On June 6th 2016, the world lost one of its most incredibly thoughtful, committed optometrists, Dr. Victor Connors. Those who knew Vic are terribly saddened by the loss of a friend who knew how to blend fun and hard work. Most importantly, he was the profession’s consummate volunteer. And to me, he was my clinic business partner for 20 years.

Vic graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1971. He started a solo eye care practice in Middleton, WI, on the edge of the state’s capitol city, Madison. In 1996, Vic and I joined another solo practitioner in Middleton, Dr. Peter Bergenske, in creating Isthmus Eye Care.

When we built a new clinic facility in 2003, Vic encouraged me to avoid purchasing an existing MS/EHR system and urged me to “build it yourself” because he knew my passion for eye care record keeping needed to be birthed. In the break room of our clinic, Jim Schneider and John Warren and I took Vic’s advice and in 2006 launched the business plan for RevolutionEHR.

Vic was always a strong supporter of RevolutionEHR, even though working on the software business ultimately led me to leave our practice in December 2015. The entire RevolutionEHR family is infinitely appreciative of Vic’s never-ending support and guidance toward building the most useful software we could.

More importantly, Vic supported optometry in its mission to treat patients with high quality primary eye care services. He was President of the Wisconsin Optometric Association, American Optometric Association, and the World Council of Optometry. Additionally, he was the first CEO of Optometry Giving Sight. His tireless efforts to promote advanced eye care legislation in Wisconsin, in the US, and improving optometry’s standing worldwide are unmatched.

Vic gave me a personal endorsement beyond the urge to build RevolutionEHR. Along with fellow AOA leaders, he appointed me to the Chair position of the nation’s first eye care public health program, InfantSEE, for which I will always be grateful. He led, but he also empowered others to lead.

My sadness today will soon transition to profound appreciation for what Vic taught me, and I’m certain that others who knew him will feel the same. Even if you didn’t know Vic, you are benefiting from his commitment to eye care patients in your practice no matter if it is in any of the 50 US States, Puerto Rico, Canada, or worldwide.

Thank you, Vic. You will be missed. We all promise to pick up the reins and continue your lifelong commitment to improving our patients’ quality of life through enhancing their vision and eye health.

Peace,

Scott A. Jens, OD, FAAO
CEO
RevolutionEHR