Back to school season provides practice growth opportunities

Maria Sampalis, OD, a practice owner in Cranston, Rhode Island, described how she has grown her practice to 3 times its original size over 6 years by thinking “outside the box,” emphasizing differentiation, patient education, and strong community relationships. A central pillar of her strategy is leveraging the back‑to‑school season as a key opportunity to promote pediatric myopia management, even though many of her patients are elderly. She routinely educates grandparents and adult patients about myopia management for their grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, using this as a catalyst for word‑of‑mouth referrals and positioning her practice as a provider of the “latest and greatest” technology.

To build awareness and parent education around pediatric myopia, Sampalis uses e‑blasts to announce new technologies, lenses, and specialty contact lenses such as orthokeratology (OrthoK). She emphasized that clinicians do not need to be absolute experts because vendors and external resources can support troubleshooting and clinical decision-making. A key communication strategy is framing myopia as a disease rather than a simple refractive error. Sampalis uses visual aids to illustrate the long‑term risks—retinal detachment, cataracts, glaucoma—and displays these materials in multiple exam lanes and the waiting area. Pamphlets and visuals help patients engage with the topic even during brief waiting times, and Sampalis noted that respect for patients’ time is itself an important loyalty driver.

On practice growth and loyalty, Sampalis shared formative advice from a mentor: focus on doing what is best for the patient, avoid pressure sales, and the business will follow. She highlighted word‑of‑mouth as a major growth engine, particularly among patients who value their eye health. While optical sales still represent 60–70% of the business, developing a strong medical model has been critical for resilience during economic downturns and for deepening loyalty.

Sampalis gave examples of multi‑generational care, including patients she has seen from childhood to adulthood and now into parenthood. These long-term relationships extend beyond the exam room into the broader community—seeing patients on the street, in supermarkets, and supporting each other’s small businesses. For first‑time pediatric glasses and contact lens fittings, she prioritizes proper fit, durability, aesthetics, and clear explanation of options (eg, blue‑blocking lenses, myopia‑management designs, polarized and photochromic lenses). She stressed that while “cheaper” options exist, quality and performance are crucial to avoid negative first experiences.

Finally, Sampalis underscored back‑to‑school as a powerful, practice‑wide opportunity: consistent education, lean operations, and a willingness to step into different roles (eg, helping in the optical, doing seg heights when short‑staffed) not only control overhead but also demonstrate leadership and competence. This combination of clinical care, education, and community‑oriented practice management underpins both profitability and sustainable, long‑term patient loyalty.