Dr. Karen Kuenning at Avenira Optical Gallery

08/06/2024

Avenira Optical Gallery works very hard to protect our environment, from paperless charting to contact lens recycling. Collect those used contacts and blister packs and let us recycle them for you through the One by One program.

10/31/2023

06/27/2023

Today is National Sunglasses Day! In our beautiful mountain state every day is Sunglasses Day. Protect those eyes with a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses. They have a patented polarization system unlike anything else. We have an amazing collection. Which style do you think Dr. Kuenning should get?

05/09/2023

I am a doctor. An optometric physician. I’m an optometrist. An eye doctor. I went to undergrad and then completed a four year doctoral program and then passed a series of national boards to ensure I had the knowledge and skill set required to practice optometry. Our first two years of optometry school overlap significantly with the first two years of medical school, dental school, physical therapy programs and more. Some schools affiliated with larger universities even have us take many of our first two years of classes together. I can remove a foreign body from your eye, diagnose and treat many eye diseases. I’ve referred patients out for additional testing to rule out brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and more. I saved the life of a patient who had leukemia which was diagnosed using my retinal imaging technology. I can prescribe antibiotics, steroids and other medications to treat eye related conditions. I can also write you a prescription for glasses and contact lenses.
I will never understand why these types of legislative attacks seem to affect optometry more than many other doctoral level professions. We call our dentists, chiropractors, veterinarians, and others “Dr. Name.” Why is optometry different?
I worked hard to earn my Doctorate of Optometry and will fight to be able to call myself Dr. Karen Kuenning. I’ll fight for my grandkids to be able to grow up and say they want to be an eye doctor, too.
If you live in one of these states addressed here, especially Florida, please help us fight by writing the governor.
https://www.aoa.org/news/advocacy/state-advocacy/aoa-and-state-affiliates-rally-to-decry-and-defeat-discriminatory-not-a-doctor-bills?sso=y&fbclid=IwAR242jmZJosQqv8qHUNqJ9vG3RXGBY8LlG_GYWj-LUeUUvv9THd7D_VRvIA

Doctors of optometry have long been recognized by federal agencies as physicians. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid did so in 1986. They also are referred to as physicians under Federal Employees Workers Compensation, as they are at rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers. Desp...