The Presbyopic Path with Drs. Melissa Barnett and Pamela Lowe

Today on the show we welcomed Drs. Melissa Barnett and Pamela Lowe. We talked about Presbyopia and all the options we have for our patients from pharmaceuticals, surgery, contact lenses and more! We also dove deeper into how we can best communicate with our presbyopic patients about their eye health and how to be preventative. 

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Show Sponsors:

• CooperVision
• MacuHealth
• EssilorLuxottica

Guest Bios:

Dr. Lowe is currently Director/President of Professional Eye Care Center, Incorporated, a private practice she founded in 1992 on Chicago’s Northwest Side. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University of Chicago in 1984 and graduated with honors from the Illinois College of Optometry in
1988. The college named her the Alumnus of the Year in 2002. Dr. Lowe is active in organized optometry and is a Past President of the Illinois Optometric Association. Dr. Lowe was awarded Illinois’s Young Optometrist of the Year in 1995 and Optometrist of the Year in 2006. She has been a career long member of the American Optometric Association serving as a Past Chair of the AOA Contact Lens and Cornea Section and currently serves as Chair of the Strategic Communications Committee and is a Keyperson for AOA Advocacy. She is a Fellow with the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. She serves as VisionSource Medical Director in Chicagoland where she is an administrator for over sixty independent private practice locations. Dr. Lowe has lectured and authored on many topics including retinal disease, cataract extraction, laser vision correction, and currently travels throughout the country speaking on new contact lens innovations, technologies for early detection of macular degeneration, dry eye disease strategies and myopia management. 

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, specialty contact lenses, and presbyopia. Dr. Barnett lectures globally and publishes extensively on topics including dry eye, anterior segment disease, contact lenses, presbyopia, and creating a healthy balance between work and home life for women in optometry. She is Immediate Past Chair of the American Optometric Association Contact Lens and Cornea Section, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate of the American Board of Certification in
Medical Optometry, a Fellow and Global Ambassador of the British Contact Lens
Association, serves on the Board of the 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 most recently chaired the BCLA CLEAR report on scleral lenses. She is currently serving on the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS): A Lifestyle Epidemic Ocular Surface Disease Workshop. 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. Dr. Barnett and Dr. Tom Arnold are co-hosts of the popular podcast GlobalEyes. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, hiking and spending time with family.