Fingeret: Pioneer of optometric glaucoma care

Murray Fingeret, OD, FAAO, is credited with advancing glaucoma treatment in optometry.

Issue: February 2015

As part of Primary Care Optometry News’ 20th anniversary celebration, in each issue throughout 2015 we will profile a “Pioneer in Optometry” as chosen by the PCON Editorial Board.

In this issue we feature PCON Editorial Board member Murray Fingeret, OD, FAAO.

“Dr. Fingeret has largely singlehandedly moved the optometric profession into center stage with regard to glaucoma patient care,” PCON Editorial Board member Randall Thomas, OD, MPH, FAAO, told PCON. “Further, he orchestrated the birth of the Optometric Glaucoma Society, which, thanks to his untiring efforts, has been officially incorporated as a full member of the World Glaucoma Association. These are amazing accomplishments for our profession and reflect the devotion he has for furthering optometric patient care.”

PCON Editorial Board member Ben Gaddie, OD, stated: “When you think about glaucoma and optometry, you think about Murray Fingeret. No one has done more to advance the care of patients with glaucoma amongst optometrists. Murray transcends both optometry and ophthalmology, helping to stake out a place for our profession in the management of glaucoma.”

“Murray was and is a true visionary in the area of optometric glaucoma training, education and research,” PCON Editorial Board member Jill Autry, OD, RPh, said. “Without his leadership and foresight, optometry would not be where it is today regarding the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.”

“If you say the name Murray Fingeret, there is a quote from Bruce Lee that comes to mind: “Knowledge will give you power, but character, respect,” PCON Editorial Board member Marc Bloomenstein, OD, FAAO, shared. “When I graduated optometry school in the mid-90s, Murray was already bringing glaucoma education and relevance to our profession. The adapting landscape of optometry in glaucoma therapy had one singular voice, and that was Murray. Murray Fingeret has made me a better clinician and teacher and continues to influence young ODs. He is like the Dos Equis man: the most interesting man in the optometric world.”

Fingeret answered some questions from PCON.

Murray Fingeret speaking at the Optometric Glaucoma Society meeting with a picture of the initial meeting group in 2001 in the background.

Fingeret presenting his mentor and friend, Robert N. Weinreb, MD, with the Optometric Glaucoma Society Founders Award.

Images: Fingeret M

PCON: Why did you choose optometry as a career path?

Fingeret: My father was an accountant and insurance agent who had a number of clients who were optometrists. Many of these individuals were also family friends, so I became familiar with optometry at an early age, and it was the career path I chose as I entered college.

PCON: How has your career unfolded?

Fingeret: After graduating New England College of Optometry in 1976, I entered in a residency program at the Joseph C. Wilson Health Center in Rochester, N.Y. This was one of the first residency programs, and Lou Catania was the program director. In the mid-70s, optometry was just beginning to move into treatment of eye disease, and this was one of the few places involved in that. This residency showed me that with proper training, optometry can handle most medical eye conditions. I stayed on at the Wilson Health Center as a staff optometrist for several years before leaving for Birmingham, Ala., and the VA there. And several years after, I moved back to New York (where I am from) to become chief of optometry at the Brooklyn/St. Albans VA Medical Center.

PCON: What are you doing now?

Fingeret: I am chief of the optometry section, Department of Veterans Affairs, New York Harbor Health Care System, Brooklyn, St. Albans campus.

PCON: What have you learned?

Fingeret: I have learned how optometrists can manage a host of conditions including glaucoma with skill and passion.

PCON: What is your most significant accomplishment?

Fingeret: Probably my most significant accomplishment was the formation of the Optometric Glaucoma Society (OGS). This was the first of the learned societies in optometry with the goal of providing valuable education to the people in optometry who are doing the education. The society has grown, and the OGS meeting is held in high esteem within the glaucoma community.

PCON: What have you contributed to optometry?

Fingeret: I like to think that over my years as an educator I have taught many optometrists a few things about glaucoma and, most importantly, tried to allow them to make sense of a complex disease.

PCON: What do you enjoy most about optometry?

Fingeret: I love the patient interaction as well the challenges each day brings. You never know what will present, and this makes every day unique and enjoyable.

PCON: What do you wish for the future of optometry?

Fingeret: I hope that optometry continues to grow and evolve over time, allowing optometrists to take advantage of their skills and training. – by Chelsea Frajerman