uWhen close rates stall around 30–40%, most teams blame price. What if the real issue is what happens after the appointment?

Myopia management is no longer “up-and-coming.” It’s here, and it’s big. In this episode of Power Hour, Eugene sits down with Matt Oerding, CEO & Founder of Treehouse Eyes, to unpack a market Matt describes as a untapped opportunity, and the uncomfortable reality behind it: even though a large share of optometrists say they offer myopia management, only ~4–5% of eligible kids are actually receiving treatment.

Matt explains that the myopia “adoption gap” isn’t due to a lack of treatment options, but by execution: how consistently practices recommend, how the message is framed, and what happens after the parent says, “Let me think about it.”

A major theme is parent psychology. Over years of focus groups and real-world feedback, Treehouse learned that parents don’t respond well to guilt-based framing. Instead, they engage when doctors position myopia management as a modern, proactive path — something families may not have had access to when they were kids, but that’s available now.

The episode also gets into what practices can actually do in the flow of a busy clinic. Matt and Eugene discuss the value of a short “mini consult” during the exam to open the door, then scheduling a dedicated consultation that improves clarity and decision-making. They also talk about the follow-up problem: many families don’t say “no,” they simply go quiet. Matt shares why persistence matters and how structured, value-driven follow-up changes outcomes.

Finally, Matt breaks down the next wave expanding the market: myopia-control glasses. He shares what parent research revealed, especially skepticism around how glasses can “treat” myopia, and why practices need simple, confident language, compliance expectations, and measurement (like axial length tracking) to keep these programs credible and effective.

Myopia management has momentum, better tools, and growing awareness, yet the numbers show the category is still massively underpenetrated. Matt Oerding’s perspective is refreshing because it revolves around what happens in real practices:

how teams communicate, how families decide, and how small process shifts can unlock a much bigger clinical and business opportunity.

If you want a clearer picture of what’s holding adoption back, and what actually moves parents from “maybe” to “yes,” this episode is packed with insights you can apply immediately.

• The $15B Opportunity (and the Adoption Reality): Why myopia management may be a $15 billion market, yet only ~4–5% of eligible kids are in treatment, and what that says about execution.
• Why Parents Say “Interesting” but Don’t Commit: What parent research reveals about the messaging that builds trust versus the framing that triggers guilt or shutdown.
• The Mini-Consult That Opens the Door: How to introduce myopia treatment in 60–90 seconds during a routine exam, then transition families into a dedicated consult without blowing up your schedule.
• The Follow-Up Gap (and the Rule of Five): Why most practices lose cases after “Let me talk to my partner,” and how consistent, value-based follow-up dramatically improves adoption.
• Why “More Science” Can Backfire: How to keep explanations simple and benefit-focused for parents who aren’t technical buyers while still maintaining clinical authority.
• Myopia-Control Glasses: New Demand, New Objections: What parents are skeptical about, why compliance matters, and how to position this as medical treatment, not “just another pair of glasses.”
• Tracking Outcomes to Build Confidence: Why objective measurement (including axial length tracking) becomes essential — especially when results aren’t immediately “visible” to parents.

• 00:00 | Introduction
• 02:15 | What Treehouse Eyes Actually Does
• 07:16 | Matt Oerding’s Origin Story
• 11:23 | The “Engineering” Approach to Care Delivery & Reducing Variation
• 12:15 | The Patient Journey and Operational Design
• 14:13 | How to Scale without Losing Quality
• 18:17 | How to Explain Myopia Management to Parents
• 22:36 | Why Parents Say Yes to Treatment

• 25:05 | Why Only ~3–4% of Eligible Kids are Treated in the US
• 28:22 | Moving Beyond ‘One Doc, One Method’
• 33:02 | What Practices can do Now to Close the Gap
• 38:34 | The Handoff + Staff Role that makes Adoption Stick
• 41:19 | The “Myopia Glasses” Moment
• 46:04 | Delays + Friction that Stop Families from Starting
• 49:00 | Global Fee vs Modality-Based Pricing
• 54:00 | The “Rule of Five”
• 54:45 | Value-add follow-up vs annoying follow-up

Connect with Matt Oerding

Matt Oerding is the CEO and co-founder of Treehouse Eyes, a U.S. myopia-management services company he founded in 2015 with optometrist Dr. Gary Gerber to standardize and scale care delivery for childhood myopia.

He has been involved in broader category-building efforts as well, including helping form the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition (GMAC) in 2019 and serving as its board chair (2019–2020).

Oerding’s background spans leadership roles across healthcare and consumer sectors; interviews and profiles describe 20+ years of experience including work with companies such as GE, Alcon, and General Mills.

He’s also received external recognition for leadership, most notably being named a 2022 Colorado Titan 100 (Top 100 CEOs/C-level executives).

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-oerding/ 
• Website: https://www.treehouseeyes.com/ 

Connect with Eugene Shatsman (Managing Partner, NSG) 

Website – https://www.eugeneshatsman.com/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugeneshatsman