Live Until You Die and See the World Even Without the Sight You Used to Have with Dr. Robert Sanet (Episode #137)

Dr. Lynn Hellerstein of Vision Beyond Sight has an extra special show this week as she speaks with Dr. Robert Sanet, owner and director of the San Diego Center for Vision Care, adjunct associate professor at several colleges of optometry, past president of COVD, and international consultant to hospitals and teaching centers in Spain, Italy and China, to talk about his inspiring life as a lecturer on behavioral optometry, and ultimately, love and humanity. Dr. Sanet, or Bob, has the rare gift of helping people to feel seen, heard, safe and loved by exposing his struggles and vulnerabilities, starting with his own learning issues growing up that led him to his successful career as a behavioral optometrist, focusing mostly on kids with learning and behavioral problems (like nine-year old Grace who successfully learned to feed herself). Deciding that he “wants to touch a million lives before he dies,” he shifted into becoming a full-time lecturer. By seeing his students as collaborators and people he can equally learn from, he touched the hearts of many doctors and gave them space to speak up about their own flaws, ultimately changing their practice from being diagnosis-focused to patient-focused. Even now when he was already diagnosed of macular degeneration that already left him legally blind and Stage 4 metastatic lung cancer that is incurable, Bob still chooses every day to “live until he dies” and see the world even without the sight and strength he used to have. He wishes that this show will remind you to find your passion and love what you do, whether it’s being a behavioral optometrist or trimming trees (like his happy godson). Get out of your small life that is all about yourself, treasure your pillars of support (like his loving wife Linda), and change other people’s lives for the better. Remember: “The true gift of giving is planting trees under whose shade you’ll never sit.”

Click here and tune in to the show now to explore these insights:

• What got Dr. Sanet into behavioral optometry?
• Having Dr. Amorita Treganza, COVD’s first president, as his mentor
• Treating children with learning problems in school
• Bob’s successful seminar series on his model of vision
• Shifting into becoming a full-time lecturer
• The mission to better people’s lives and change the way doctors look at patients
• Seeing his students as collaborators
• Being unafraid to share his traumas and vulnerabilities to allow others to safely speak up as well
• The story of his 9-year old patient Grace
• Being patient-focused and not diagnosis- or disease-focused
• Bob’s diagnoses of macular degeneration and Stage 4 metastatic lung cancer
• Focusing on how to live the best quality of life that you can because you are alive
• Life is a book and we are still writing our chapter
• Making the choice of what gives you more power and happiness
• Meeting Linda, his wife and pillar of support
• Find something you’re passionate about, whether it’s trimming trees or being a behavioral optometrist
• Get out of your small life that is just about you
• Love what you do, earn a nice living and change other people’s lives for the better

About Dr. Robert Sanet:

Dr. Robert Sanet has lectured extensively, nationally and internationally, on behavioral optometric care, vision training and practice management.  He has presented more than 400 lectures and seminars in the United States, and over 250 lectures internationally.  He is known for his gift for teaching and explaining information to people at every level of experience – from patients to highly trained optometrists and other medical professionals.

Not only does he teach the concepts and vision training procedures, participants in his courses (ODs and vision therapists) benefit personally from his lessons and experiences on talking into other’s listening and being vulnerable.  Bob is magical in how he creates safety and space for the person to speak, explore, and transform.  Bob truly impacts peoples’ Vision Beyond Sight!

Here are just a few of the many accomplishments of Dr. Sanet:

• Owner and Director of the San Diego Center for Vision Care
• Staff Optometrist San Diego Rehabilitation Institute at Alvarado Hospital
• Adjunct Associate Professor at several Colleges of Optometry
• Consultant to hospitals and teaching centers in Spain, Italy, and China
• Past president of COVD, and more
• Dr. Sanet has worked with numerous amateur and professional athletes including USA Gold Medal Olympic Volleyball teams, San Diego Charger & Padres, LPGA golf professionals, and more
• He’s received numerous awards locally, nationally and internationally.

Connect with Dr. Robert Sanet:

Facebook | Instagram

San Diego Center for Vision Care: Website

“I used to say a lot of times in my course, ‘I don’t care about any of you at all.’ Then there’s this silence in the room obviously. I care about what you do with the information. To change somebody else’s life. To me, you’re just part of my mission in life and you’re helpers to me. If you’re just sitting here taking in information, nobody needs more information. People need information that’s transformational to better their own and other people’s lives. That’s what I think is significant.” – Dr. Robert Sanet

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