We often hear that competition is good for business, and in many ways, it is. It challenges you to improve patient experience, modernize your technology, keep your services relevant.
But in healthcare, specifically in optometry, when the true goal is healthy eyes and better patient outcomes, it’s worth asking:
Can we view competition not as rivalry, but as an opportunity for collaboration?
Yes, your patients can get their exams and glasses elsewhere — at the practice across town, at a big-box retailer, even online. But fixating on who is taking whose patients can limit your perspective and drain your energy. There are plenty of patients who need care, and your local colleagues can become allies.
Where collaboration makes sense
For specialization
If you offer myopia management, advanced dry eye, or scleral lenses while another OD down the street doesn’t, referral relationships can make sense. You both fill gaps for your patients while maintaining your core practices.
For community
In towns where multiple independent ODs coexist, many already quietly refer patients to each other based on subspecialties, insurance networks, or availability. You can keep care within optometry while serving patients efficiently.
For burnout and isolation
Solo or small-group practice can be isolating over time. Building relationships with your peers provides a sense of community, which can be sustaining when work feels overwhelming.
A real-world example
A recent Modern Optometry article offers a great example of the collaborative mindset we’re talking about. It highlights two ODs in the same city — Drs. Ada Noh and Shelby Brogdon — who chose collaboration over competition in the dry eye space. They share treatment protocols, talk out new equipment purchases and implementation, and refer patients to one another based on subspecialty needs and insurance networks. They’ve even shared industry connections, like so:
Because Dr. Brogdon works at a prominent OD-MD practice in central Arkansas, she is often visited by representatives in the dry eye industry. It has been such a blessing for me to have her mention my newer, lesser-known office to these reps. I firmly believe I would have no reps to service my office if it wasn’t for her. (Source: Dealing With “Competition”)
Now, lest we get too pollyannaish, it’s important to note that optometry is a business, and collaboration can seem risky, especially if you’re worried about losing patients to other doctors.
The fact is, not every market or colleague is conducive to collaboration. It takes trust, which takes time. It likely requires a strong personal connection, similar to the one Drs. Noh and Brogdon formed after meeting at a local Arkansas Optometric Association meeting. Collaboration can only work if both parties commit to respecting each other’s boundaries, services, and patient relationships.
A realistic take
You don’t have to abandon a competitive mindset entirely. But here are a few best practices as you begin thinking about collaboration over competition:
✅ Identify reasonable/realistic opportunities:
- Co-managing with ophthalmology (an obvious pathway).
- Teaming up behind the scenes with ODs who don’t offer your niche services.
- Jointly host community education events.
✅ Protect your practice.
- Use clear communication and documentation in referral relationships.
- Set expectations with patients about co-management roles.
✅ Focus on the long game.
- A collaborative approach builds a referral-friendly, respected brand that benefits your practice over time.
You don’t have to collaborate with everyone. You don’t have to stop competing ethically. But where it makes sense, collaboration can strengthen your practice and help with burnout and isolation. Think of it as strategic cooperation in a competitive environment.
