INTREPID EYE SOCIETY - Key Persons
Dr. Asghari is an optometrist and the Associate Director of Clinical Education for BostonSight. She also serves as adjunct clinical faculty for MCPHS school of Optometry and New England College of Optometry (NECO). Born in Iran, Dr. Asghari immigrated to Canada and eventually the United States at the age of 13 where her family settled in Southern California. She completed her Doctorate in Optometry from Southern California College of Optometry, graduating summa cum laude. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences from California State University Northridge, graduating cum laude. Prior to joining BostonSight, Dr. Asghari completed her PROSE clinical fellowship, as well as her post-doctoral residency in Cornea & Contact Lens and Ocular Disease from The Ohio State University Havener Eye Institute. There, she completed additional training with emphasis in binocular vision disorders and low vision.
Her clinical practice is patient-centric, collaborative and focuses on caring for those with complex ocular surface and corneal diseases with the aid of advanced customizations of scleral lenses.
Dr. Asghari is equally passionate about education as she is about patient care. She enjoys working with students, lecturing, and writing for publications with her professional goal of expanding the understanding and scope of treatment for ocular surface diseases. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO), was awarded the VSP/AOF Practice Excellence Scholarship and was elected as a Top Doctor by the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF) in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Member of the American Optometric Association
Dr. King received his doctor of optometry degree from Indiana University. He then strengthened his medical experience by completing an optometric fellowship with Hunkeler Eye Centers in Kansas City, affiliated with the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. During his fellowship, Dr. King developed an interest in clinical research where he learned to incorporate it into his practice. Over the past 15 years, he has worked as a consultative optometrist in glaucoma and retinal disease referral practice in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Dr. King has returned to Indiana University to provide consultative and medical care at Indiana University School of Optometry where he continues an interest in research. In addition to his clinic, Dr. King regularly develops and presents lectures on glaucoma management and retinal disease. He has helped conduct over 40 clinical trials and now focuses on translational research specifically in ocular hemodynamics, glaucoma progression, and retinal atrophy. His work has been published in Primary Care Optometry News, the Journal of the American Optometric Association, and Review of Optometry. Dr. King is actively involved in the profession of optometry as Immediate Past-President of the Heart of America Contact Lens Society and Primary Eye Care Congress.
Dr. King is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and board-certified in Medical Optometry by the American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry.
Dr. Koetting practices in Denver, CO. Her primary focus is in anterior segment and ocular surface disease, neuro-optometry, and peri-operative care. She partakes in clinical research and has served Externship Director and adjunct faculty for several schools and colleges of optometry.
Dr. Koetting is fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, active member of AOA and has served as both local and state officers within AOA. She was named young Optometrist of the Year in 2019 by the state of Virginia. Dr. Koetting lectures locally, nationally and internationally at conferences, continually contributes articles to and serves on the editorial board for multiple publications.
Job Titles:
- Director of Optometric Services at Eye Surgeons of Indiana
Dr. Dierker is Director of Optometric Services at Eye Surgeons of Indiana and an adjunct faculty member at the Indiana University School of Optometry. He practices consultative optometry with special interests in ocular surface disease and retinal disorders. He has developed a dedicated dry eye clinic within his practice and helps colleagues across the country in this area as co-founder of Eyes on Dry Eye. Additionally, he serves as President of the Indiana Optometric Association.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor in the Ophthalmology Department of Mount Sinai Morningside
Dr. Daniel Epshtein is an assistant professor in the ophthalmology department of Mount Sinai Morningside in New York City. Previously, he held a position in a high-volume multispecialty ophthalmology practice supervising fourth year optometry students as an adjunct assistant clinical professor of the SUNY College of Optometry. Dr. Epshtein's research focuses on using the latest ophthalmic imaging technologies to elucidate ocular disease processes and to simplify equivocal clinical diagnoses. He developed and lectures in the perioperative care course at the SUNY College of Optometry. Dr. Epshtein writes and lectures on numerous topics including glaucoma, retinal disease, multimodal imaging, ocular surface disease, and perioperative care.
Dr. Justin Schweitzer specializes in advanced glaucoma, refractive surgical clinical care, and anterior segment pathology at Vance Thompson Vision. He received his professional training and Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, OR.
In 2012, he pursued his dream to focus on glaucoma, advanced anterior segment surgery care and pathology, joining Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He earned Fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry in 2013, is the Optometric Externship Director at Vance Thompson Vision, and Adjunct Clinical Professor of the Illinois College of Optometry and Kentucky College of Optometry.
