After being the first to complete Wilmer’s optometry residency program earlier this year, Bradley Salus, O.D., F.A.A.O. joined the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine faculty in July 2024 as an instructor of ophthalmology. Salus, whose interests include primary eye care, contact lenses and glaucoma management, sees patients at Wilmer’s Bethesda and Frederick clinics.

What attracted you to the field of optometry?

I've always really liked working with people, and I've always had a strong interest in human anatomy. Somehow, those interests merged with the human eye and the ability to help people. I've generally found the eye to be a very interesting organ, and going through school only continued to inspire me to learn more about it. Our sight is one of the most important senses we have, so being able to help people every day is something that really drew me to this field.

How did you become interested in your specialty?

What drew me to primary care optometry is the opportunity to use my full skill set, from the front of the eye to the back, along with the various tools we have to help patients see more clearly and treat or prevent disease. This includes utilizing specialty contact lenses to rehabilitate the front of the eye and managing complex glaucoma cases alongside our ophthalmology counterparts. I've truly enjoyed applying what I’ve learned in school to clinical practice.

What drew you to Wilmer?

Over the last year during my residency, I saw the collaboration between optometry and ophthalmology at the highest level. I was also able to manage more unique diseases that I had learned about in school, which really intrigued me. I realized Wilmer was not only a place where I wanted to start my career, but also a place where I could continue to grow as an individual provider. Additionally, being able to work alongside colleagues who have become friends has been a significant factor in my desire to stay at this institution.

What are you working on right now and how will it contribute to the advancement of optometry?

I'm working on case reports that highlight some of the more unique cases that I encountered over the past year. Some recently published case reports include one patient with ocular syphilis and another with acute macular neuroretinopathy. I am also actively involved in recruiting eligible patients for ongoing glaucoma trials. It’s exciting to help recruit patients for and participate in some of these research opportunities that are available to us here at Wilmer. In addition, I'm still trying to pinpoint my own research, but I envision it will include specialty contact lenses and corneal disease.

Where do you see opportunities for advancement or innovation in your specialty?

In terms of specialty contact lenses, there are new technologies out there, such as scleral-based profilometry, to improve diagnostic fits for patients with irregular corneas with specialty contact lenses. That would help decrease the amount of chair time and provide better comfort and vision for these patients.

I also think there have been a lot of novel approaches to treating dry eye, which is an area I have a particular interest in. With newer medications and procedures now available to us, we’re better equipped to treat this widespread condition, which affects many patients.