Alumni Focus on Lindsay Sallecchia (OD'15)

DR. SALLECCHIA'S STORY

Which institution did you attend for your undergraduate degree? What was your major?

I attended Ohio Wesleyan University and majored in Pre-Professional Zoology.

Which degree(s), related to optometry, did you earn at Ohio State?

OD'15

Who were your mentors at the College of Optometry? Who had a positive effect on your education?

I quietly looked up to a lot of people in the class above me, like Dr. Ann Morrison. Not only is she brilliant, but she is always welcoming, friendly, and jumps in to help those around her. Recently, I needed help finding some old course catalogs and syllabi for an exam application here in Australia, and she and my previous classmate, Dr. Laura Kahn, messaged me right away and sent me what I needed within hours. That’s the Ohio State community for you!

Dr. Greg Hicks, preceptor at my Advanced Practice Externship, prepared me for private practice optometry in the real world. He taught me how to be efficient while still maintaining connection with each patient. He was a leader in his community and clearly immersed himself into every aspect of optometry because he loved it. He even helped me to land my first job as an optometrist by connecting me with an optometrist in Colorado Springs.

My classmates in my core study group helped me so much. Drs. Tayla Meade, Sara Bokan, and Jenna Korsan always had the most organized study materials and notes that I benefited greatly from.

There are too many more great people to name, but I appreciated how enthusiastic our professors and attendings were about optometry. They made optometry school, which was often difficult, that much more enjoyable.

DR. SALLECCHIA'S CAREER IN OPTOMETRY

Name of your employer(s) and title, including location.

I recently moved to Australia, and right before the move I was practicing at Eye Care Center of Colorado Springs. In my new role, I will be an optometrist at Specsavers in Canberra, Australia.

Give us a glimpse of your typical day as an optometrist. Before moving to Australia, I worked at Eyecare Center of Colorado Springs, which was a private practice with a focus on therapeutic contact lenses and dry eye. I would perform comprehensive eye examinations, scleral lens fittings, ocular surface disease evaluations, myopia management consultations, glaucoma work-ups, acute care, and much more. It was a hard place to leave!

I haven’t started my new job yet, but I’ve been able to shadow some of my future colleagues. Most of my day will consist of performing comprehensive eye exams in a majority elderly patient population within a corporate optometry setting, which will be different from what I was doing before. My colleagues have let me know that the location I will be working at has a high amount of pathology and a large refugee population that could benefit greatly from quality eye care. I was pleasantly surprised that the location I’m working at has IPL and LLLT, so I’ll still be able to offer advanced dry eye treatments to my patients. Although my schedule will be busy, I understand that Australians appreciate a good work-life balance, so I look forward to that aspect of the culture here.

Which optometric issues concern you the most?

Now that I’ll be practicing in Australia, my biggest concern is the more limited scope here. At the present moment, optometrists in Australia can’t prescribe oral medications and find themselves having to refer more often to ophthalmology or GPs for conditions that US optometrists manage independently.

Why did you choose a career in optometry?

I chose a career in optometry because I know what it’s like to not see well, thanks to being a high myope, and I believe that sight is something most people take for granted until they lose it. My decision to go into optometry was solidified after shadowing a few optometrists around Columbus, and they were all so enthusiastic about their career choice.

Where do you hope to see your optometric career in five years?

I feel a bit like I’m starting over in my career after moving. It hasn’t been easy thanks to endless paperwork, taking exams that feel like NBEO all over again, finding a new job, waiting ages for my registration application (similar to state licensure) to be approved (still waiting!), and learning how optometry and healthcare in general is different here. In the next five years, I hope to feel at-home as an optometrist in Australia and lean into the parts of optometry that I enjoy most, like myopia control. I hope to be involved in organizations like Optometry Australia and advocate for scope expansion here.

What is one piece of advice you can give OPT-IV students as they prepare to graduate and begin their optometric careers?

As someone who has experienced burnout in the past, I’ve learned that burnout often has just as much to do with feeling a lack of fulfillment outside of work as it does with working too much or in the “wrong” environment. Find what you love doing besides optometry and do it, lean into friendships, remember to have things on your calendar to look forward to, and don’t only live for the weekend. Early on, I contributed to my own burnout by trying to be a hero and fixing every one of my patient's problems on the first visit. It’s okay to bring them back when you need to, and communicate that you want to make sure you have enough time to address all of their needs.

What do eye health, and eye care, mean for you?

So much of what I enjoy in life is enjoyed through sight. When working with patients I try to remind myself that the eyes are attached to a person with a life, and I empower them with knowledge to take care of their overall health and their sight so they can live their lives well.

DR. SALLECCHIA'S OHIO STATE EXPERIENCE

What were your most memorable moments at Ohio State?

My most memorable moments at Ohio State included a service trip to Honduras with SVOSH, tailgates at the EYE house, getting proposed to in one of the exam rooms, and little things like getting coffee at Bruegger’s Bagels in the morning with friends before class.

What do Ohio State and the College of Optometry mean to you and your family?

Growing up in Ohio, everyone was a Buckeye fan, so it felt very special to finally become a Buckeye myself. It was fun taking my husband, Nick, to the EYE tailgates, which at the time was a very foreign experience for him since he had grown up in Australia. To this day, he’s a huge Buckeye football fan.

How do you stay connected with the College of Optometry?

I stay connected by trying to keep in touch with friends I made at the College. I also attended the Class of 2015 reunion last year, and it was so fun to see so many of my old classmates.

DR. SALLECCHIA'S FUN FACTS

What are your current hobbies, volunteer work and interests?

I love doing anything outdoors. It’s fun to see all of the Aussie animals when running or hiking on the trails here. So far, I’ve seen lots of kangaroos and cockatoos and even some wombats, wallabies, and an echidna. There’s a strong outdoor culture here, so in that way I feel right at home.

What is your nickname?

My nickname used to be “Dunbar” (my maiden name), or sometimes “Funbar."

What’s the best eye pun you’ve ever heard?

Why did the phone wear glasses? He’d lost all of his contacts.

If not an optometrist, I would be …

I have a running joke with my husband that I would have been a park ranger.