Dr. Schweitzer regularly lectures on glaucoma, anterior segment pathology, refractive surgical clinical care, and surgical management at state, regional, and national meetings. He is currently the Chief Medical Editor for Modern Optometry and has contributed book chapters, journal articles, and case studies in peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed journals including Review of Optometry, Optometry Times, Primary Care Optometry News, Optometric Management, The Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, Clinical Ophthalmology, and The Journal of Glaucoma. He has research interests in minimally invasive glaucoma surgery and biomechanical properties of the cornea as it relates to glaucoma.
Dr. Schweitzer is an advocate of an integrated eye care delivery model and is currently serving as a board member for the South Dakota Optometric Society. He also serves as a board member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society, a member of the American Optometric Association; Optometric Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Society; Scleral Lens Education Society; Intrepid Eye Society; and is actively involved in his community's eye care initiatives.
Dr. Mark Buboltz serves as the Optometric Residency Coordinator at Minnesota Eye Consultants and is adjunct clinical faculty at the Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Buboltz has special interests in dry eye management and specialty contact lenses as well as ocular disease, urgent care, surgery management, and primary care. Originally from Redwood Falls, MN, he completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD and optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL.
While at the Illinois College of Optometry, he received awards of merit for clinical excellence, the school's Trustee's Scholarship, and graduated magna cum laude.
After graduation, he completed his residency in ocular disease and ocular surgery co-management at Minnesota Eye Consultants. He has presented at various local and national conferences including the American Academy of Optometry, Minnesota Optometric Association, and American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. In addition, Dr. Buboltz is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Field Manager at MyEyeDr
Dr. Mark Schaeffer serves as Clinical Field Manager at MyEyeDr in Birmingham, Alabama where he practices full scope optometry. In addition to his clinical work, he is affiliated with several pharmaceutical companies in consulting for ocular disease and contact lenses. Dr. Schaeffer is the author of multiple articles that have appeared in various journals. He has served as a moderator for EyeTubeOD and has given several COPE-approved presentations. He is a Founding Member of the Intrepid Eye Society, and is a member of the Alabama and American Optometric Association, American Academy of Optometry and the Contact Lens and Cornea Section. Dr. Schaeffer earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from University of Georgia, his Doctor of Optometry from Southern College of Optometry, and completed a residency in Ocular Disease at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida.
Job Titles:
- Principal Optometrist at the University of California
Dr. Melissa Barnett is a principal optometrist at the University of California, Davis Eye Center in Sacramento and Davis, California. She is an internationally recognized key opinion leader, specializing in dry eye disease and specialty contact lenses. Dr. Barnett lectures and publishes extensively on topics including dry eye, anterior segment disease, contact lenses and creating a healthy balance between work and home life for women in optometry. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate of the American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry, a Fellow of the British Contact Lens Association and serves on the Board of the American Optometric Association Cornea and Contact Lens Council, Gas Permeable Lens Institute, International Society of Contact Lens Specialists and is Past President of The Scleral Lens Education Society. Drs. Melissa Barnett and Lynette Johns authored and edited the book Contemporary Scleral Lenses: Theory and Application with the unique perspectives and contributions of international experts. Dr. Barnett was awarded the inaugural Theia Award for Excellence for Mentoring by Women in Optometry. She was granted the Most Influential Women in Optical from Vision Monday in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, hiking and spending time with her family, Todd Erickson, also an optometrist, and two sons, Alex and Drew.
Job Titles:
- Optometrist at Vance Thompson Vision
Dr. Mitch Ibach is a residency trained optometrist at Vance Thompson Vision in Sioux Falls, SD since 2014. He completed his residency/fellowship at Minnesota Eye Consultants. Dr. Ibach specializes in anterior segment surgical care including cataracts, corneal diseases, glaucoma, and refractive surgeries. Dr. Ibach maintains a large collaborative glaucoma clinic that focuses on long-term disease care. Dr. Ibach has participated in numerous FDA and industry sponsored clinical trials in the areas of cataracts, cornea, glaucoma, and refractive surgery. He is a member of the American Optometric Association and a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry. Dr. Ibach is often invited to speak at national optometry conferences like the American Academy of Optometry. Dr. Ibach also lectures to different state and regional optometric associations. His talks focus on glaucoma, corneal diseases, refractive surgery, and cataract surgery. Dr. Ibach is also affiliated with the South Dakota Optometric Association and the Optometric Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Society (OCCRS), and the Optometric Glaucoma Society (OGS).
