Reviewer
St. Stuart Rothman
Associate Clinical Professor
SUNY State College of Optometry
Private practitioner, Livingston, New Jersey

Maximizing the Potential of Your Ophthalmic Office: What You Need to Know About Planning and Design. Fred L. Kahn: Butterworth Heinemann, 2002, 385 pp., $46.95.
When I first heard the title of this book I only heard the main title and assumed it was going to be about maximizing office potential through marketing. The secondary title explains more about the subject of this book. The title really should be Maximizing the Potential of Your Ophthalmic Office Space.
Fred L Kahn grew up in the optical supply business. He has been involved in ophthalmic design for over 50 years, most recently with Zeiss Optical. In the preface of the book, Mr. Kahn states that "you will learn the essentials of the complex and time consuming process of relocating or renovating an existing office, or planning a startup." He delivers on that promise. This is the most comprehensive and inclusive guide to ophthalmic office space I have seen. It is filled with easy-to-follow lists, photos, office plans and practical solutions to office space and design issues. The middle chapters on design criteria include features on most clinical functions, eyewear delivery, specialty care such as contact lenses and vision therapy, computerization, and advanced clinical procedures. As Mr. Kahn promises, there is useful information for the optometric startup, renovation of space, relocation, purchase vs. lease, and even new construction.
The book is fast reading, yet valuable as a reference resource both for the existing practitioner, student, and new graduate. Mr. Kahn covers contemporary issues such as adding an associate or partner, design needs for electronic medical records, return on investment analysis in space allocation and design, as well as managed care concerns. I think this book would fill a valuable space on every optometrist’s bookshelf.