“I like the optometry field because you exam, turned out to be increased cerebro- technological innovations available to
really are your own boss,” he says. “You spinal pressure, or pseudotumor cerebri. them. The first two he purchased have
work independently of any sort of facility. McCann said these patients had never since doubled in size in the past three
There's the medical aspect, which is a had an eye exam before, but were told by years, which he credits to the innova-
passion of mine, as well as the business their family doctor they should have an tions and updates, as well as using tools
aspect which is fun and exciting for me eye exam to see if the headaches were that integrate with their electronic
as well and then there's the fun side related. And they turned out to be life- records system.
which is in the optical side.” changing visits, which he's proud to have been a part of. “Patients are very impressed by technol-
McCann’s education saw him complete two honours bachelor of science degrees, McCann got started at his father-in-law's technology and innovation matters to
in biology and kinesiology, at Western practice, where he worked for about four Millennials, to Generation X and Y, so
University in London, Ont., as well as earn months. He then had the opportunity to we have to make sure we're keeping up
his bachelor of vision science, accelerat- work part-time at another practice in the in this day and age to stay relevant to our
ed MBA, and doctorate of optometry from north end of the city, where he got along patients as well. I think patients appreci-
the NSU College of Optometry in Fort well with the owner. She offered McCann ate that more, because they see you more
Lauderdale, Fla. the opportunity to buy her practice, which on the medical side, rather than just a
During his 10 years of schooling, the he did in 2014 with a schoolmate- place to get your eyes checked for glasses.”
medical side of the field piqued his turned-business-partner. In addition to seeing patients McCann
interest most, as he learned of treating In the last year, he purchased his father- is a professional consultant for Johnson
advanced conditions like glaucoma, in-law's practice and has taken on the & Johnson and lectures across the country
macular degeneration and various retinal role as clinical director at the Advanced to his colleagues about contact lenses and
diseases. He also took a great interest in Vision Centre, which is part of Advanced practice management. He has also lectured
the posterior segment of the eye “where Medical Group in London. The multiple- on pharmaceuticals for Bausch & Lomb,
I kind of excel and enjoy.” disciplinary facility allows him to be able sat on advisory committees for Allergan
Initially vision therapy was of interest to work with colleagues from across dif- and lectures at continuing education
ferent medical fields and share electronic conferences on ocular disease.
records for patients using multiple services, He also enjoys teaching clinical externs
to him, but once he got into his clinical
rotation in an ophthalmology office he
got to see more diseases which “definite-
ly took over my interest.” And since he
has been practicing the most impactful
moments for him have come in catching
advancing diseases in patients, which
may have been fatal or caused serious
which makes for an elite and efficient
team environment. He also oversees
other optometrists practicing there, where
they can work closely with an ophthal-
mology bay which is attached to the
centre that handles cataract surgeries
complications in their lives. and glaucoma treatment.
McCann said he once had a patient who It's admittedly a heavy workload for
came in after she broke her glasses, but
also decided to have an exam. He ended
up finding and diagnosing a form of ocular
McCann, who said his education and
training are key to being able to budget his
time and mark his priorities so he's able
melanoma which because they were able to grow his practice.
to catch it early enough, saved the Since taking on the new practices, he's
patient from complications, had it spread. focused his attention on revamping
Three other examples of patient impact them with new, updated equipment and
he's proud to mention involved a patient
suffering from headaches, which upon
making sure the patient base knows of
the changes that have been made and
ogy,” he says. “We're in a time where
from the University of Waterloo School
of Optometry in their final year of school
and for 2016-17 he was elected to the Board
of Directors for the Ontario Association
of Optometrists.
McCann says as the industry gets more
challenged by competition with big box
stores and new companies trying to make
a mark on the industry, the optical indus-
try has to make sure to give patients a
reason to visit them for routine exams.
“When they're in our chair, we have to
make sure we're capturing that patient
before they leave the office and educate
them well on what we’re giving them,
as opposed to getting it elsewhere.”
Optical Prism | October 2017 39