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BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—Keplr Vision has announced the formation of its new Medical Advisory Board (MAB) and the appointment of five inaugural members. The five members of the MAB are: Dr. Ben Gaddie, Dr. Alan Glazier, Dr. Paul Karpecki, Dr. David Nelson, and Dr. Eric Schmidt. Keplr Vision’s MAB will meet regularly to evaluate and advise on enhanced clinical protocols and innovations in the practice of optometry and ensure Keplr Vision’s partner doctors continue to practice at the leading edge of optometry, according to the announcement on Tuesday.

"Doctors are the backbone of Keplr Vision and drive our continued success,” chief executive officer Nick Williams said. "I am pleased to announce the formation of our Medical Advisory Board composed of these uniquely skilled clinicians. This will guide Keplr Vision as it stays at the forefront of the practice of optometry."

The chair of the new advisory board is Dr. Gaddie, who also serves as chief medical officer of Keplr Vision. (Keplr Vision has an affiliation with more than 150 practices across 29 states.) "I am excited and honored to be working with such an impressive group of optometrists who have made it their lives’ work to push optometry forward and provide the best possible care to our patients,” Gaddie said.

The five inaugural members of the MAB are:


Dr. Ben Gaddie

Gaddie Eye Center - Louisville, Ky.


Dr. Gaddie earned his Doctor of Optometry from the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Optometry. He then completed a residency in ocular disease through Northeastern State University College of Optometry at the Triad Eye Medical Clinic and Cataract Institute in Tulsa, Okla. Gaddie is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the executive vice president of the Optometric Glaucoma Society (OGS). He is currently the co-chairman of the Vision Expo Meetings, the largest provider of continuing education for eye doctors. He is also a past president of the Kentucky Optometric Association.


Dr. Alan Glazier

Shady Grove Eye & Vision Care - Rockville, Md.

Dr. Glazier attended the University of Maryland and the New England College of Optometry. He is the founder of Keplr Vision’s Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care and founder of ODs on Facebook, the industry’s largest organization, according to the announcement. In 2016, Glazier was selected as one of the most influential optometrists ever by peers. In 2019, he was selected as Maryland Optometrist of the Year and subsequently awarded a Presidential Medal by the New England College of Optometry (NECO). In 2020, he was named to NECO’s Board of Trustees. Glazier holds seven patents in ophthalmology and computer science and has authored two books and more than 50 journal articles.


Dr. Paul Karpecki

Gaddie Eye Center - Louisville, Ky.

Dr. Karpecki received his doctor of optometry degree from Indiana University before completing a cornea and external disease fellowship in Kansas City through the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. With over 20 years’ experience running some of the largest dry eye clinics in the U.S., Karpecki is a leader and pioneer in this dedicated area of optometry. He is a noted educator and author, having delivered more than 1,000 lectures and authored over 1000 papers.

He currently serves as the chief clinical editor for Review of Optometry, as well as chairman of the New Technology and Treatment Conferences, and serves on the board for the charitable organization Optometry Giving Sight. He was appointed co-chair of the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society’s last two symposia and on the TFOS DEWS II Diagnostic Methodology Committee. In addition to his responsibilities with Keplr Vision and Gaddie Eye Center, he also serves as clinical director of cornea and external disease at Kentucky Eye Institute and the Center for Sight in Carmel, Ind.


Dr. David Nelson, OD, MBA

Eye Contact Madison – Madison, Wis.

Dr. Nelson is a board-certified optometrist. He graduated from the Indiana University School of Optometry in 1985 and from the University of Wisconsin School of Business with a diversified Masters in Business Administration in 1991. Nelson served from 2001-2002 as president of the American Optometric Association, following his eight years of service on the board of trustees. Along with his practice at Eye Contact, he currently provides consulting and educational lectures across the U.S. for optometric colleagues in newly advancing areas of retinal assessment with advanced technology, age-related macular degeneration genetic testing, and nutrition supplement prescribing for improved eye health.


Dr. Eric Schmidt, OD, FAAO

Omni Eye Center – Wilmington, N.C.

Bladen Eye Center – Elizabethtown, N.C.

Dr. Schmidt received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and his doctorate from the Pennsylvania College Of Optometry. After graduation, Schmidt completed a residency in ocular disease from PCO, followed by a fellowship in glaucoma from the Scheie Eye Institute in Philadelphia. He lectures internationally to his colleagues on ocular disease. His published works include Clinical Procedures of the Lids and Nasolacrimal System (textbook) and he has served as an adjunct professor at various colleges of optometry. While maintaining his practice in North Carolina, Schmidt is the incoming president of the Optometric Glaucoma Society where he has most recently served as treasurer.