Following Occam’s razor in optometry

The word “gratitude” doesn’t quite do it justice, but let me, nonetheless, begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to Dr. Ernie Bowling for his leadership and directive with Optometry Times.

I was fortunate to have dinner with him and Editor-in-Chief Gretchyn Bailey in Chicago a few weeks ago at the American Academy of Optometry’s annual meeting. It was a dinner table filled with, aside from some killer crab claws, lots of love and good vibes as we spoke of passing the Chief Optometric Editor baton.

Previously from Dr. Casella: The dangers of starting and stopping glaucoma treatment

Together with their staff, Ernie and Gretchyn have taken this relatively young publication to where it is today: among the most thoughtful and useful assemblages of advice for the doctor of optometry. Many of Ernie’s editorials have left me wondering just how in the heck he broke into my office and saw exactly the challenges with which I was dealing at that time.

This element of tangibility is part of the essence of Optometry Times that is so important to me, as a clinician, a small business owner, and a husband and father. I look forward to continuing to further that mission.

So, with that said, I’m Ben, and it’s nice to meet you. I own a single location practice in downtown Augusta, GA. Laura and I have two wonderful children (an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl). Our cat, Athena, however, is the CEO of the family.

Related: Optometry Times names new chief optometric editor

I work with my father in the practice his father founded in 1948. We stay pretty busy much of the time, and we deal with similar problems as everyone else. With my practice, as with most of life, I am a strong subscriber to Occam’s razor, the philosophical principle which tells us that the simplest explanation is usually correct. It is a theme in many of my lectures, and you may see elements of it in my editorials as I like to whittle things down into their simplest form in my quest for knowledge and answers.

This modus operandi doesn’t always lend itself readily to a profession as complex and multifactorial as that of optometry, but we press on. One of my goals is to make your monthly encounters with me via Optometry Times ones of a conversational nature. I’m no good at preaching my views, but I’m really good at having dialogue-I believe that the future of optometry, with all its hitches, challenges, and opportunities, is best met head-on if we all communicate effectively with one another.

Read more from Dr. Casella here