Got ambitions? Learn how to use social media hashtags to help the world know optometry

like many of you, I have moved the marketing for my practice (@VisionOptique) into social media only in the last decade.

While we also use Google+, Instagram, and Twitter, Facebook is where we are most active. @VisionOptique now has more than 10,000 followers on the social platform.

I am a latecomer to Twitter (2015) and Instagram (2016), and my own handle is @DrBridgitte. As a mother of two daughters, owner of two businesses, and an educator in the eyecare industry, I have time to learn only one new social media platform a year.

I originally joined Twitter and Instagram to engage with the younger generations of O.D.s. Why? My twin professional passions are to:

Help keep optometry strong, and

Help raise global eyecare standards.

To do so, I hope to inspire young optometrists to become entrepreneurs and leaders in the industry, and to encourage the eyecare industry to effectively engage with patients.

Why Hashtag?

I have learned that communicating with #hashtags is the key to global healthcare social media (#hcsm) education. The #hcsm hashtag stands for Healthcare Communications and Social Media, the first global health care Twitter chat (2009).

What’s in a Name? ICYMI, a #hashtag is an attempt to index a certain piece of content in the Internet—or to “tag” it so it can be more easily found by others who are searching for that specific tag.

It has been a fascinating journey to learn the power a simple hashtag creates in the global online community. Understanding how to effectively use social media (#SoMe) to engage today’s learners (doctors and patients) is a dimension of healthcare education that we need to spread quickly. Millennials are wired to learn differently, and the digitalization of our world is changing doctor-doctor and doctor-patient communications.

Aesthetic Inspo

My positive social media experience with the following topics (and hashtags) inspired me to write this article:

#EyelashExtensions

#DryEye

#AntiAgingEyecare

#DigitalEyeStrain

This article was written after a talk I gave to plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and estheticians at the first Aesthetic Everything Beauty Expo. Aesthetic Everything is the world’s largest online aesthetic network, with more than 1.3 million followers on Twitter, FB, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

My topic was “The Role of Meibomian Glands in Ocular Aesthetics and Digital Eye Health.” Many in attendance were curious why an optometrist was discussing meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) with plastic surgeons and dermatologists, and how dry eye disease and digital eye health may affect what they do.

I explained the effect on meibomian glands from the global obsession with eyelash extensions, ocular aesthetic beauty trends, and digital device addictions. I also reviewed the link between MGD and dry eye disease, and treatment options. I believe that collaboration between optometrists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, and plastic surgeons will help patients see, feel, and look their best.

So how is the above story related to this article—and growing optometry via Twitter and hashtags?

In January, I did a radio interview with @DrNoreen @CleverleyS of Houston CBS Sports Radio 650 on eyelash extensions and MGD—and it received 194,368 impressions from just three tweets.

In this digital age, the prevalence of MGD, dry eye disease, and digital eye strain is increasing. As primary eyecare doctors, we have these conversations daily. But most patients have not heard of these problems. Many think dry eye and eye fatigue symptoms are normal experiences.

Twitter analytics on two other radio interviews further demonstrate the strong global interest on these topics: 262,460 impressions on dry eye disease and anti-aging eye care, and 44,837 impressions on digital eye strain.

Follow #PlasticSurgery

Plastic surgeons have done a phenomenal job by collectively using #PlasticSurgery to fill social media with evidence-based educational content. In the past three months alone, it generated 456 million impressions globally.

Imagine if all eyecare professionals, optometrists, and ophthalmologists started posting the most progressive and relevant eyecare topics by using the same hashtags. How would that impact the entire eye care industry?

#Optometry + #SoMe

#SoMe is short for #SocialMedia. The hashtag is used on Twitter by various healthcare industries to give patients direct access to evidence-based medical information. It’s time for optometry to join the #SoMe movement.

Please consider using the #Optometry and #SoMe hashtags every time you post on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+.

Our optometry profession has moved beyond simply providing glasses and contact lens, but does the world know it?

The world is not aware of three of today’s biggest global digital age eye health epidemics: digital eye strain, MGD, and dry eye disease.

Most patients also do not realize the importance of comprehensive annual eye exams with eye doctors (regardless of their vision clarity).

Many are not knowledgeable about the preventable blindness eye diseases: cataracts, diabetes, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

Many parents believe a quick vision screening at a pediatrician or nurse’s office is the same as an eye exam.

Whose job is it, then, to educate the world?

Shared, freely available evidence-based resources will revolutionize all fields of health care. Let’s all help the world understand and engage with #Optometry.

—Bridgitte Shen Lee, O.D.