Guiding efforts to improve disease management
Optometric Clinical Advisors
Working closely with LKC, the Optometric Clinical Advisory team provides guidance on the needs of their peers to successfully integrate retinal functional testing into clinical practices across the industry.
Current Efforts
In 2022, the team set out to simplify and standardize diabetic retinopathy (DR) assessment and management by developing a set of practical guidelines for optometry. Their collaboration will provide optometrists with a road map to improve the diagnosis and management of DR to support improved patient outcomes and confidently care for the growing population of patients with diabetes. You can download the free report here.
Advisory Team Members
Our team includes industry leaders, educators, and practice owners from across the United States. Their individual perspectives and experiences combine to provide ongoing direction in our efforts to provide optometrists with the tools they need to optimize patient care.
Frances Bynum, OD
Northwest Tennessee Eye Clinic (Martin, TN)
Dr. Bynum is a Vision Source administrator and owner of a solo practice in a rural market. Her technical expertise has afforded her the ability to bring state-of-the-art procedures and technology into her practice, allowing patients to obtain a comprehensive range of services close to home. She’s a patient education advocate and believes that she and her patients can manage blinding eye diseases best when working as a team.
Paul Chous, MA, OD, FAAO
Dr. Chous is a diabetes eye care champion, author of the book Diabetic Eye Disease: Lessons from a Diabetic Eye Doctor, and has published more than 100 papers on diabetes. He’s an experienced, passionate speaker on the topics of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and the role of nutrition in the eye. A diabetic since 1968, Dr. Chous knows first-hand what his patients need.
Michael Cymbor, OD FAAO
Nittany Eye Associates (State College, PA)
Dr. Cymbor is a dynamic, engaging clinician and speaker as well as a managing partner of his practice. He lectures frequently on the topics of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, dry eye, and ocular surface disease. He’s a believer that having the right tools – including optical coherence tomography and electroretinography – allow him to better manage eye disease. Dr. Cymbor was included on Newsweek’s Best Optometrists list in 2022.
Timothy Earley, OD
Dr. Earley is the owner of a multi-disciplinary practice that cares for patients of all ages. He’s a national speaker with a passion for educating his peers about practice management, as well as the diagnosis and ongoing care of patients with macular degeneration, diabetes and glaucoma. He’s a contributing author to Optometric Management, Review of Optometry, and Optometry Times.
Steve Ferrucci, OD, FAAO
Dr. Ferrucci is a frequent lecturer and author on diabetes, diabetic eye disease, macular degeneration, OCT, and fluorescein angiography. As a clinician, residency director, and professor, Dr. Ferrucci takes his role seriously as an educator for the next generation of optometrists and helps them understand the value that the right technology plays in diagnosis and management of eye diseases.
Jeffry Gerson, OD, FAAO
Grin Eye Care (Olathe, KS)
Dr. Gerson works in an MD/OD private practice setting where he practices primary eye care with an emphasis on retinal care. He advocates for improved clinical protocols for diabetes retinopathy, macular degeneration, as well as diabetes, and loves educating his patients about taking control of their eye health. Dr. Gerson is a frequent lecturer in the US and abroad, and writes regularly for optometric publications.
Dorothy Hitchmoth, OD, FAAO
Dr. Hitchmoth is a nationally recognized lecturer and patient advocate who has worked in large hospital and multi-practice settings. She has authored countless scientific papers, editorials, and book chapters, and will appear in documentary film which will be released in 2023. She is an expert in retinal imaging and is dedicated to promoting science and technology that supports the prevention of blindness and improves patient health and quality of life.
Ansel Johnson, OD
Dr. Johnson enriches his profession as a practice owner, professor, and national thought leader concentrating on eye care technologies, glaucoma, and diabetes management. As a certified lifestyle coach for the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program, Dr. Johnson takes pride in combatting health and wellness disparities in communities of color and started a foundation in June 2020 to advocate for patients in need.
Paul Karpecki, OD, FAAO
Kentucky Eye Institute (Carrollton, KY)
Dr. Karpecki is a noted educator and author in the optometric field, most notably for dry eye disease. In addition to working in private practice, Dr. Karpecki serves as Clinical Director of Advanced Ocular Surface Disease at Kentucky Eye Institute and Chief Clinical Editor for Review of Optometry. He is a nationally recognized thought leader and is committed to strengthening the profession through continuing education.
Nate Lighthizer, OD, FAAO
Dr. Lighthizer serves in multiple roles as a faculty member of the Oklahoma College of Optometry, including Chief of the Electrodiagnostics Clinic, Director of Continuing Education, and founder and head of the Dry Eye Clinic. He is a founding member of the Intrepid Eye Society, a group of emerging thought leaders in optometry, and currently serves as Vice President. Dr. Lighthizer is a nationally recognized speaker on topics such as advanced ophthalmic procedures, ocular disease, and electrodiagnostics.
Julie Rodman, OD, MSc, FAAO
Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Dr. Rodman has authored more than thirty publications with an emphasis on retinal disease. She also published Optical Coherence Tomography Atlas: A Case Study Approach, the first reference book on this topic written by an optometrist. She’s a frequent speaker at national conferences and loves sharing her knowledge of complementary technologies that can improve diagnosis and management of eye diseases. She was included on the list of Newsweek’s Best Optometrists of 2022.
Justin Schweitzer, OD, FAAO
Dr. Schweitzer works in a multi-disciplinary practice and specializes in advanced glaucoma, refractive surgical clinical care, and anterior segment pathology. He shares his experience and expertise as a frequent speaker at national, state, and regional meetings and has contributed to multiple book chapters, journal articles, and case studies in both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed publications. In addition to his work as a board member for multiple professional organizations, Dr. Schweitzer also serves as the chief medical editor for Modern Optometry.
James Thimons, OD, FAAO
Ophthalmic Consultants of Connecticut (Fairfield, CT)
Dr. Thimons has written articles for more than two hundred publications on glaucoma, dry eye, cornea and external disease, as well as refractive surgery and new technologies. He has received numerous awards for his service to the optometric profession and was selected by Newsweek as one of America’s Top Optometrists in 2022. He is a nationally and internationally acclaimed speaker and educator as well as an acknowledged leader in ophthalmic clinical education.
Bobby “Chip” Wood, OD
Dr. Wood has founded two practices as a therapeutic optometrist and glaucoma specialist. He serves as a co-administrator for Vision Source and has lectured nationally on glaucoma management, medical co-management for refractive and cataract surgery, and the implementation of modern ERG. Dr. Wood believes passionately in the importance of providing state-of-the-art technology and treatment to his patients.
RESOURCES
Learn About Modern ERG
Electrophysiology is Not What It Used to Be
Timothy Earley, OD
The ERG is a game changer for patients with diabetes, explains Dr. Earley in the Optometry Times Journal.
Why the RETeval Belongs in Any Medical OD Practice
Steven Ferrucci , OD
When it comes to diabetic retinopathy, Dr. Ferrucci doesn’t think you should rely on structure alone. It is just as important to examine the function.
Simplify Daily Decision-Making with Modern ERG
Michael Cymbor, OD, Dorothy Hitchmoth, OD, and James Thimons, OD
Read how the RETeval is simplifying decision making in this Review of Optometry feature.
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