Dr. Lindsay Florkey: Modernizing the Scope of Practice

I wanted to be a doctor since I was nine years old and read about an allergist in my science textbook. I learned more about the medical profession in my high school vocational program, and I decided that general medicine wasn’t for me. I always enjoyed my visits to the optometrist; they had cool toys! So, I started shadowing optometrists and decided it was the profession for me. Being an Ohio girl, Ohio State seemed like a no-brainer. I visited one of the admissions events, and I knew I was home. Everyone was so welcoming, and they seemed to really care about the students. I was lucky enough to get an early interview and acceptance, so I didn’t even have to interview elsewhere. I love Ohio State Optometry because it is a family. Whenever I see my classmates, I am greeted with a smile and usually a hug, even after 20 years. It was a phenomenal education, but the relationships formed with the people are the most important aspect of being a Buckeye.

My goal at graduation in 2004 was to get established in a private practice and eventually become a partner and then owner. I was working at two private practices and the Dayton VA immediately after graduation. The one private practice did not work out, but I loved the VA and the other practice. That other practice is now my practice, Greene County Eye Care. What I thought was going to be a slow climb toward ownership, turned out to be a rocket ship ride. I became a partner in July 2005 after we purchased a third location, and I was 100% owner in January 2007. 

I knew I would rebuild and was heartened by the outpouring of support I received from the optometry community. It is nice to know in the midst of a crisis that my fellow optometrists were there for me.

I was in awe listening to Rick Cornett (former OOA executive director) when he came to the college to speak about the importance of advocacy.

My main goal is to get State Bill 129 across the finish line. SB129 is so crucial at this juncture in time because Ohio is behind. Ohio has always been at the forefront of optometry because of Ohio State. The prestige of the College of Optometry with its incredible faculty and cutting-edge research has fostered the need for state-of-the-art scope of practice, and that is not the case currently. For a decade, the College has been educating the students on modern optometric procedures even though the optometrists in Ohio are not permitted to perform these procedures. The Ohio Optometric Association has had scope modernization on its radar since 2016, but it is not an endeavor to be entered into with haste. The pandemic derailed our plan to move forward with legislation previously. The recent grads and the current students are a major reason for pushing for this legislation. They deserve to be able to practice to their full level of education. We also want to keep the best and brightest here in Ohio, and that is not possible if they want to practice optometry to the full extent of their skills and knowledge. My passion in optometry is ensuring that everyone receives the best care possible and being an advocate for the importance of comprehensive eye care. I feel like optometry has done a poor job of promoting itself, historically. Because of this, I like to talk to everyone about the importance of eye care and work to allow our profession to practice at the highest level. 

I am passionate about travel. We love to travel as a family. I am trying to see all fifty states by my 50th birthday, and I want to walk on all seven continents. 

My family is the best! My husband Joe and my daughter Haylee are my biggest cheerleaders. I would not be the President of the OOA if it was not for them allowing me the time to pursue my goals. The support of my parents, my brother and his family, and all my in-laws has been tremendous. It is incredibly powerful to have so many people who are proud of what you are doing.

I was already on the path to becoming an optometrist when I started dating Joe, but being around him and his two sisters who all have retinitis pigmentosa increased my interest in eye health and care. My experience as the spouse of a visually impaired person has made me more empathetic towards my patients with vision loss. It gives me a different perspective, even though I can never know exactly what they experience.

Being a mom has been my greatest joy. It has not always been easy, as I feel that being a doctor is more natural for me than being a mother, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Haylee also made it better by being an extremely easy child. Not many people can say that their 19-year-old is one of their best friends. We are now trying to get used to her going to Butler University. An empty nest is a wild experience with lots of mixed emotions.