Cliff Wright, O.D., was out in a cow pasture a year ago thinking about some research on a piece of equipment for an article he was working on. "It was Saturday morning," he remembers. "And, I became immediately aware that I had to wait a couple of days to call the company and get any information. So, I thought, 'wouldn't it be cool if there was a 24-hour resource on the Web that could help doctors make choices about equipment and companies?' There wasn't one, so I invented one." Thus, OpticalBuyer.Com, Wright's Web company, was born, and then officially launched at Vision Expo West last year. The site is designed to be a free resource with news and information for the entire ophthalmic community.

The venture grew so quickly that Wright now has two partners and 11 staff members assisting him. But, it wasn't the first foray into computers for this independent optometrist who confesses to having been a "geek" since the 1960s when he was a member of his high school's computer club. In the mid-1990s, Wright started Dr. Wright Productions, a consulting/Web design business which assists major ophthalmic companies in designing their Web sites. In his spare time, he makes his wife, Sharon, and his two sons, Andrew, 18, and Ian, 16, a priority, at home in Berkeley, Calif.

You now wear many hats in your professional life, but did you start out as an optometrist?

Yes. I graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1980 as an O.D. I worked very briefly as an employed doc in a commercial chain. Then, I had an opportunity to open here in the San Francisco Bay area, and I've been in solo private practice ever since. I work one day a week, and I have two associate doctors who work with me.

What does the Web mean for the future of optometry?

Let's back up, and look at what the Web means to culture and society. I'm not the first one to say this, but the Web has introduced a change to our society that is more profound than the industrial revolution. Access to information is really what we are talking about.

Are your fellow O.D.s savvy about the Internet yet, or are they resistant to it?

I think optometrists in general are gadget guys. They love technology and they embrace new and exciting things.

Are many optometrists directly selling over the Web yet?

That niche--the so-called business-to-consumer business--is being chased by the 1-800-Contact Lenses of the world. There are some independent O.D.s who are selling direct to consumers from their own sites. It's a mom-and-pop kind of thing.

Should they be doing that?

I don't know. I don't do the business-to-consumer thing. Optometry offices--generally speaking--are really very localized. Does it make sense for an independent O.D. to have a Web site that's accessible to the world when the farthest you are going to draw people is from five miles? The second question is: Should an optometrist sell glasses at retail off the Web? That's really a different business. And, can an independent O.D. sell brand X contact lenses from his office to a global audience?

What can the independents do to offset this potential threat?

I think they have to offset it with service. The Internet is simply a continuation of what we saw when the retail chains came in on the physical bricks-and-mortar side. When Wal-Mart opened their dispensaries, how did the independents respond? With service. Independents can absolutely compete on personalization. The answer I give my patients is, 'Sure, you can buy it for less, but nobody knows you like we do.' 

Will consumers ever want to buy finished glasses on the Web?

I don't think glasses will be the main thing. The business-to-consumer side is pretty much the commodity market, like replacement contact lenses.

What about the managed care threat?

It's a scary time. However, quality will always find a market. Managed care is going to hammer you on the exam side. Retail and the Web are going to hammer you on the product side. So, the doctor who presents an eye exam that's customized for the patient will succeed.

What are some of your future goals for OpticalBuyer.Com?

OpticalBuyer right now, is at the beginning. We want to be a one-stop shopping experience for the eyecare professional. We are not now, and we will never be, a business for the consumer. We will not ever sell frames or contact lenses to consumers. This is simply an enabling technology for the profession. EB