Yari Mitchell has questions for Patricia Buehler, MD: Becoming an ophthalmic innovator

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Hi, I'm Yari, and I have questions. This is Dr. Patty Buehler and she has answers! Let's see if they match. Hey, Patty, how are you?

I'm doing well, Yari. Thanks for having me on.

Oh, my gosh. I can't wait to have this conversation with you because you know I love innovation. And I know you are a huge fan yourself. So, I'd love to start with what innovations have you brought into your practice recently that you are really excited about.

Well, from this meeting, I'm really excited about the ScoutPro from Trukera because I think it'll really help me with my premium lens patients. I do a lot of premium lens surgery, including multifocal implants and toric, and I just think that knowing what the tear osmolarity is and being able to treat it beforehand will give me better outcomes with my premium lens patients.

Yeah, that's great. I mean, the ocular surface is such an important part of the lens power selection process, and then the ultimate outcome, so that's sounds like a really exciting new offering.

Yeah, and the ScoutPro, you can put in every exam lane.

Yeah, very cool. So, that's what you're doing now. What about the future, what do you have your eye on?

Well, we've created a new medical device to make blepharoplasty surgery easier on the patient and the surgeon. So, we're looking forward to that. We launched the device during the pandemic when everyone had a little bit of downtime. And we won the ASCRS@Eyecelerator Best Early-Stage Company back in May [2023]. And we've done some clinical-

Congratulations.

Thank you. It's very, very exciting. We've done our first clinical patients, and we are looking towards commercialization at the end of 2024.

that's exciting. I mean, what a journey. So, you are both a practicing physician, built your own practice, and then you are an innovator as well. What have you learned through that journey?

Well, what I've really learned is that ophthalmology industry is an amazing ecosystem for innovation. So, we have very talented surgeons that have been innovators their whole careers, like Dick Lindstrom, Vance Thompson, etc. And then we have industry people that are really partners in helping bring new devices and doctors with an idea forward, like Bill Link and Gil Kliman and Chris Calcaterra. So, we just have so much integration between industry and surgeons, and I don't think that's really true in other fields. So, I think we're just super fortunate to have that. And that really helps bring products to market, which helps all of our patients and all or our practices.

Yeah, I think that's so great. I love that we've got such an ecosystem, I love that word, for that support. So, Patty, you're a practicing physician, you're also an innovator bringing a product to market. There are other surgeons, I'm sure, or other individuals in ophthalmology, that would want to do something similar. What advice would you share with those people that have an idea in their mind but are maybe afraid to get it onto the page and into the world?

Yeah, well, I would just encourage them to be very persistent, but also realistic. In ophthalmology, there are so many opportunities, both to present your ideas at these meetings to people from industry and innovation of surgeons that have done it before. And they're so generous with their time that I recommend getting as much advice as you can. People have done it before and there's a lot of experience out there. And they're so encouraging because everyone, industry, surgeons and patients, all benefit from the innovation.

That's tremendous. I think it's really great to hear that perspective as a physician and an innovator about what you would share, what you would advise people. What about you? What advice have you had in your career that has helped you to evolve that you've kept close with you over the years?

Yeah. I've been in this field for over 25 years and, all along, people have been very encouraging to me. And I think that there's a lot of different ways to practice. I think you can run your own practice, which I find very rewarding, or you can work in a bigger group or for a hospital system. I think it's a great field if you have a family because it's just super flexible. And I've always had a lot of encouragement from people to do whatever I want to do.

I think that's great. I love the idea that you can really create what you want in ophthalmology as a career. So fantastic. Well, I think this has been such a fun conversation and I'm so excited for what you have coming up. Congratulations on your progress. One last final, very hard-hitting question for you today. If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be and why?

 I would be rainbow sherbet.

Oh, I love it. I love it. Colorful, delicious, yeah.

A lot of diversity in that.

I love it. Oh, well, thank you, Patty, so much. This has been super fun.

Thank you, Yari.

Of course. And I think she did great. I had questions, Dr. Buehler had answers. I think they matched. And what questions do you have? Because we'd love to connect. Thanks, Patty.

Thanks, Yari.