my vision quest

mornin merry makers 👓✨👁️😎🦋

i recently embarked on what i'm calling "my 2025 vision quest" & wow, did it open my eyes (pun absolutely intended) to the evolving world of medical retail.

after decades of wearing glasses intensified by my years at warby parker where frames were both free & part of our cultural identity, i decided it was time for see the world through a new lens.

this wasn't just about vanity, value, or convenience, though i won't pretend those weren't factors. my glasses had become both a literal frame around my world & a metaphorical connection to my past life.

but as any good retail analyst knows, you don't make comma included investments without doing your homework.

so i spent an absurd amount of time on a 9-stop lasik tour across austin.

i turned a medical decision into a retail research project.

nine times?!

my lasik research journey was much more time intensive than i expected.

the process of finding, calling, booking, driving to/from, & sitting through tests at nine different providers across austin was a doozy.

i'm either extremely thorough or slightly neurotic you decide.

what kept me going & fascinated me the most wasn't just comparing surgical techniques (though i now know more than i’d like to about corneal flaps). it was experiencing the dramatic differences in customer experience across these clinics.

some appointments felt like stepping into a retail time machine:

• paper forms on clipboards

• confusing pricing revealed only after 90+ minutes

• facilities that hadn't been updated since the clinton administration

• staff who smacked gum in my face & seemed genuinely annoyed by my questions

others felt refreshingly modern:

• clean clinical environments that felt calming

• seamless digital experiences from scheduling to follow-up

• staff who knew my name when i walked in & offered me topo chico

• transparent pricing with clear explanations & interest free financing

the parallels to traditional retail were striking. medical retail is experiencing the same expectation revolution that’s transforming retail.

car salespeople in scrubs

if i had to compare the lasik shopping experience to anything, it would be car shopping complete with the dreaded "let me check with my manager" dance.

at one clinic, after my appointment started an hour late & took another hour to complete, i was handed over to someone whose entire job was to "close the deal."

virtually.

over a zoom call.

in a separate call room.

like i was getting upsold on heated steering wheels, not a laser to my eyeballs.

talk about a clunky customer experience.

at another, i was told their enhancement guarantee only applied if booked today or purchased a premium package...

sound familiar?

it's the same psychology that car dealerships have used for decades.

create opacity around pricing, add last-minute "necessary" upgrades, push scarcity mindset, & leverage the sunk cost of time to push customers toward commitment.

healthcare or don’t care?

ultimately i realized through all of this that the bar for customer experience in medical settings is embarrassingly low.

• when a doctor's office simply answers their phone promptly or has a functioning online appointment system → we're impressed.

• when a medical office sends digital forms ahead of time instead of making us write our address eight times on clipboards → we tell all our friends about it.

• when a provider remembers our name or doesn't keep us waiting for 45 minutes → we feel like we've struck gold.

why have we accepted this?

why should scheduling a lasik consultation require four phone calls when i can order a car to my exact location in two minutes? why are we celebrating basic competence in healthcare when we demand excellence everywhere else?

the answer is complicated.

regulations, insurance systems, & the fundamental power dynamic of medical care all play a role.

but in my opinion those are explanations, not excuses.

i'm thrilled to see this is slowly changing with more forward-thinking providers across fertility, dermatology, pet care, & dental. more are taking initiative to fix this themselves. they're proving that medical experiences can be both clinically excellent & customer-centered.

i’m even more thankful i found a clinic in atx stepping up the game in lasik too.

my eye-conic checklist

for my vision quest 2025 i put my own solutions scorecard framework from last week to use. with a few tweeks ofc to compare my lasik biz cases.

my criteria included:

• digital experience: online scheduling, electronic forms, modern comms?

• staff authenticity: did employees seem genuinely happy & knowledgeable?

• education vs. selling: was the focus on informing me or closing me?

• facility design: was the space clean, modern, & thoughtfully designed?

• transparency: were pricing, risks, & alternatives clearly communicated?

• the gut check: did i feel safe, valued, & confident in their care?

the winner was clear: sharpe vision modern lasik.

ironically, they were my first appointment setting a bar so high that eight subsequent consultations couldn't even come close to matching it. inconvenient to me too, but that’s a price i’m willing to pay for my retail research 🤓 

what distinguished them wasn't cutting-edge technology (most reputable lasik providers use similar equipment).

it was their holistic approach to patient experience:

• scheduler remembered details about me when i arrived

• facility was modern without trying too hard to be "luxury"

• pricing was transparent, with clear explanations of what was included

• every employee i encountered seemed genuinely happy to be working there

• doctors spent unhurried time explaining options without pushing the most expensive one

lessons from sharpe

my lasik shopping journey highlighted universal principles that apply across all retail categories. if you too want to be the best in your category like sharpe modern lasik. follow their playbook & focus on these 5 things:

1. transparency builds trust:

   whether it's eyewear, eye surgery, or anything in between, customers value straightforward information above all.

2. expertise without empathy falls flat

   technical skill must be paired with human connection to create truly exceptional experiences.

3. digital experience matters

   in 2025, if you're making customers call during business hours or fill out paper forms, you're creating unnecessary friction & signaling you’re behind the times.

4. staff experience translates directly to customer experience

   happy employees create confident customers. this was palpable at every clinic.

5. the basics still win

   for all the talk about experience innovation, getting the fundamentals right (cleanliness, timeliness, respect) matters most.

the medical retail space is evolving rapidly, with patients increasingly thinking like consumers & providers adapting to new expectations. those who embrace retail principles while honoring the unique trust inherent in healthcare will thrive.

as for me, i got my lasik done & couldn’t be happier with the results.

after years of warby parker frames defining my look, this feels like another symbolic step in my post-corporate chapter.

i’m quite literally seeing the world through new lenses.

p.s. less than 10 days to get the merry membership at the lowest price… ever. promise i won’t be offering this deal again.

p.p.s. if you’re not ready to become a merry member, i’d so appreciate you showing your support by checking out keepcart below. every click counts 🤍 

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