OPTICAL PRISM | NEXT GEN
Following in his father ' s footsteps
Inspired by his father ' s practice , Dr . Richard Saari carries on the tradition of gifting sight to those in need .
BY DAVID GOLDBERG He has optometry in his blood .
Dr . Richard Saari is a second-generation eye care practitioner who grew up helping his optometrist dad around the office .
He worked the phones at reception before learning how to dispense prescriptions and run tests on patients .
Now the 44-year-old runs his own practice , Dr . Richard Saari Optometry in Welland , Ont .
For Saari , following in his father ’ s footsteps was a no-brainer . It was easy to see the long-term benefits of an industry he already knew so well .
“ The driving force , for me , was knowing that optometry was a professional career that allowed for a good work-life balance and was in high demand as the population would be ageing .”
Saari loves the variation of the dayto-day and rising to the challenge of addressing each new patient ’ s unique circumstances .
“ The ability to solve problems and educate patients about their most important sense is very rewarding ,” he says .
Of all the patients he ’ s helped over the course of his career , Saari says he ’ s most proud of all the lives he ’ s touched — and even saved .
“ There is the patient who presented with transient vision changes who was eventually diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm and treated . He always reminds me that he is alive because of the timely care he received and the referral process that I started .”
Saari also points to the countless diabetics he ’ s alerted and of course the many children , who with his swift intervention , could suddenly see the board in class .
A few years into his career , Saari started focusing on pediatrics .
“ My motto became ‘ saving vision through education ’ as both taking the time to fully explain conditions and expectations , but also to ensure that students had access to full-care optometry to facilitate their educational objectives .
“ It ’ s not simply needing glasses , but determining that binocular vision is just as important for meeting those educational goals . I ’ ve not found the time to become a vision therapy practice , but I ’ m very happy to have found others who have made that commitment .
Interprofessional arrangements are the cornerstone to furthering optometry services and meeting patient needs .”
If he has any advice to offer to the next generation of young optometrists , Saari is quick to point out that optometry has so many opportunities for personal and professional growth .
“ Most optometrists will provide comprehensive care throughout their career ,” he says . “ But remember , there are many niche areas to concentrate your practice on ; vision therapy , dry eye therapy , myopia control , or specialty contact lens .”
Saari also advises that choosing how you want to practice is just as important as where you want to practice .
“ There are many ways to give back to your community ; educational events , sponsorships . Optometry is not about either one separately , but I hope all new graduates look to maximize both sides and enjoy their careers . Decide what you want out of this career and put your full effort into it from day one .” OP
36 OPTICAL PRISM | November 2021