When Jenny Drake, OD, relocated Drake Eye Care and Eyewear in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, having enough space for all of her instrumentation was a top priority. “We’re pretty big on technology here,” Dr. Drake says. It’s not unusual for the experience to wow patients, and Dr. Drake has even heard it referred to as a “Star Wars eye exam. My patients joke that I have too
many toys,” she says, laughing.
The new office is right next door to the previous one, and, at 5,000 square feet, it was designed with her technology in mind. Separate rooms, or pods as she refers to them, house each piece of pretesting instrumentation, including her OPD-Scan III Wavefront Aberrometer from Marco. She had purchased the OPD-Scan III and two TRS-5100 Digital Refractor systems the year before the move, and “we knew we wanted more from Marco while we were in the smaller space,” Dr. Drake says. Once in the new office in 2015, she added another TRS-5100. In 2017, she brought in a fourth to complete four refracting lanes and two medical lanes for herself and associate Kate O’Hara, OD.
Benefits of delegating
There were positive changes immediately after implementation, Dr. Drake says, as the doctors could delegate refractions to the staff, allowing them to see a few more patients per day. “We are able to have more face-to-face time to discuss orthokeratology,
vision therapy, dry eye and the other medical services that we offer. Patients appreciate learning about that.” Dr. Drake says that through this delegation, her team members have increased their skill level across the board. “They feel more empowered now that they
have a larger position with the practice.”
With so many available functions, Dr. Drake says that there are a few tried-and-trusted features to which she frequently returns. “On the TRS, I love being able to compare the old and new prescription. That has sold so many pairs of eyeglasses,” Dr. Drake says. She adds that the red/green balance and cylinder aspects of the test have helped improve accuracy.
On the OPD-Scan III, she likes the function that can help her explain night myopia to her patients. “I pull it up in the exam lane, and I can show that their prescription is higher with increased pupil sizes,” Dr. Drake says. This technology has also been valuable when talking about keratoconus, orthokeratology or scleral lenses. “When I have someone who is not a perfect 20/20 and we get the same prescription over and over, I can show that it’s from higher-order aberration and we can’t do anything about that. It helps patients understand that their prescription is more than just a set of numbers.”
Dr. Drake says she’s thankful to Marco and her local rep Alyson Robey for her support of the practice. “It’s more a friendship, and she’s there if I need anything. She’s a rock star,” she says, from the initial training when a team member traveled to Jacksonville, Florida, to in-office training for new staff members and everything in between.
Having processes in place
Dr. Drake is known to many Vision Source® members from her powerful testimony during The Exchange® 2017 when she told of her frightening experience of going into labor in her 25th week of pregnancy. Her daughter, baby Zoey Ireland, was born in Dublin,
and the family needed to stay there until the baby was strong enough to bring home. The Vision Source® Foundation and others supported her financially while colleagues stepped up to help with her patients and keep her practice going. Vendors also stepped up.
“Alyson was in constant contact with my staff while I was in Ireland to make sure things were squared away.”
While Dr. Drake and Dr. O’Hara are spending less time with each patient while using Marco technology, the conversations and interactions are more meaningful. “It’s more quality time, face-to-face and not behind the phoropter,” Dr. Drake says. “It helps
set our practice apart as a high-tech office, and I think patients are more satisfied having a better exam with less time.”
