Learn how employee retention can impact overall morale in your office.
March 6, 2026
By David Ng, OD, IACMM
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Retaining employees in any health care setting has always been a significant challenge, but for myopia management practices, the stakes are higher. The vast amounts of training required for a myopia team member far exceeds your average optometric office. Think about how much training it took before good and consistent topography became the norm, or when to perform axial length measurements, or how to order an orthokeratology lens. The list goes on and on. That means employee turnover is disruptive and expensive.
The average cost of employee turnover can range anywhere between $30,000 to $100,000 per employee — including recruiting, hiring and lost productivity during gaps and transition periods. If you had to replace your myopia coordinator, do you know how many conversions you would lose everyday until your new coordinator became proficient with the myopia language?
Given these numbers, it’s clear that practices cannot view staff as interchangeable parts. Every departure starts a chain reaction of expenses, lost productivity and an overall diminished patient experience. All of these factors affect the patient experience and your bottom line. That’s why strong retention is not something that just happens by accident — it starts from the first interview.
Retention Starts At the Interview
The seeds of employee retention are planted long before a new hire’s first day — they begin in the interview room.
Too many hiring managers still fall into the trap of asking cookie-cutter interview questions like, “What is your greatest weakness?” These questions yield coached responses that reveal little about problem-solving ability or cultural fit. Instead, ask questions that reveal empathy, critical thinking and authentic engagement. For example:
“If a patient called saying they were in a wheelchair and needed directions to our office, how would you describe the way to get here?”
This question tests multiple competencies at once:
- Whether the applicant has actually researched your practice (did they look at the accessibility features on your website?)
- Their ability to give clear, complete instructions under pressure.
- Their level of empathy and respect toward patients with mobility challenges.
A high-quality answer to this question demonstrates more about a candidate’s mindset than a dozen generic behavioral queries.
Take it slow in the hiring process. Allow enough time to evaluate multiple dimensions of the candidate — skill, values and personality. And remember the old adage: be slow to hire, quick to fire. It costs too much to retain someone who doesn’t fit your team.
Compatibility and Team Fit
In a myopia management practice, compatibility with you and the existing team is vital. Unlike standalone retail environments or general clinics, your practice likely operates as a close-knit unit — leaner teams working together to execute specialized, high-tech protocols day in and day out. This requires:
- Teamwork, because every patient journey involves multiple touchpoints.
- Service orientation, because families entrust you with children’s long-term eye health.
- Integrity and empathy, because what you do matters on a personal level.
Someone who is technically competent but not a team player creates friction — increasing stress for colleagues, raising the likelihood of burnout and eroding your practice culture. Even worse, a poor hire can create a toxic work environment, causing an established team member to leave.
If a candidate clearly lacks alignment with your values, it’s better to move on. And if these qualities don’t emerge during the probationary period, be ready to part ways. Holding onto a bad fit simply magnifies the eventual cost of turnover when it does occur.
Culture: The Glue That Holds Talent Together
Culture isn’t a poster on the wall — it’s the daily lived experience of your team. In your office, culture is shaped by how staff treat one another and how the practice responds when someone faces a personal crisis.
For example, one of our opticians had his car stolen and couldn’t find a temporary replacement while insurance processed the claim. Rather than leave him stranded, I loaned him my son’s car for several months (the optician was overwhelmed with gratitude – my son not so much). This act wasn’t just about transportation; it communicated something priceless: “We care about you as a person, not just as an employee.”
Actions like this resonate deeply across your entire team. They send a message that caring isn’t a slogan — it’s a practice.
Your culture must be one of warmth, flexibility and support when people need it most. That kind of environment doesn’t just keep people coming to work; it makes them want to stay.
Rewards: Know What Motivates
One of the most overlooked aspects of retention is understanding what each team member “likes.” Not everyone is motivated by the same rewards. Generic incentives like Amazon gift cards or movie tickets may delight some but leave others indifferent.
Spend time getting to know your staff — their goals, their families, their passions. What motivates one employee might feel meaningless to another. Tailoring rewards shows that you care about them as individuals. This personal investment pays off because staff know they’re seen, understood, and valued — something very few bosses do anymore.
Conclusion: Grow a Workplace People Don’t Want to Leave
When you invest in careful hiring, nurture compatibility, cultivate a culture of empathy and reward people in meaningful ways, something powerful happens: your staff stop looking for “greener grass.” Your practice becomes a place where people feel valued, supported and connected — not because of perks alone, but because of authentic care and mutual respect.
And when that happens, turnover drops — saving you tens of thousands of dollars each year, preserving valuable institutional knowledge and maintaining the continuity of high-quality care your myopia management patients deserve.
Retention isn’t just smart business — it’s good human practice. And in health care, that’s exactly where it belongs.
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Dr. David Ng is the owner of Bayview Vision Care and The Myopia Clinic in Toronto, where he provides myopia management with a focus on orthokeratology since 2005. He earned his Doctor of Optometry from the University of Waterloo in 1995 and holds the International Academy Certification in Myopia Management from the American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (AAOMC). Dr. Ng currently serves on the AAOMC Board of Directors and the AAOMC Advisory Board actively contributing to the Accreditation, Education, and Content Procurement committees. You can contact him via email at themyopiaclinic.ca or on LinkedIn. |
Read more from Dr. Ng here
