Over the years I’ve been asked thousands of times, why I won’t become an optometrist.

And I’ve thought about this a lot.

It would be easy.  Go back to school, enjoy a nice campus, socialize, go to parties, flirt with cute students.  Somewhere in California, when I daydream about such things.  Sounds fantastic.

And of course, the instant credibility that would go along with “Dr.” Guru Jake Steiner.

Not being an outsider, not having the first thing that optometry doctors say to me being, “oh well you’re not part of the club anyway, not-doctor-Jake.”

I’d love to be all properly titled and vouched for.

But I can’t.  Why?

Accepting that title of “optometrist” is more than most people realize.  I couldn’t say all the things I’m telling you here, and also hold that title (at least not without a lot of problems).  Let me explain.

Imagine buying a McDonalds franchise.

You can’t open a McDonalds and start talking about how fast food is bad for people.

You can’t open a McDonalds and sell locally grown, organic veggies.

Nope.  You open a McDonalds, and it’s whatever stuff they ship in, prepared exactly by their methods, sold at exactly their prices, with exactly their vocabulary and branding.  You’re just a cog in their big machine, you get their branding, their blessing, and you get paid.

Tow the line.

If you become an optometrist, you raise your hand a swear  that you are part of the brand, the things that they endorse.  You better be prescribing maximum minus, and prescribe it with a smile.  And if you won’t, you’ll pretty quickly realize that you’re not free to practice how you might see as ethical.

I’m not exaggerating.  Let’s have Steve, my favorite behavioral optometrist in Hong Kong with first hand experience defying the institution, tell the story for you (English is Steve’s second language, allow for the peculiarities of expression).

My question, to Steve:

“To say that we cause heated tempers and flying arguments among the optometry crowd on a regular basis, would be an understatement.  What is your own experience in interacting with the profession?  Do you see any change in perspective, increasing curiosity, any encouraging trends?”

Steve: “The experience in interacting with the profession???

It was a nightmare and let me see through the dark side of all said professions…. to protect their own interests in the name to protect the public.
Because the new idea of treating young myopes and early stage myopia with the aid of internet and a book I written up.
A great number of patients came to my office for consultation & effective management of myopia other than concave lens but instead reading glasses.
Unfortunately, this aroused unnecessary ripple/rumour among the profession.
WHAT? How come an optical heretic stirred up the market of myopia management!
Why? The single way of quick fix with concave is simple and universally accepted. Why bother to offer alternative?
How? How to figure out the adequate power of reading glasses for average myope?
I was complained, not by the consumer who use the alternative, by a guy of  the profession.
Alas, the profession doesn’t want to upset the tradition of myopia management apparently.
I was questioned by the local optometrists board and alleged in a complaint I offered about the use of reading glasses.
Fortunately, there were quite a lot of my customers with righteous conscience came out as my witnesses.
Nevertheless, without an attorney on my behalf to seat the inquiry, I was given a warning letter from the board.
The allegation was ….the use of reading glasses cannot be sustantiated, to effectively prevent the worsening of myopia and to assist young myope to recoup normal vision, that in relation I was found guilty of professional misconduct!!”
—
Take that in, for a moment.
Steve is an optometrist.  He’s properly educated.  He knows what he’s doing.  And Steve says, “hey I don’t think I want to sell people a bunch of minus lenses.”
And you see the consequences.
You open a McDonalds franchise, you best be selling McDonalds burgers with a smile.
What more is there to be said?
If you missed part one of the interview with Steve Leung, go here.
– Jake