Meet this week’s Power Hour guest, Dr. Evie Lawson — Founder and Owner of Eyes On You in downtown Seattle.
In this episode, Dr. Lawson opens up her playbook for how a single-OD, tech-forward model turned ~10 patients/day into ~$1,200 per visit (up from ~$540) by redesigning the exam experience, simplifying vision plan strategy, and aligning recommendations with what patients actually feel. She walks through the premium exam she’s built, why she dropped VSP during COVID and never looked back, and how those choices reshaped revenue and patient satisfaction.
Dr. Lawson starts with the room itself: a 60-minute visit that uses imaging on a giant display to connect what patients feel with what she’s finding. Instead of speeding through more exams, she slows the moment down, showing lids and glands on meibography, walking through OCT and Optos, and making binocular-vision findings obvious on screen. That simple shift drives confident choices in the lane and later on, in optical.
From there, she talks through the business pivot that made the model possible. COVID forced a hard decision: keep playing the vision-plan game or redesign the experience and go out-of-network. She chose the latter, structured transparent conversations around value, and rebuilt her exam around technology patients can see. The result wasn’t just fewer headaches; it fundamentally changed the revenue picture. With an exam built to educate, capture rates and acceptance moved in the right direction without cramming more people onto the schedule.
Together with host Eugene Shatsman, they reveal the rebrand from Neurolens to Newton, and the debut of SQL. They explain their take on this, and exactly what that means for your prescriptions, pricing, and patient experience.
Alongside that, she shares how dry-eye care (backed by meibography and in-office treatments) and even aesthetics complement the clinical experience instead of competing with it — and why patient acceptance so often follows when the visuals are undeniable.
Key Takeaways
- From $540 → $1,200 Average Revenue Per Patient: How Dr. Evie Lawson redesigned the visit, went out-of-network, and tripled profitability — lifting average revenue per patient from ~$540 to ~$1,200 without adding more appointments.
- Tech-Led Exams That Sell Themselves: Using big-screen OCT/Optos/meibography to connect symptoms with visuals so patients see the need and confidently choose premium solutions.
- Out-of-Network Without Losing Patients: Clear phone/desk scripting and easy benefits handling keep convenience high while margins and experience improve.
- Dry Eye Patients Who Say “Yes”: Imaging-driven education plus in-office treatments and flexible payment options push acceptance high, especially when patients are symptomatic.
- Capture & Multi-Pair Done Right: A premium, education-first experience (and storefront pull) drives strong capture and multi-pair uptake without pressure tactics.
- Training That Sticks: Newton’s performance/AI training stack helps teams standardize language and recommendations, so the experience is consistent at every touchpoint.
In This Episode
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 02:07 – Meet Dr. Evie Lawson
- 04:15 – The COVID Pivot & Dropping VSP
- 06:02 – The Numbers Behind ~$1,200/Patient
- 10:37 – Designing the Premium Exam
- 12:46 – Capture, Multi-Pair & Acceptance
- 17:20 – Newton’s SQL vs. Therapeutic Neurolens
- 21:45 – Dry Eye That Converts
- 30:24 – Neurolens Rebrand To Newton
- 39:56 – Newton’s Interactive/AI Team Training
- 45:57 – Lessons & Takeaways
Contact Information
Connect with Dr. Evie Lawson
Dr. Evie Lawson, OD, is the owner and founder of Eyes on You in downtown Seattle, a design-forward optometry practice opened in 2014 that has since expanded to multiple locations. Her practice is known for an elevated, experiential approach to eyecare and retail — spotlighting independent eyewear and adding premium aesthetic services as part of a differentiated patient experience.
Industry press has profiled her leadership style and growth strategy, highlighting Eyes on You’s emphasis on distinctive product curation, patient-centric service design, and selective adoption of in-office technologies.
Website: https://www.eyesonyouseattle.com/index.html
Connect with Eugene Shatsman (Managing Partner, NSG)
Website – https://www.eugeneshatsman.com/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeneshatsman