The Mission is Clear at Insight Vision Care

About the Connect Grant series: Each year, the Minnesota Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio award grants to underrepresented businesses. At Foundry North, Star Tribune’s full-service digital agency, we write a profile on each of the winners. This is one of them.

At Insight Vision Care, patients aren’t just getting the care they need. They’re also coming to a place where they know their interests are put first.

When Dr. Afira Hasan founded Insight Vision Care, she relied on more than a decade of experience to build the kind of clinic she’d want to work at. Today, Hasan, her husband and their team have created an environment where patients and the community are at the center of every interaction.

GOING INTO BUSINESS

Hasan began working in optometry in 2005, contracting at different clinics. Starting a private practice of her own wasn’t always something she even considered.

But in 2018, with young kids at home, Hasan started to think more seriously about what it might be like to work for herself. Thankfully, she had connections from years in the field that she could turn to as she got Insight Vision off the ground.

“I was never that person to say, ‘I’m going to start my own private practice and start doing things on my own.’ It just kind of happened that way,” Hasan said.

And when COVID hit, Hasan started rethinking her practice once again. Hasan’s husband, Dr. Jafar Hasan, joined Insight Vision Care in 2021. As an ophthalmologist, his addition meant Insight Vision could provide a wider range of care to both pediatric and adult patients.

DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

After working for corporate clinics, Hasan says one of the best parts about working in private practice is the ability to make her own decisions about what’s best for patients.

Hasan made the move to stop accepting vision insurance at Insight Vision Care, meaning patients aren’t limited to the frames, brands and labs that their plans dictate.

“When we stopped taking it, we were able to do exactly what we wanted to do,” Hasan said.

“At big box stores, it’s very monopolized,” Hasan said. “The thing about our frame lines is that all of them have a story.”

BUILDING PATIENT RELATIONSHIPS

As healthcare providers, building good patient relationships is crucial. Hasan estimates she sees around 18 to 20 patients a day. For her husband, it’s as many as 35 patients a day. And each one of those patients has different needs.

“I think it starts with our staff. Patients get a warm greeting at the door” Hasan said. “Then it comes down to how we talk to the patients. And for kids, it’s all about talking to the families, too.”

It’s an approach Hasan has carried with her since the start of her career, from her time in other clinics to Insight Vision Care’s first location in Eden Prairie and to the current space in Edina. It’s also resonated with patients. Some have followed Hasan all the way through that journey.

“Those relationships we’ve also fostered by volunteering with different organizations. We really value that,” Hasan said. “So that’s another way patient care is elevated in a smaller setting.