Eyecare People Reveal the Menial Tasks They Hate the Most

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION

What is the one necessary, menial task that has to get done in your office that everyone hates doing?

Putting away trial contact lenses. — Elizabeth Atkinson, OD, Atkinson Eye Care, Algonquin, IL

• Voicemails. — Katie Kelly, Ochsner Optical, New Orleans, LA
• Inventory. — Michael McConnell, Sight Optical, Grand Rapids, MI
• Putting water in the fish tank when its low. I hate it when it’s even 3/8” low. I think I’m the only one that notices. — Julie Kubsch, Specs Around Town, Bloomington, IL
• Filing. Filing. Filing. Also, yearly inventory and cleaning. — Harris Decker, Eye Designs of Westchester, Scarsdale, NY
• Cleaning demo lenses and display shelves. Ugh. — Renee Berry, Nappanee Family Eyecare, Nappanee, IN
• That’s an easy one: collect the garbage. And I am sure that at times they would like to include me in it! — Mark Perry, OD, Vision Health Institute, Orlando, FL
• Cleaning the toilet. — Rick Rickgauer, Vision Associates, Girard, PA
• Answering the telephone. — Charlene Gordon, Family Eye Care, Monroe, LA
• Cleaning demo lenses. It never ends! — Jenna Gilbertson, McCulley Optix Gallery, Fargo, ND
• Reminder phone calls for the next day. — Susie Phillips, Dr. Brendon Johnson, OD, Pekin, IL
• MIPS/MACRA. — Fred Sirotkin, OD, Eagle Eye Care, Columbia, MD
• Calling back that one patient that has had three redos and nothing seems to help their vision. — Lee Dodge, OD, Visualeyes Optometry, Sherman Oaks, CA
• Recalls … actually calling patients when they are over two years past due. — Betty Aretz, The Eyecare Boutique,Wexford, PA
• Taking the garbage out! — Caitlin Bruno, Binyon Vision Center, Bellingham, WA
• Cleaning demo lenses! But it’s necessary so patients aren’t trying on frames with fingerprint-covered lenses. Yuck. — Cassandra Nash, HD Optical Express, Lansing, MI
• Stamps and labels for recall cards and statements. — Brad J. Dobson, OD, Bee Cave Vision Center, Bee Cave, TX
• Keeping stats. — Angel Miller, Cynthiana Vision Center, Cynthiana, KY
• Scanning in paper files to our new software. — Travis LeFevre, Krystal Vision, Logan, UT
• Cannot really put my finger on one task but I assure you I am the one that does it. — Leisa Lauer, Dr. H Michael Shack, Newport Beach, FL
• Making sure all the financials match at the end of the day. It’s always a hold your breath moment. — Dr. Chani Miller, Park Eye Center, Highland Park, NJ
• Contact lens trial inventory. — Larah Alami, OD, Hudson River Eye Care, Tarrytown, NY
• Putting away lab sheets after we dispense. We are still on paper!— Jim Williams, Eye to Eye, Mexico, MO
• Dusting. — Marc Ullman, OD, Academy Vision, Pine Beach, NJ
• Putting away contact lens trials. The worst! — Katie Gillenwalters, Clifton Park Eye Care Associates, Clifton Park, NY
• Clean the bathrooms. — John LaShorne, Brown County Eye Care, Nashville, IN
• Cleaning the frames on display! — Selina McGee, OD, Precision Vision, Edmond, OK
• Taking out the trash. I have seen more fights break out over this one thing than any other chore in the office. It is like those who are doing it think it is beneath them. To counter this I try (note the word “try”) to get caught taking out the trash on a regular basis. The war has subsided some. — Ted A. McElroy, OD, Vision Source Tifton, Tifton, GA
• Dusting the optical department. — Pam Peters, Midwest Eye, Downers Grove, IL
• Cleaning. — Cynthia Sayers, OD, EyeShop Optical Center, Lewis Center, OH
• The usual… no one like to wipe down frames but it must be done! — Steve Nelson, Eye Candy Optical, Westlake, OH
• Filing. — Kevin Count, Prentice Lab, Glenview, IL
• Filing. — Barbara Bloom, OD, Weber Vision Care, Harrisburg, PA
• Cleaning the bathroom/taking the trash out. — Ron Catterson, Clear View Optix, The Villages, FL
• Clean the store room, defrost freezers. — Bob McBeath, Edina Eye, Edina, MN
• Cleaning! — BJ Chambers, Carrera Optical, McQueeney, TX
• Dusting. — Deanna Phillips, Clemmons Family Eye Care, Clemmons, NC
• Cleaning. — Bethany Cassar, OD, Complete Eye Health, Holland, MI
• Cleaning frames. — Jocelyn Mylott, D’Ambrosio Eye Care, Lancaster, MA