After 15 years in the world of academia, Dr. Tracy Doll has transitioned to Sunset Eye Clinic in Beaverton, OR where she is the Director of Ocular Surface Care Services.
Dr. Doll graduated from Pacific University College of Optometry in 2006 and completed a residency with the Portland VA Medical Center in primary care in 2007. She then started a teaching career with Pacific University College of Optometry, instructing in didactive courses and clinical services for 1st through 4th-year students in the realms of ocular disease, procedures, and even optometric Spanish. She pioneered one of the first ocular surface dryness centers inside a university, supervising 4th-year optometry students and residents, as well as performing direct care for those with ocular surface dryness.
Dr. Doll has a passion for lecturing, writing, and research on the topic of improving ocular surface dryness and safe beauty for the eye. She is thrilled to be taking part as a contributor to the upcoming Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) Workshop, "A Lifestyle Epidemic: Ocular Surface Dryness," where she will be part of the subcommittee on cosmetics.
Dr. Doll is delighted to serve on the American Academy of Optometry Anterior Segment Section leadership team and is a proud member of the Intrepid Eye Society and TFOS. She is also the Co-Medical Editor for Dry Eye Coach, offering online resources for doctors and the public alike.
In her free time, Dr. Doll enjoys exploring the Portland food and wine scene with her husband. She is also the dance mom of two hardworking daughters who love math.
Dr. Lang received his Doctor of Optometry degree from The New England College of Optometry in Boston, MA, where he was a member of Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric Honor Society and received several awards for excellence in patient care and contact lens expertise. Dr. Lang then completed a cornea and specialty contact lens residency in Boston, MA. Through this additional education, he gained expertise in dry eye and ocular diseases, therapeutic contact lenses and surgical co-management. Dr. Lang has been involved in dry eye clinical research and FDA trials for many years including medications and therapeutic devices. He writes articles for several publications on the topic and is actively involved in lecturing to colleagues at various meetings locally and nationally. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry, a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and an Adjunct Clinical Faculty for the Illinois College of Optometry and Salus University. He is also the residency coordinator for Associated Eye Care's optometric residency program, is actively involved in lecturing on eye care innovations, and participates in ongoing clinical research. Dr. Lang, his wife and son enjoy snowshoeing, skiing and spending time outdoors. He also enjoys playing golf, fly-fishing, and fly-tying.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Specialty Contact Lens Division of the Cornea
Dr. Gelles is the director of the specialty contact lens division of the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute-Hersh Vision Group and the CLEI Center for Keratoconus in Teaneck, NJ. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and an adjunct clinical professor for State University of New York College of Optometry, Illinois College of Optometry and New England College of Optometry. He is a fellow of the Contact Lens Society of America, the Scleral Lens Society, and the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control. He is a board member of the Contact Lens Society of America, an executive board member of the International Keratoconus Academy and an advisory board member for the Gas Permeable Lens Institute. He is a clinical investigator for various keratoconus and specialty contact lens related clinical trials at CLEI and is a consultant for multiple technology and ophthalmic companies related to corneal disease, ocular surface disease and specialty contact lenses.
Dr. Johnston pursued his undergraduate studies at Texas Christian University, earning his B.S. degree. He then graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry, in Chicago. Dr. Johnston is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the Southern College of Optometry and regularly lectures on dry eye disease and refractive surgery subject matter to his colleagues, nationwide. Dr. Johnston is currently the Residency Director and the Clinical Director at Georgia Eye Partners in Atlanta, GA.
Justin Kwan, OD, FAAO is a 2009 graduate of University of California, Berkeley. He completed a dry eye and contact lens research fellowship / residency at Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) where he was an assistant and then associate professor for seven years. At the University Eye Center, he served as chief of the contact lens service and also directed the dry eye clinic. He specializes and is passionate about myopia management, dry eye, keratoconus, refractive surgery, orthokeratology, and multifocal contact lenses. Dr. Kwan is a reviewer for many professional journals and editor in chief of Clinical and Refractive Optometry.
Dr. Kwan chairs the American Academy of Optometry's Fellows Doing Research SIG. He has also served on the board of the Orange County Optometric Society as the legislative chair and won "young optometrist of the year" in February 2018 from the California Optometric Association. In October 2018, he moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois and became a full time associate optometrist at Professional Eye Care Center. He is the current president of the Chicago North Side Optometric Society. In April 2020, he transitioned to CooperVision in the role of Senior Manager, Myopia Management.
