Sih Lee (l), SVP Payments Technology, New Business &
Innovation, Synchrony Financial , Dave Ziegler, OD,
(center) Ziegler Leffingwell Eyecare, Milwaukee, Wis.,
and Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, (r) Professional
VisionCare, Westerville, Ohio.
NEW YORK—A successful optometrist who has brought “outside the box” thinking to her practice’s newest location in one of the fastest-growing towns in Ohio is going to share her experience and a look behind the scenes at VM LIVE, the special live session and panel held during Vision Expo West in Las Vegas. Carole Burns, OD, FCOVD, joins the speaker roster at “Retail Smart,” and will discuss Professional VisionCare’s new location, the thinking that went into this new office, and the systems that support its operations.

On the agenda, Burns joins Sih Lee, senior vice president of Payments Technology, New Business & Innovation at Synchrony Financial. Lee is an expert in retail business innovation, including new mobile payment trends. Also on the agenda is Dave Ziegler, OD, who has practiced in the Milwaukee, Wis., area for 37 years, with an emphasis on specialty contact lenses and medical eyecare.

VM LIVE, produced by Vision Monday, is scheduled to run 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas on Sept. 26, just prior to the opening of Vision Expo West.
Attendees will learn how smart retailers and vision care professionals are erasing boundaries between discovery, choice and purchase. Using smartphones, tablets, apps, modern in-store displays, and a new range of in-office and online systems, they are creating a fluid, frictionless experience for shoppers, whether online or in-store.

Dr. Burns is CEO of Professional VisionCare in Westerville and Johnstown, Ohio, and a Solutions Center dedicated to the treatment of pediatric patients and those with special needs. For her fourth office, which recently opened in Lewis Center, Ohio, Dr. Burns noted that it “looks more like an Apple Store than an eye doctor’s office. The eco-friendly, open environment has no phones, no receptionist, no check-in desk and absolutely no paper.”

She added, “Each patient is treated to their favorite music and the newest technology throughout the vision and eye health examination. Office staff communicate with each other through a sophisticated quiet digital program on their own portable lightweight computer. The industrial upscale showroom is interactive for patients.”

Burns is a faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.

Lee of Synchrony Financial will speak about how the revolution in payment trends is changing shopping expectations and experience. A noted business and retail innovation expert, Lee has spent the past 20+ years as an accomplished entrepreneur, inventor and corporate executive across a broad spectrum of markets—ranging from online gaming to the financial services industry. His contributions revolve around developing consumer-oriented solutions that are scalable at mass market level, as well as finding leading-edge technology solutions targeting enterprise markets. In his current role at Synchrony Financial, Lee focuses on launching new retail card programs, leading the technology roadmap for emerging payments, and setting strategic alignment for innovation through disruptive technology, partnerships and investments.

Ziegler has lectured internationally and published articles for more than 25 years on building optometric practices by improving the patient experience. He was part of the Management Business Academy (MBA) faculty, is a noted optometric columnist, and serves on the Essilor advisory board. At Zeigler Leffingwell Eyecare, Ziegler has recently reconceptualized the practice using a range of new digital technologies and featured areas, as well as the practice’s website communications to patients, all underscoring their “experience” for both eyecare and eyewear, which he’ll share with the VM LIVE audience.

“Consumers’ shopping habits and patient expectations are changing fast, and all ECPs and optical retailers need to keep up,” said Marge Axelrad, Vision Monday’s editorial director. “Today, shoppers want instant information about product features, styles and availability, and they want to decide where, when and how to make a purchase and have it delivered to them. Come to VM LIVE to learn how new systems and strategies can engage customers and create a seamless path to purchase."

Registration details are available here for VM LIVE.

VM LIVE is another in a series of Vision Monday’s leadership-driven, special live information-sharing and networking events, targeting top optical retailers, executive decision makers and influential practitioners.