• Filing. — Gene Gillan, Rush Henrietta Opticians, Henrietta, NY
• Cleaning and dusting the frames and shelves. — Amy Pelak, Proview Eyecare Optometry, Corona, CA
• Cleaning demo lenses. — Aaron Baker, McKinney Eyeworks, McKinney, TX
• Recall. — Rick Pascucci, Towpath Vision Care, Clinton, NY
• Pricing product what the patient owes in front of them after accounting for vision benefit coverage. — Michael Davis, OD, Opti-Care, Eldersburg, MD
• Inventory. — Jill Schnurer, OD, Village Eyecare Co., Clarkston, MI
• Cleaning the bathroom. — Kimberly Riggs OD, Ligonier, PA
• Cleaning. — Cedric Mitsui, OD, Big Island Vision Center, Hilo, HI
• DUSTING! We have lots of glass shelves; it’s a never-ending job. — Paula Hornbeck, Eye Candy & Eye Candy Kids, Delafield, WI
• Cleaning glass…never ending cleaning the glass. — Zachary Dirks, OD, St. Peter and Belle Plaine Eyecare Centers, Saint Peter, MN
• Clean the bathroom. — Judith Whitelaw, Dr. Gregory Char, OD, Orange, CA
• Email. — Jennifer Leuzzi, Mill Creek Optical, Dansville, NY
• Cleaning the frames, no one enjoys that task! — Doreen Erbe, Snyder Eye Group, Ship Bottom, NJ
• Dusting. — Nancy Revis, Uber Optics, Petaluma, CA
• Filing and cleaning. — Dorothy Reynolds, Optical Alternatives, Milford, CT
• Dusting our glass shelves. — Dave Schultz, OD, Urban Optics, San Luis Obispo, CA
• Recalling patients. — Kaleena Ma, MK Vision Center, Forest Hills, NY
• Filing cards. — Steve Whitaker, Whitaker Eye Works, Wayne, PA
• Taking out the trash. — Adrian Katschke, WyoVision Associates of Gillette, Gillette, WY
• Confirming appointments. — Pam Housley, Texas State Optical of Nederland, Port Arthur, TX
• Pulling insurance benefits. — Theodore Sees, OD, Rockford Family Eyecare, Rockford, MI
• Dusting and inventory. — Nikki Griffin, EyeStyles Optical and Boutique, Oakdale, MN
• Cleaning the bathroom. — Texas L. Smith, OD, Dr. Texas L. Smith & Associates, Citrus Heights, CA
• Closing out all the jobs in the computer system. — Pablo E Mercado, Mount Vernon Eyecare, Dunwoody, GA
• Vacuuming. — Alexander Saper, Great Glasses, Houston, TX
• I do not like dusting my store especially the front window and the lock display case. I have sand on the floor in my business and it’s great to have a lot of customers but the more you have the more dust there seems to be; it’s endless. — Julie Uram, Optical Oasis, Jupiter, FL
• Inventory. In a computerized system, new frames are constantly having to be added to the system, priced and tagged. — Dave Goodrich, Goodrich Optical, Lansing, MI
• Cleaning the restroom. Why something so simple turns into a HUGE headache I’ll never understand… — William Chancellor, Eye Can See Eyewear, McDonough, GA
• Picking up the toys in the waiting room. — Pauline Buck, OD, Behavioral and Developmental Optometrists, Miami, FL
• Being the one and only person in my shop, I hate cleaning but it’s a necessary evil to maintain a clean store. — Mitchell Kaufman, Marine Park Family Vision, Brooklyn, NY
• Cleaning and dusting glasses. — Amina, Ebrahim, OD, D Vision Eyecare, Allen, TX
• Dusting the glass shelves! We can’t ever seem to find an absolutely perfect technique that doesn’t leave bits of “dusties” behind. And, of course, cleaning the bathroom and the staff kitchen. — Jen Heller, Pend Oreille Vision Care, Sandpoint, ID
• Pricing frames. — Jeff Grosekemper, Casa De Oro Eyecare, Spring Valley, CA
• Cleaning frames, seems like such an easy thing to do, however, when you have hundreds of them and lots of people touching them during the week it seems to be a daunting task that never ends. Caitlin Wicka, San Juan Eye Center, Montrose, CO
• Insurance billing/reconciliation! Yuck. — Joey Burnett, Joey’s Optical, Marshfield, WI
• Taking out trash. — Cindy Henderson, Eyear Optical, Hixson, TN
• Take the trash out. — Scott Keating, OD, Vision Trends, Dover, OH
• Cleaning out the coffee pot. — Frances Ann Layton, Eye Associates of South Georgia, Valdosta, GA
• Cleaning demo lenses. — Stephanie Crowley, Sie Eyecare, Charlotte, NC
• Cleaning. — Sandy Freise, The Optical Shop, St Charles, MO
• Cleaning demos. — Monica Tracey, MED/Drs. Record and Record, Charlottesville, VA