Dr. O'Dell focuses on the management of ocular disease including glaucoma, dry eye, and diabetic eye disease as the Clinical Director of Medical Optometry America in York, PA. Dr. O'Dell graduated from Salus College of Optometry in 2003 and completed a residency at the Baltimore VA Hospital. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, a diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and a member of the Optometric Glaucoma Society, Tear Film, and Ocular Surface Society (TFOS), AOA and Central PA Optometric Society. Most recently, Dr. O'Dell has been selected to participate in the TFOS Dry Eye Workshop (TFOS DEWSII) initiative and is one of six TFOS Global Ambassadors for the United States. She has published many articles both nationally and internationally and lectures on topics including glaucoma, advancements in dry eye disease, diabetic eye disease and the management of surgical patients.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine
Dr. Hauswirth is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he is coordinating Director of the Ocular Surface Center, and a key leader in the development of the collaborative care model within the Department of Ophthalmology. He is a founding member of the Intrepid Eye Society.
He graduated from the Southern California College of Optometry with honors and completed his residency in Cornea, Glaucoma, and Surgical Management at Minnesota Eye Consultants in Minneapolis, MN. He went on to practice for seventeen years as a consultative optometrist with Minnesota Eye Consultants, where he led the optometric externship program, mentoring future optometrists in their last year of clinical training. He was also active in numerous research projects, and was instrumental in the development of their dry eye program.
He is on the editorial board of five publications including the Journal of Dry Eye Disease, and has authored several journal articles, publications, and texts. He is active in the Academy of Optometry and has twice been an invited lecturer for the Anterior Segment Symposium Section, lecturing on the impacts of drug delivery on ocular surface disease and corneal neuropathic pain in dry eye.
He is currently leading research in meibomian gland dysfunction, corneal neuropathic pain, and immunologic pathways of dry eye disease at the University of Colorado, and is medical advisor for Terrapin Ocular and TearRestore, in addition to having multiple consultative roles for various pharmaceutical and medical device companies in the eye care industry. He was selected as one of the Primary Care Optometry News 250 Innovators in Optometry in 2016.
Job Titles:
- Visionary Founder of Precision Vision of Edmond
Dr. McGee is the visionary founder of Precision Vision of Edmond, a boutique-style eyecare practice that specializes in dry eye disease, specialty contact lenses, and aesthetics. She is also the co-founder of Precision Vision of Midwest City, an MD-OD practice specializing in premium IOL and cataract surgery. She earned her OD degree from Northeastern State University College of Optometry, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She is a member of the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians and the American Optometric Association. Currently she serves as the Immediate Past-President the OAOP. She is also an adjunct faculty member of Northeastern State University College of Optometry. She was named Young Optometrist of the year in 2012 by the OAOP.
Job Titles:
- Optometrist
- Member of the American Optometric Association
Vin T. Dang is an optometrist practicing in a multi-speciality eye clinic in Bakersfield, California. His clinical practice covers a broad spectrum of ocular care with a unique clinical focus on ocular surface disease and dry eye.
Born and raised in Paris, France, Dr. Dang immigrated to the United States at the age of 16. He attended University of California San Diego where he graduated with a degree in Biochemistry. Dr. Dang earned his Doctorate of Optometry degree from Southern California College of Optometry. In 2016, he received his Fellowship with the American Academy of Optometry.
As Director of Dry Eye Center at Empire Eye and Laser Center, Dr. Dang has established himself as a specialist in the areas of diagnosis and management of ocular surface diseases, as well as providing advanced refractive eye surgery consultation and care, and medical eye exams.
In addition to practicing full scope optometry, Dr. Dang has contributed to several optometric journals and has presented lectures on incorporation ocular surface disease treatment and management into clinical practice. Dr. Dang serves on the advisory board of several eye care companies assisting in the research and development of dry eye therapies, and helping craft medical disease management protocols.
Dr. Dang is a member of the American Optometric Association, California Optometric Association, and current president of the Kern County Optometric Society. In addition to his participation in organized optometry, Dr. Dang is also the residency coordinator affiliated with Southern CA College of Optometry training the next batch of optometry's brightest doctors. In his spare time, Dr. Dang volunteers with OneSight to provide free eye exams to the underserved in his local community as well as internationally.
Dr. Dang is a trilingual speaker fluent in English, French, and Cantonese and enjoys caring for patients of all ages and backgrounds. When he is not pursuing his passions within eye care, he travels the world with his wife and two young sons. In his free time, Dr. Dang is always on the lookout for the latest tech gadget and spends his leisure time playing Pickleball - the fastest growing sport in America.