Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Diana Canto-Sims, OD

Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized each year from September 15 to October 15. The month-long recognition of the contributions and influence of Hispanic and Latino history and culture in the United States is a chance for all Americans to enjoy the richness of Latino music and food, and for Latinas like me to celebrate and honor my roots. It is also an opportunity for eye care practices to reflect on how well they are serving Hispanic patients in their community.  Across the country, there are now 68 million people of Hispanic origin, or 20% of the total U.S. population.¹ Yet, this large slice of the population remains chronically underserved when it comes to eye care.

My own interest in optometry was sparked by experiences I had as a child, serving as an informal interpreter for family members who didn’t speak English.  I remember that when my grandfather was diagnosed with macular degeneration, I struggled to explain the disease and the lack of available treatments in a way that he could understand.  My father had one “bad eye” (which I later learned was due to strabismus and amblyopia), but it was something we just didn’t talk about at home because of the stigma.  And I saw my mother’s confusion when my elementary school required me to get an eye exam because I couldn’t see the board.  She at first didn’t understand that it wasn’t enough to just have the doctor sign a form—I also needed glasses to correct myopia so that I could perform well in school. From all of these experiences I learned that vision was truly key to a better quality of life, and I wanted to be an optometrist so that I could help families and communities like mine.

But the need for better eye care in the Hispanic community far exceeds what any one optometrist can provide.  Fortunately, there are opportunities for all types of optometry practices to make a difference—in ways that can help patients and grow their practices at the same time. Here are 3 things you can implement in your practice right now:

• Join Latinos en Optometry. Latinos en Optometry, which I co-founded with Lawrence Chavez in 2021, provides resources, support, and continuing education for eye care professionals who want to grow their practices by better serving Hispanic patients. The organization also encourages Hispanic students to consider careers in eye care and provides resources for improving cultural competency.  All optometrists are welcomed as members.

• Provide exams in Spanish. Language barriers can result in significant miscommunications about needed care.  Optometrists who don’t speak Spanish themselves may want to consider hiring bilingual staff members or providing trained interpreters in person or via video chat.  When patients are able to communicate better with their doctors, they trust our recommendations and are better able to comply with treatment. I have a fully bilingual staff, which helps us to attract patients from a wide radius, even outside of Chicago.  We have lots of patients who are themselves bilingual,  but may have kids whose first language is English and older parents who only speak Spanish.  They like knowing that the whole family can feel comfortable in our practice. (click here to read Understanding the Importance of Language)

• Reconsider your optical shop offerings. Growing up, I had a really hard time finding eyewear that fit me.  Of course, Hispanic patients come in all shapes and sizes, but many of us have Afro-Latino or indigenous facial characteristics, such as wider faces with a large pupillary distance, higher cheekbones, and wider or lower nose bridges. Frames that are designed for more European faces simply don’t fit us well. Offering the types of frames that appeal to your patient demographic, both in terms of fit and in colors that suit a variety of skin tones, can help to improve your capture rate and attract new patients.

As we celebrate the huge range of diversity in the Latino community—which includes people from the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, immigrants from Mexico and Central America, and Hispanic-Americans whose ancestors have lived in the U.S. for generations—this is a great time to welcome that diversity into your practice.

For more information

1. U.S. Census Bureau. Facts for Features: Hispanic Heritage Month: 2025.  Accessed Sept. 2, 2025, at https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2025/hispanic-heritage-month.html

Diana Canto-Sims, OD, is the co-Founder and Board Member of Latinos en Optometry  She founded Buena Vista Optical, a fully bilingual, multicultural private optometric practice in Chicago, and is also the founder of La Vida Eyewear, an award-winning independent frame collection designed to fit the unique facial features of Latino and Hispanic patients.

Disclosure: Dr. Canto-Sims owns the frame company La Vida Eyewear.

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