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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...

Want to listen to an overview of the articles rather than read? Click here​

My Favorite Links

When Glaucoma Meets Retina​
An excellent Review of Optometry article exploring how posterior segment diseases like glaucoma and retinal disorders overlap—and why that convergence is the very heart of primary eye care. Read it here​

The Greatest Specialty Contact Lens Story Ever Told​
If you’ve been looking to build or deepen your specialty lens offerings, this is the overview you’ve been waiting for. It breaks down lens types, indications, and practical tips in one easy-to-digest piece. Read it here​

Student Loans Still Looming?​
If you or your associates are still carrying student debt, this is hands-down the best source I know for staying ahead of upcoming changes and building a smart, personalized payoff plan. Read it here​

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Journal Articles I'm Applying to Practice

ZEDS: The Zoster Eye Disease Study​
New evidence from JAMA Ophthalmology supports long-term suppressive antivirals for preventing recurrent herpetic eye disease. Important implications for your chronic viral keratitis patients. Read it here​

MiSight Retention After Discontinuation​
New data show that the axial length gains from MiSight lenses are retained one year after discontinuing therapy—strengthening their role in early myopia management. Read it here​

Myopia and Retinal Detachment Risk​
This ARVO presentation shows significantly higher rates of RD in myopic eyes compared to non-myopic controls. A reminder that preventing axial elongation is more than just about glasses—it’s about preserving the retina. Read it here​

Topical Allergy Treatment Rankings​
This head-to-head meta-analysis ranks the efficacy of ocular allergy drops. If you’re not sure which antihistamine/mast cell stabilizer combo to reach for first, this is your new cheat sheet. Read it here​

Deep Dive

One of the biggest shifts in my approach to dry eye disease didn’t come from adding a new drug or device—it came from a mindset change.

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Early on, I treated dry eye like a standalone disease. If the patient had symptoms, some staining, and reduced tear break-up time, I’d check the boxes and initiate treatment.

But over time, I started noticing a pattern: the patients who got better were rarely the ones where I just treated “dry eye.” They were the ones where I dug deeper and uncovered the true contributors.

Here’s the reality: Dry eye is often just the surface-level expression of something deeper. And unless we get clear on what’s really going on, we risk missing the mark.

Sometimes it’s a masquerader, like epithelial basement membrane dystrophy or recurrent corneal erosions. Sometimes it’s a contributor, like Demodex blepharitis, allergic conjunctivitis, or conjunctivochalasis.

And often, it's a comorbidity stew. In my experience, the degree to which I successfully identify and treat these layered factors is directly correlated with how much relief my patients actually feel.

So I started applying a protocolized approach, beginning with a mindset of curiosity. I ask myself: Is this really dry eye? Or something else mimicking or magnifying it? Then I follow a clinical roadmap that doesn’t just check for DED, but actively rules out the masqueraders and captures the contributors.

That’s where real progress happens. Not just in metrics, but in the look on a patient’s face when they finally say, “Doc, I think this is actually getting better.”

If you’re looking to build a better protocol—and a better approach to comprehensive care—this is exactly what we help ODs do.

Protocols that are evidence-based​
​Systems that are staff-ready​
​Confidence in clinical decision-making

​Explore the Comprehensive Optometry Simplified Bundle​
It’s the roadmap we use to help primary care optometrists grow the medical side of their practice—without guesswork, gimmicks, or going it alone.

New at Practice Performance Partners

Let’s get one thing out of the way—I’m allergic to overhyped sales language. So I won’t call this a “game-changer” or a “unicorn” (cringe). But the new PPP Pro Membership is hands-down our most complete offer to date.

It combines everything from:

• Practice Culture Systems (PCS)
• CodeSafePlus (for billing/coding peace of mind)
• Eyecode Clinical Protocols & Education

All in one place. One login. One unified strategy for medical growth, compliant systems, and a healthy practice culture.
🔗 Check it out here​

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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