Barbara Mihalik, OD

About Me

I was drawn to eye health since sight is one of our most vital senses and we heavily rely on our eyes to help us navigate the world each and every day. I get so much joy knowing that I can help improve people’s lives by helping them improve their sight. I specialize in optometry and treat a range of vitreoretinal conditions with advanced imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), fundus photography, ocular ultrasonography, and electroretinography.

I'm proud to be a long-time Buckeye, completing every stage of my college education here at Ohio State. Ohio State has a vast community that's constantly expanding and includes people from all across the world. Our connections and access to the most advanced medical technologies draws the best minds to work and practice here. I love that I can meet the visual needs of patients in my home state by giving them the highest quality of ocular care possible. In Columbus specifically, I love that I'm able to help those from all walks of life.

Working at Ohio State has allowed me to have a balanced career that includes not only patient care but involvement in cutting-edge research for diabetic retinopathy, inherited retinal dystrophies, and macular degeneration as well as in teaching the next generation of physicians. I'm a clinical attending for fourth-year students at the College of Optometry, undergraduate neuroscience students, and ophthalmology residents. I also mentor students through the College of Arts and Sciences Match Mentor Program at The Ohio State University.

Throughout my career, I have been involved in several initiatives that have helped me gain more experience in interacting with patients from underserved communities. I have worked as a healthcare provider with Prevent Blindness, performing complimentary eye examinations for patients in need. In addition, I'm grateful for the mission trip I went on to Ayacucho, Peru, with Cypress Community Church of Galloway, Ohio to provide eye care to children at the Hogar Case Luz Orphanage and Maranatha Learning Center.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, golfing, road and mountain biking, hiking, skiing and reading.

Highlights

• Achieved Fellow status of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) in only my second year of practice. Only 10% of all optometrists in the country achieve fellow status.
• Member of the Executive Committee of the Retina Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO)
• During the Covid-19 crisis throughout the spring of 2020, I presented a weekly live-stream lecture through the Student Online Clinical Case Education Program put together by the AAO. This was needed to provide vital clinical education for the soon-to-be-graduating fourth-year optometry students across the US.
• Co-investigator of three clinical trials with total involvement in 11 clinical trials at Ohio State

Procedures and Conditions I Treat

• Eye Injuries
• Hypertensive Retinopathy
• Vitreous Detachment
• Eye Abnormalities
• Myopia
• Uveitis
• Albinism
• Optometry
• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Retinitis Pigmentosa
• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Diseases
• Macular Degeneration

My Videos

Reviews

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