The Trust of Ohana: Making Recommendations That Patient Embrace

Ohana means “family” in the Hawaiian language, and it embodies our philosophy and that of our practice, Ronald R. Reynolds, OD, Inc., located in Mililani, Hawaii. My father, Ronald Reynolds, OD, started our practice more than 40 years ago, and I joined 20 years later. Truly a family affair, I now co-own the practice with my father, who officially retired from patient care in 2018, and work alongside my wife, Dr. Mily Reynolds, and four other employees.

The concept of ohana extends beyond immediate family into our practice, cultivating connections with our staff and our patients. It’s not just me, it’s not just my dad--our entire practice is a family. Because of this strong sense of family in the practice, it naturally extends to the patients who walk through the doors each day—both new patients and those who have been seen by the practice for years. We have treated as many as four generations from the same family! We know our patients, and our patients know and trust us.

About seven years ago, a VSPOne lab opened on the island, making it convenient to get our jobs back in a timely manner. Because of the positive presence VSP has in Hawaii and its support of private practice in general, we wanted to try and use more of its products. So, we started using Unity Lenses.  The transition was easy for us—we explained to our patients that we were moving to a current technology that we thought would benefit them, and they trusted our recommendation.

The response was very positive, and over the years we evolved into a mostly Unity practice. For our contact lens patients, the Unity digital single vision lens works great for that backup pair of glasses—patients’ vision is clear and they are really pleased. For the progressive wearers, the Unity Via Elite product offers an optically clean lens, without peripheral swim and distortion. The one product that really stands out is the Unity Via OfficePro near-variable focus lens. That's actually what I wear, and what's great about it for me is I can walk around the office with it. I get great computer vision. I get great near vision. It’s really the first near-variable focus that we've dispensed where even our patients notice that there's a definite distance component that allows them to keep it on for more of the day, even when walking around.

For anti-reflective coatings, the TechShield Anti-Reflective Coating with anti-bacterial technology* has been a fantastic product for us as well. The progress in the blue-light-reducing, anti-reflective coating category has been significant and is especially helpful given the dramatic increase in screen time during the pandemic.

Today, as a mostly Unity practice, we have found that Unity Lenses excel in virtually every scenario—and there are several alternatives available if needed. For the most part, our patients don’t come in asking for Unity Lenses or other products by name. They are looking for functionality that meets their specific needs and want our recommendation. As I see it, the trust that we have spent decades building with our patients, our ohana, enables us to truly understand their needs and to make recommendations that they will embrace.

Dr. Reynolds' practice is Ronald R. Reynolds, OD, Inc., in Mililani, Hawaii. He is a VSP Ambassador.

^{*ISO Anti-Bacterial Certification based on ISO 22196:2011}