Your work is about changing lives

By: John Bohnsack, CFP®

Your Work is About Changing Lives: A Message to Private Practice Optometrists

As an optometric private practice owner, you’ve likely spent time analyzing your practice metrics: revenue per patient, revenue per hour, profit margins, cost per acquisition, and the other numbers that keep your practice running. These numbers are important—they’re the lifeblood of any successful business. But in the constant hustle to hit revenue goals, it’s easy to lose sight of why you began this journey in the first place.

Let’s take a step back and reflect on the real reason you do this work: changing lives.

A Clear Vision, A Better Life

Think about the first time you fitted a child with glasses and saw their face light up when they realized the world wasn’t blurry. Or the moment you helped an older patient preserve their independence by managing their glaucoma or cataracts. These aren’t just transactions—they’re transformations. Every prescription you write, every eye exam you perform, and every word of advice you offer has the potential to improve someone’s quality of life in a way that can’t always be measured on a spreadsheet.

The Balance Between Business and Purpose

Running an optometric private practice means you wear two hats: clinician and entrepreneur. Revenue per patient and profit margins are essential to keeping your doors open. But they are a means to an end, not the end itself. At its core, your practice is about providing care that improves lives, not just increasing revenue.

It’s important to remind yourself and your team that financial success isn’t the ultimate goal—it’s the fuel that enables you to serve your patients better.

Your Impact Beyond the Numbers

When the focus shifts entirely to financial metrics, it’s easy to view patients as dollar signs instead of people. But your patients don’t measure their experience with you in terms of profit margins. They remember the care, compassion, and expertise you bring into their lives. Thanks to your proactive care, it’s:

1. That single mom who can now help her child with homework because you treated her dry eye.
2. The teenager who feels more confident after switching to contact lenses.
3. The retiree who treasures every detail of their grandchildren’s faces.

These stories define your success, not just the numbers on a balance sheet.

A New Approach to Metrics

Instead of seeing metrics as the goal, reframe them as tools to support your purpose. Ask yourself:

1. How can increasing revenue per patient allow us to invest in better technology or hire an additional staff member to enhance the patient experience?
2. How does a healthy profit margin ensure we can continue to provide personalized care for decades to come?
3. (Am I even measuring the right metrics, or should I be thinking about metrics differently?)

By tying your business goals to your mission, you’ll feel more aligned with your work and less overwhelmed by the day-to-day pressures of running a practice.

Reconnect with Your Why

Take a moment to pause and reflect: Why did you choose this profession? Chances are, it wasn’t to master profit-and-loss statements or maximize revenue per patient. Those are necessary parts of the job, but they aren’t the heart of it.

You became an optometrist because you wanted to make a difference. Whether it’s restoring someone’s sight, easing their discomfort, or simply making them feel seen and cared for, your work changes lives in profound ways.

The Bigger Picture

Yes, the financial side of your practice is critical, but it’s not what your patients will remember. What they’ll carry with them is the kindness, expertise, and care you showed them. And if you focus on delivering that, the financial rewards will often follow.

So, as you review your numbers at the end of the week, don’t forget to reflect on the lives you’ve touched. Remember, your work is about changing lives—and that’s the greatest success of all.