What would change inside your practice if you stopped thinking of the optical as simply where patients go after the exam, and started thinking about it as a place people genuinely want to shop?

That question sits at the center of this week's Power Hour.

In this week's episode, host Eugene Shatsman sits down with David Friedfeld, President and Co-Owner of ClearVision Optical, a 78-year-old family-owned frame distributor serving roughly 10,000 customers and shipping between 1.5 and 2 million frames annually. That scale gives David a unique view into how consumers are changing, and what independent practices may be missing.

And the conversation keeps coming back to one issue:

Independent optometry may be very good at delivering eye exams. But is it equally good at creating a shopping experience?

For years, the conversation with AMD patients has largely been about one thing:

How do we slow this down?

But Dr. Dalton Brothers and Dr. Chris White are having a very different conversation with their patients today – they talk about how to maintain and improve it.

In this week's episode of Power Hour, Eugene Shatsman sits down with Dr. Dalton Brothers, Owner and Founder of Brothers Vision Consulting and OD at Brothers, Bezold & Associates, and Dr. Chris White, OD at San Juans Vision Source, to explore how they are using photobiomodulation with AMD patients: what the evidence suggests, what they are seeing clinically, and what this emerging treatment model could mean for both patients and practices.

Dalton now has roughly 200 AMD patients in treatment. Chris treated his first patient less than a year ago and has already built more than 40 cases while adding another two to three patients in a typical week.

And they brought real-world cases to prove why they are paying attention.

What if one of the biggest opportunities in your back-to-school schedule did not require more chair time?

Dr. Kate Daluyin has built a highly successful myopia management program inside Vision Source Studio 20/20, and one part of her process immediately caught Eugene's attention.

When Dr. Daluyin identifies a child who needs myopia management, most of the deeper conversations with the family happen virtually.

And roughly 60-65% of those virtual consultations result in enrollment in a $4,500, 24-month myopia management program.

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Are you reading The Eyecare B.O.S.S. yet?

Thousands of copies of the growth manual have already been sold, but the book is only the beginning. If you're ready to start implementing the systems inside your own practice, visit EyecareBoss.com

There are more than 40 free tools available to download, including the same tools used with practices to help turn the concepts in the book into execution.

And the results are worth paying attention to.

Across a year-long study involving approximately 25 practice locations, participating practices saw average:

Refractions increase 19.4%. Revenue increase 23.9%.

In a market where much of the industry is flat, those results stand out.

You can use the book and tools independently, work alongside other practice owners in a group, or get one-on-one coaching support. Your call.

Your dream practice is waiting for you. Visit EyecareBoss.com

How many good ideas have disappeared inside your practice?

You heard something at a conference, identified a new revenue opportunity, and told the team what needed to change.

Everyone agreed. But then, a few weeks later, you realized nobody was really doing it anymore.

That is not an idea problem. It is an execution problem.

This week on Power Hour, host Eugene Shatsman sits down with Co-Creator of The Eyecare B.O.S.S., Jamie Rosin, to break down the exact framework they use to turn practice improvements into behaviors that actually stick.

And this episode is extremely practical.

Eugene and Jamie break down the framework step by step — from finding the opportunity, to getting your team behind it, to making sure it does not quietly die three weeks later.

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The Eyecare B.O.S.S. — Business Optimization & Scalability System — brings together Accountability, Revenue, People, Patient Experience, and Data to help independent practices build more predictable growth and stronger execution.

Visit eyecareboss.com to access tools, resources, master classes, and additional support for implementing the system inside your practice.

Most ODs who enter aesthetics start in a similar place.

They purchase IPL or radio frequency technology for dry eye. They discover the equipment can do more. They add a few aesthetic treatments to the schedule, and then the opportunity stalls.

The devices are there. Patients show some interest. But aesthetics never becomes a real business.

This week on Power Hour, host Eugene Shatsman sits down with Dr. Amanda Barker, Co-Founder and Owner of Advanced Family Eye Care, to examine what it actually takes to move beyond dabbling and build a seven-figure aesthetics practice.

Amanda's aesthetics business is now on track to generate between $1 million and $1.2 million annually.

But the most valuable part of the conversation is not the final number. It is everything she had to build around it.

A separate business structure, licensed providers, multiple treatment rooms, a consultative sales process, production goals for each room and provider, and patient retention systems.

Most practices assume that selling more glasses means making more money.

But what if that is not always true?

In this week's episode of Power Hour, host Eugene Shatsman sits down with Dr. Lacy Crissup (Co-Owner of Claremore Eye Associates), Dr. Trinae Rosato (Owner of Rosato Family Eyecare LLC) and Dr. Brian Abert (Founder of Vista Eye Care and Member of the AOA & COA), to discuss what happened when each of their practices took a deeper look at their optical performance.

Their practices are different in size, market, and stage of growth.

But each of them recently went through a retail optimization initiative focused on frame profitability, board space, pricing strategy, managed care reimbursement, team training, and optical performance.

And what they found was hard to ignore.

How are you?

Most people answer that question without thinking.

"Good. Fine. Okay."

Then the conversation moves on, and nothing meaningful is learned.

But what if that question is one of the reasons so many conversations stay stuck at the surface?

In this week's episode of Power Hour, host Eugene Shatsman sits down with Bart Foster, Founder and CEO of BusinessOutside, to discuss how better questions create stronger connection, how connection builds trust, and how trust can change the way leaders, teams, and patients respond.

Bart works closely with executives across the eye care industry, helping them move beyond surface-level conversations and into the kinds of relationships that create real insight, vulnerability, and growth.

And while this conversation begins with executive forums, it quickly becomes relevant to every practice owner, manager, doctor, and team member trying to build more trust inside their business.

Independent practice performance is under pressure.

Refractions are down. Revenue is down. Exam-only behavior is climbing.

And for many practices, the first half of 2026 has been much tougher than expected.

In this week's episode of Power Hour, Eugene Shatsman sits down with Dr. Jason Lake, General Manager of PERC & Opti-Port, to examine real-time independent practice performance data and discuss what owners can do now to protect revenue, improve capture, and prepare for demand to return.