Off the Cuff: The Importance of Role Models in Optometry

Earlier this week I received sad news from my old dear friend Paul Farkas that his partner of many years, Ted Kassalow, had passed away. Together, Ted Kassalow and Paul Farkas created what was, and arguably remains, one of the most significant professional optometric practices in the history of our profession. Paul remains active in optometry. Many of you know him from his continued leadership on ODWire, and his son, Dr. Adam Farkas, for the creation of CEwire.

During their many years in practice, Paul and Ted were a perfectly matched set. Ted was a tall handsome and charming fellow with many contributions especially in the early days of the contact lens field. He was a founder of the "Dirty Dozen" practice management group, which has been copied by many others wishing to share insights and success strategies. Paul always seemed to be the quiet brains behind the operation except that he quickly figured out that fitting sharp, uncomfortable pieces of hard plastic on patients’ eyes took a bit of magic. As I recall, he became a licensed hypnotist and would give masterful demonstrations. I attended one of them with my ex-wife. I think she was never the same.

Emailing Paul about Ted’s passing brought me back to my beginnings practicing in the New York City area. After graduating from SUNY, I knew what I wanted to be and how I wanted to practice, but back then, optometry was becoming more and more commercial, something I was increasingly uncomfortable with. I shared with Paul, “I'm not sure you realize just how much influence you and Ted had on my career. You were the first ‘real doctors’ I met who were ODs who comported themselves like true professionals, in fact at a higher level than many of the MDs that were around back then. You created what I thought was the perfect practice, and although I knew we could never duplicate it, we certainly did learn from what you and Ted did.”

Paul and Ted were role models for me and my then partner Joe Freedman. They proved that optometry could not only survive, but thrive, in professional settings even as more and more ODs were opening up storefront practices or in strip malls in the NYC area. With the confidence Paul and Ted inspired, I connected with local MD colleagues like Eric Donnenfeld and eventually got on staff at our local university hospital. That eventually led to sharing what I was constantly learning in hundreds of papers and articles, and more than a thousand lectures around the world. Ultimately it led to opening Phoenix Eye Care with Shannon, which is cross between a MASH eye unit and a series of university hospital specialty eye clinics.

I am convinced that I could have accomplished little of this if not for the vision of Paul and Ted in building our profession’s future and serving as role models for me and many others.

Ted Kassalow, MS, OD, FAAO, is survived by three children—many of you know his son, Dr. Jordan Kassalow, as well as eight grandchildren. My sincere condolences to the family.

 

 

Arthur B. Epstein, OD, FAAO Chief Medical Editor artepstein@optometricphysician.com

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Write to Dr. Epstein at artepstein@optometricphysician.com. The views expressed in this editorial are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Jobson Medical Information LLC (JMI), or any other entities or individuals.