5 years of wear in adolescents. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye​

Deep Thoughts

I’ve come to believe that the real gap in patient care isn’t about what doctors know or even what they say about treatments—it’s whether we can communicate in a way that leads patients to form lasting, self-directed habits.

In other words, this is less about medicine and more about leadership.

That’s why a recent paper caught my attention: Association of behavioral factors with activation in patients with age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy (see paper here).

The study looked at how behavioral traits—mindset, health literacy, and self-efficacy—influence “patient activation.”

Put simply: patients who believe their actions matter are more engaged and have better outcomes.

A few insights stand out for the primary care OD:

1. Activation is dynamic. Patients don’t sit still on the spectrum of engagement—they move up or down depending on how we lead and support them.
2. Habits weigh as much as risk factors. Smoking, nutrition, UV protection, supplements—these only matter if patients are motivated to make them stick.
3. Our communication is the turning point. Patients act when they understand the why behind the recommendation, not just the diagnosis.

In my own practice, the most effective conversations share a few traits:

• Set the stakes clearly, without doom and gloom. (“AMD is the leading cause of blindness, but together we can slow it down.”)
• Give one concrete action, not a laundry list. Overwhelm leads to inaction.
• Frame the patient as the driver. (“You control more of this outcome than I do.”)

Too often, we think of “compliance” as whether a patient follows instructions.

But the deeper truth is that outcomes improve when patients believe their choices make a difference, and that belief begins with how we lead the conversation.

So the real question isn’t: Do I have the right protocol?

It’s: Am I leading in a way that activates my patients to actually use it?

Practice Performance Partners Pick

I loved this conversation. Partly because they refer to the best optometry community, period: Book Nerds on Whatsapp.

Also because they discussed topics we all likely relate to: loneliness, perfectionism, identity, and burnout.

​Watch or listen to Aaron Werner, OD and Taryn Doherty-Majewski, OD discuss mental health in optometry:

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

See you in 2 weeks!

--Kyle Klute, OD, FAAO

1515 S 152 Avenue Circle, Omaha, Nebraska 68144
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