Alumni Focus on Troy Ogden (OD'09)
DR. OGDEN'S STORY
Hometown
Reno/Sparks, Nevada
Which degree(s), related to optometry, did you earn at Ohio State?
OD’09
Who were your mentors at the College of Optometry? Who had a positive effect on your education?
Dr. Mike Earley (OD/MS’88, PhD’92), Dr. Gil Pierce (OD’89, MS’92, PhD’94), Dr. Lisa Lex (OD’82), Dr. Dawn Goedde (OD’04), and Dr. Jacqueline Davis (OD’81, MPH).
DR. OGDEN'S CAREER IN OPTOMETRY
Name of your employer(s) and title, including location.
Owner of Downtown Vision in Reno, Nevada
Give us a glimpse of your typical day as an optometrist.
I see patients from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (I see 20-25 patients per day) and then pay the bills, check on the day’s business, answer calls/emails and catch up with the office manager and my partner to see how things are going. Then, I leave the office at around 6 p.m. to get home to the family. Half days on Friday, so everybody gets to start the weekend early.
Which optometric issues concern you the most?
Patients' benefits and patient access – In Reno, we (and most ODs) are excluded from several local insurance panels (not for lack of trying), so we become out-of-network providers for about one third of our patients and many cannot or are unwilling to pay out-of-pocket for the medical visits. We must refer many patients to in-network ophthalmologists for their care.
Why did you choose a career in optometry?
I love eyes. Everybody has them and everybody needs them. I enjoy being part of the medical community and helping patients with their vision needs. Optometrists can have a direct and immediate positive impact the quality of life of our patients.
Where do you hope to see your optometric career in five years?
Working less. Worrying less. Enjoying more.
What is one piece of advice you can give OPT IV students as they prepare to graduate and begin their optometric careers?
- Don’t forget to ask for help – Colleagues are a great resource and referral source.
- Don’t jump at the first offer you get unless it is your dream job. The fear associated with your student loan payments should not be your primary motivator.
DR. OGDEN'S OHIO STATE EXPERIENCE
What were your most memorable moments at Ohio State?
Pledge week(s) at Epsilon Psi Epsilon, Shaheen weeks(s), Foosball on breaks. The “aha” moment when optics, physiologic optics and ophthalmic optics all came together into a patient’s prescription. My first two-hour exam.
What does Ohio State and the College of Optometry mean to you and your family?
Other than marrying my wife, going to The Ohio State University College of Optometry was the best decision of my life. We quit our jobs, sold the house and moved to Columbus, so we could build a better future for our family. I got choked up when I wandered around campus and the halls of Starling-Loving and Fry last month while we were visiting Columbus. Some of the best memories of my life happened in those buildings. I was a later in life arrival with a family, and the college became part of my family when I got to Columbus. I owe my future to what I learned and experienced there.
How do you stay connected with the College of Optometry?
Social media and college colleagues
DR. OGDEN'S FUN FACTS
What are your current hobbies, volunteer work, interests?
Golf, hiking and working with students shadowing at the office
What was the first concert that you attended / most recent? 
Van Halen with Sammy Hagar in 1992
Everclear in 2017
What is your favorite summertime activity?
Grilling while hanging out with the family
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
X-ray vision, of course
What’s the best eye pun you’ve ever heard?
There are three guarantees in life: Death, taxes and bifocals
If not an optometrist, I would be ...
High school history/government teacher