Alumni Focus on Michael Do (OD'14)
DR. DO'S STORY
Hometown
Royal Palm Beach, FL
Which institution did you attend for your undergraduate degree? What was your major?
University of Florida, Zoology
Which degree(s), related to optometry, did you earn at Ohio State?
OD'14
Who were your mentors at the College of Optometry? Who had a positive effect on your education?
Dr. Jeff Walline, Dr. Vondolee Delgado-Nixon, and Dr. Jacqueline Davis were the first mentors I gained from being in the IDOC program over the summer. They continued to mentor me, not just in academics, but in community engagement and outreach. Dr. Michael Earley, Dr. Dawn Goedde, and Dr. Greg Nixon were invaluable to my growth as a young clinician. Finally, Dr. Nick Fogt and Dr. Aaron Zimmerman offered me the opportunity to combine my love for sports with optometric research.
I could reference the entire college, really.
DR. DO'S CAREER IN OPTOMETRY
Name of your employer(s) and title, including location.
Practice Owner
Adairsville Eye Associates – Adairsville, GA
Georgia Vision Professionals – Woodstock, GA
Give us a glimpse of your typical day as an optometrist.
Primary care and ocular disease management. Clinical care from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with administrative duties over lunch and after clinic
Which optometric issues concern you the most?
The commercialization and private equity effect on private practices. The dilution of quality of both applicants and doctors.
Why did you choose a career in optometry?
I am making an immediate improvement in the lives of patients.
Where do you hope to see your optometric career in five years?
I would like to set up a clinical externship site at my private practice.
What is one piece of advice you can give OPT-IV students as they prepare to graduate and begin their optometric careers?
Practice the way you want to practice. If your first opportunity doesn’t work out then move on and find a better opportunity.
What do eye health, and eye care, mean for you?
Not only taking a look at the immediate state of someone’s eyes but preserving that for as long as possible.
DR. DO'S OHIO STATE EXPERIENCE
What were your most memorable moments at Ohio State?
My friendships. Winning the flag football championships. Fishing and hunting in West Virginia.
What do Ohio State and the College of Optometry mean to you and your family?
Excellence and a tremendous sense of pride knowing I went to the best optometry school.
How do you stay connected with the College of Optometry?
I volunteer as a panelist for I-DOC and scholarship contributor.
DR. DO'S FUN FACTS
What are your current hobbies, volunteer work and interests?
Fishing and Mixed Martial Arts. Love traveling with the family and trying out the local food scene.
What is a fun fact about you?
I had a theme song called “Who Mike Do?” after the Mike Jones song as a highschooler.
What’s the best eye pun you’ve ever heard?
What did the right eye say to the left eye? Between you and me, there’s something that smells.
If not an optometrist, I would be …
Therapist and counselor. Food blogger.