For many ODs, having a separation between friends and patients might be a good thing. In a recent Women In Optometry (WO) Pop-up Poll, 41 percent of respondents said that they do not encourage their friends to become their patients, while nearly 32 said that they do encourage that connection. Another 27 percent said maybe, noting that it depends on the friend or the circumstances.

Most ODs, nearly 73 percent, said they do not expect their friends to call them “Dr.” in the office, although nearly one-quarter (23 percent) said that they would like their friends to do so, but won’t complain if they don’t, and just more than 3 percent said that everyone calls them “Dr.” so they expect that their friends would, too. Click here to read the full story from Women In Optometry.