Summary
- In an interview with IHI, physician Will Flanary, known to millions as Dr. Glaucomflecken, shares how he builds personal connections in an imperfect health care system, through conversations with patients and through social media.
Dr. Will Flanary and Kristin Flanary bring humor and humanity to the health care industry. Dr. Flanary, better known as "Dr. Glaucomflecken," creates medical-themed comedy shorts on social media for an audience of more than five million. Kristin, also known as "Lady Glaucomflecken," advocates for patients and "co-survivors" of serious illness. By the age of 35, Will had suffered two cancer occurrences and a sudden cardiac arrest. Kristin took on the unexpected roles of caregiver and co-survivor of these traumatic experiences. Together, the couple co-hosts the medical comedy podcast, "Knock Knock, Hi! with the Glaucomfleckens," where they transform their dramatic personal health history into an opportunity for laughter, education, and advocacy. They will present a keynote address together at the 2025 IHI Forum (December 7–10, 2025 in Anaheim, CA).
You have experience as both a patient and a doctor. Your wife, Kristin, has been a caregiver and an advocate. How have you learned from each other about connecting across these roles?
I feel like I’ve learned more from her. We talk a lot about the cardiac arrest that I had. It’s a very powerful story, because I essentially wasn’t present during my cardiac arrest, and she brought me back.
The term she uses is “co-survivor.” Caregiver is a word that a lot of people use to describe what she did for me. But she is a co-survivor of this trauma. I’ve learned that framing.
I’m an ophthalmologist, and a lot of my patients are older adults. Some have cancer diagnoses or blinding conditions. Often, family come with them. My experience, and Kristin’s, has taught me a different way to think about what families go through and discuss that.
How do you use social media in ways that can teach and support patients and health care professionals — and make them laugh?
What really has kept me going is the feedback I get from people, especially around the pandemic. People had a place to go at the end of a terrible day, during which all they saw were COVID patients all day, and a lot of people were very sick or dying. There’s only so much that I can do as an ophthalmologist during a respiratory pandemic. The people in the hospital working tirelessly — if I could make them laugh at something, it was worthwhile.
After my cardiac arrest, I started making videos about the health care system as a coping mechanism for me. That led me to create more educational content. I asked, “How can I take complex ideas and not only make people laugh, but also help them to learn?” I found that to be a fun challenge.
When you were in medical school, did you try to find humor in your studies?
As a med student, I wrote satirical articles — just making jokes. I paid attention to the details of all the different personalities, all the different specialties, what the pain points were. I didn’t know much, and so I didn’t have the education piece yet.
There’s sometimes a sense in medicine that health care professionals need to detach to preserve their own mental well-being. You are finding ways to double down on connecting.
Unfortunately, it’s still very pervasive in the medical field. Physicians think they have to be stoic and can’t laugh at things, or it would be unprofessional. I think that’s an outdated way of thinking. As a patient, I want my doctors to be human beings who have true emotions and feelings. It’s okay to show that side of yourself as a physician because it’s human.
Are there misunderstandings between doctors and patients that surprise you?
I think most misunderstandings happen because of a lack of communication. With cataract surgery, for example, I have to make sure that patients understand exactly what to expect after surgery. If you don’t provide that, then you can get into misunderstandings and anger.
Ask the patient if they have questions. Open it up as much as possible, multiple times. When a patient finds out they need surgery, they might not need information in the moment. Sometimes their brain can’t even accept information because they’re shocked. As a physician, you have to proactively foster the relationship over multiple visits, and make sure the patient has time to be informed.
The health care system is making it more and more difficult for us to take that time. As physicians, we’re really good at smoothing all that stuff out, but it comes to the point where you can’t anymore. The relationship between the patient and the physician can’t be divorced from the pressure of the health care system.
What does it look like when you’ve had the chance to build a relationship with a patient?
I’m more comfortable now helping patients navigate the health care system. Part of that is because I experienced it as a patient. I understand how challenging, how labyrinthine this system is, even for me as a physician, but even more so for people who have no experience in health care.
Earlier, I might have said, “If you have questions about cost, you can talk to our practice manager.” Now, I’ll talk about what things cost and why, or what we’re trying to do to mitigate costs.
If the situation is right, I’ll take the time to talk about all these systems under the surface, as part of the conversation about what surgery we’re going to do or why there’s a three-month wait. I find that having those conversations bolsters the relationship.
Medication costs are so complex. I started learning about pharmacy benefit managers and talking to pharmacists. It taught me a lot. I had to educate myself so I could educate others.
Has your work online influenced your practice and your thoughts on our health care system?
Probably the biggest change in my practice is being more open to those conversations about costs and about the health care system. I feel like it means more coming from your physician.
Patients like to bring up my videos with me, so that’s a fun way to develop a nice rapport.
My work online has made me more cynical about our health care system. We have legislation come through that makes things better, but we need much more of it.
Where are you finding hope?
I see the advocacy work that people are doing, and that brings me hope.
On social media, people like Dr. Elizabeth Potter are recording their phone calls for peer-to-peer prior authorization [to seek approval for insurance coverage before treatment]. It lifts the curtain and shows people what exactly we’re dealing with trying to get care for our patients.
Legislatively, we have the No Surprises Act [to limit unexpected out-of-network charges in the United States]. Several states have passed prior authorization reform bills. In Oregon, a Corporate Practice of Medicine Act was passed this year that prevents private equity majority ownership of medical practices.
It gives me hope. I’d like to see it move faster.
How can health care professionals spread accurate, useful information?
Get on social media! A lot of people are still pretty nervous, and I get it. The bottom line is that social media is where people are getting their information. If we are not there as trusted health care professionals, who are they going to get it from?
Tell your stories. That’s so valuable, especially when you have a unique job taking care of people as a health care professional. Storytelling draws people in. People see you as a human being, and they’re more likely to trust what you have to say. From there, you can talk about health information.
I was not particularly good at social media when I first started, but the more I did it, the easier it became. That’s true with anything you do in life, right? Choose a platform, whatever you’re most comfortable with. Just start telling stories and use that to educate.
Editor’s note: This interview was edited for length and clarity.
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