The Power of the Hustle: How One Doctor's Bold Approach is Expanding Vision Therapy Referrals

One of the things I tell consulting clients all the time is that traditional marketing rarely works for vision therapy. The reality is that you can’t explain developmental vision, binocular vision disorders, visual processing problems, or neuro-optometric rehabilitation in a 30-second commercial. And today, you don’t even really get 30 seconds. You get a few seconds before someone scrolls, skips, or moves on. 

So if traditional marketing doesn’t work very well, what do you do? You go after the low-hanging fruit. That means focusing on people who already understand binocular vision and who are already seeing patients who could benefit from vision therapy. Usually, that means other optometrists, along with a few aligned professions like occupational therapists, physical therapists, and teachers. Some of the most successful vision therapy practices I’ve seen were not built through fancy marketing campaigns; they were built through relationships. 

The Power of Hustle in Action

Recently, I had the opportunity to consult with Dr. Haris Dzubur and his associate, Dr. Luma Mallah, and it reminded me again of the power of hustle. Dr. Dzubur is an optometrist who started his career in an ophthalmology referral center before eventually starting his own medical optometry practice, OKO Eye Center. Early on, he learned a simple lesson from his ophthalmology mentor. When things were slow, they did not just sit around and hope referrals would come in. They got in the car, grabbed some donuts, and went out to visit the offices that were already seeing the patients they could help. That mindset helped him build a successful medical optometry practice. 

Now, Dr. Mallah has joined the practice and is helping bring vision therapy and developmental vision care into the clinic. She has a real passion for this work, and together they are using that same relationship-based approach to introduce vision therapy to their community.

During our discussions, Dr. Dzubur made an observation that I found fascinating. He told me that promoting vision therapy and pediatric services actually felt easier than promoting medical optometry. Most optometrists already manage dry eye. Most already treat glaucoma. Most already diagnose ocular disease. When you approach another doctor about those services, there is often significant overlap between what they do and what you do, but Vision therapy is different. 

Dr. Haris Dzubur

You're Filling a Gap, Not Competing

Many optometrists don’t see very young children. Many don’t evaluate binocular vision disorders in depth. Many don’t offer treatment for convergence insufficiency, accommodative dysfunction, visual processing deficits, or visual rehabilitation following a brain injury. 

Instead of competing with existing services, vision therapy often fills a gap. You’re not trying to take away patients. You’re helping patients who otherwise may never receive the care they need. That distinction is incredibly important. 

I think one of the biggest obstacles that holds developmental and neuro-optometrists back is fear. We worry that if we visit another office, we’ll be perceived as salespeople. We worry that if we ask for referrals, we’ll be viewed as poaching patients. We worry that we’re somehow crossing a professional boundary. But in reality, most of those fears exist only in our heads. 

So what if a few offices reject you? So what if you never make it past the front desk because of an overly protective, and sometimes impressively blunt, receptionist? That will happen. But it only takes connecting with a few good referral sources to make all the difference. 

It also isn’t about doing this once and checking off a box. This has to be something consistent. That is why I often say it probably should not be the doctor’s job alone. Not because the doctor can’t do it, but because if the whole strategy depends on the doctor finding extra time, I’m always afraid it simply won’t happen.

Get Out of the Office

So whether it is the doctor or a friendly staff member, the important thing is getting out of the office and making those connections. Not to sell nor give a long spiel, just getting to know people. 

One of my friends was one of the best salespeople for a pharmaceutical sales company. I asked him once what his secret was. His answer was simple: “People buy from their friends.” 

I believe that is true. People don’t need a bunch of overly polished information. They need to know you are there. They need to know you are competent. They need to know you can be trusted with their patients. And that usually starts by building a real relationship with them. 

So the next time you are wondering why your practice isn’t growing, remember the power of the hustle, because the power of the hustle isn’t found in manipulation, pressure, or flashy marketing. The power of the hustle is showing up, having conversations, and building relationships. 

It’s educating others about something that can genuinely change lives, and if an optometrist in a busy medical specialty practice can make the time to get in his car and knock on doors to support the growth of vision therapy in his community, then the rest of us can too. Sometimes changing lives starts with nothing more complicated than a box of doughnuts, a handshake, and the courage to start a conversation.