Knock Knock, Hi! with the Glaucomfleckens

Knock Knock, Hi! with the Glaucomfleckens

"Knock Knock, Hi! with the Glaucomfleckens" dives into the highs, lows, and WTFs of healthcare. Whether you're in the medical field, live with a healthcare worker, or broke your arm once and are still paying off your medical bills, this is a must-listen. Join Will and Kristin Flanary (aka the Glaucomfleckens) for candid chats with leading healthcare voices like Dr. Mike and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Discover fun facts about eyeballs, hear relatable stories from medical training, and sneak a peek into the U.S. health insurance industry (spoiler alert: it's not great!). We'll share our own perspectives of being a patient or family member experiencing the healthcare system. And, of course, we explore the question on everyone's minds: "Why has Dr. Glaucomflecken never had his eyes dilated?" Combining science with humor and a dash of snark, we unpack the human side of healthcare.

Episodes

June 19, 2025 49 mins
This one’s personal. I'm finally talking about the private equity takeover of medicine—and why Oregon might've just taken the first real step to stop it. We’re diving into the gray zone between burnout and buyouts, why docs sell their practices, and what that means for patients (spoiler: it’s not great). I also share some zingers for a classic surgeon roast and finally explain that weird thing your optic nerves do in the middle of ...
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We thought we were just going kayaking with a group of young adults facing cancer and chronic illness. What we didn’t expect was how much First Descents—and its late CEO Ryan O’Donoghue—would completely reshape the way we think about healing, connection, and purpose. This week, we’re reflecting on that powerful experience and the legacy Ryan left behind. Also: I get dragged into a dating game scenario, and we talk about how being o...
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Let’s get one thing out of the way: I’m not mad you called me at 2 a.m. about an eye. Really, I’m not. But also… were they just missing their glasses? This week, I’m tackling everything that drives ophthalmologists crazy—and how to avoid becoming that story we tell over drinks. From wild consults and missing visual acuity checks to what actually makes an emergency worth a call, I’m handing you the crash course med school never gave...
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June 10, 2025 54 mins
In this episode, Kristin shares what it felt like to take the stage for a major speaking event—and all the nerves, insights, and surprising audience connections that came with it. We also dive into some brain-bending eye science about tetrachromacy (a potential new color?!) and, of course, take a moment to roast the absolute rollercoaster of comments we get on YouTube. Spoiler: some are heartfelt, some are hilarious, and some defi...
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I just wanted to talk about the iris today. A chill, colorful muscle donut that controls how much light hits your retina and makes you look good doing it. But no. UnitedHealthcare had to show up first—again—with a story so dark it makes retinal necrosis look like a fairy tale. We're talking Do Not Resuscitate orders getting denied by algorithms and patients dying because no human was watching. Then we finally pivot to the iris: ho...
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There’s vulnerable… and then there’s telling thousands of listeners about the time you almost pooped your pants at a conference. In this episode, we’re going there. We’re talking about digestive drama, poop shame, and why gut issues are so much more than a punchline. Kristin and I also dive into ARFID—Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder—and how it often starts with childhood trauma around food and bathrooms. We unpack how ea...
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I worked a Saturday clinic. I know, shocking. Even more shocking: I saw something I’ve never actually encountered in real life until now—acute retinal necrosis. So in this episode, I walk you through what that looked like, how I figured it out, why it scared the hell out of me, and what happened next. Along the way, I also spiral into the difference between horses, zebras, and unicorns (yes, medically), why having shingles might co...
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In this episode, we’re unpacking the appointment of Dr. Casey Means as the new U.S. Surgeon General and everything that’s wrong with politicizing public health. Kristin and I get into functional medicine red flags, why “root cause” messaging can actually be dangerous, and the bizarre rise of raw milk influencers. (Spoiler: bovine tuberculosis is real, and no, we don’t want it.) We also talk about how Mother's Day made us reflect o...
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I was going to talk about corneas. Just a nice, focused anatomy deep dive. But then I found out UnitedHealthcare’s stock is down 20% and—what can I say? I got distracted by joy. So before we dig into layers of corneal meat (yes, I said that), we take a little detour into vertical integration, kickbacks, AI claim denials, and how a multi-billion-dollar behemoth is finally catching a whiff of accountability. Then it’s back to busines...
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If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at the word “wellness,” same. But this week, we sat down with Dr. Jillian Horton—physician, author, speaker, and actual expert on burnout and fulfillment—to talk about what wellness actually means… and why most organizations keep getting it very, very wrong. We talk about the burnout industrial complex, how “pizza-based wellness” is hurting morale more than helping, and why fulfillment might be a be...
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Five years ago this month, I died. I mean, not for long—but long enough. In this episode, I talk about it. The cardiac arrest. The four-year curse. The memory gaps. The part where Kristen saved my life on a mattress, then got told I was “end of life” and left in a hospital hallway with no cell service. I don’t usually get into this on the podcast, but it’s time. I also talk about what it’s like to return to clinic too soon, what em...
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Five years ago, my heart stopped. And this week’s episode is about what it’s been like to live with that anniversary hanging in the air. Kristin and I talk through how the week felt, what’s changed in the five year, and what hasn’t. We talk about the weird guilt of surviving, the unexpected joy of ordinary days, and how “the trauma anniversary” messes with your brain in ways even a cardiologist can’t predict. No characters this ...
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I started this week by crying with the internet and ended it by confiscating eye drops from unsuspecting patients, which is honestly peak ophthalmologist behavior. In this episode, I walk through a mystery case that showed up in my clinic (spoiler: droopy eyelids are rarely simple), explain why “clear eyes” doesn’t actually mean clear eyes, and rant about fake homeopathic drops pretending to treat pink eye. I also reflect on what i...
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This episode started with a haircut and somehow ended with me reenacting testicular anatomy, suggesting Jonathan join OnlyFans, and possibly getting sued by a health insurance company. So... par for the course. Kristin and I cover everything from haircut inflation and pink taxes to our high school pranks involving fake blindness (yes, I know). We also dive into a wild, and honestly kind of satisfying, $421 million verdict against ...
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Ever had to wait 45 minutes in the lobby just to wait another 30 in the exam room while imagining your doctor is in the back watching YouTube? In this episode, I break down what’s really going on behind the scenes of a chaotic clinic day—and no, it’s not lunch. Plus, a very satisfying rant about healthcare corporatization, a strangely relaxing moment involving blood in the eye (someone else’s, not mine), and an update on Arkansas d...
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Okay, so I made one comment about Kristin’s coffee-making skills and instantly became the villain. And then she replaced me—with Family Medicine. Like, actually replaced me. For an entire segment. This episode, we talk about the real heartbreak behind Medicare's decision not to cover GLP-1 medications for weight loss and diabetes, and the wider implications for access, affordability, and the ongoing “just exercise more” narrative ...
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I don’t cry often. Not because I’m especially tough—more because medicine does a pretty good job training that out of you. But sometimes? It happens. In this episode, I walk through four times I cried as a doctor (yes, one of them involves Rugrats), what led up to those moments, and what came after. There’s also a side quest into diagnosing The Sandlot’s Mr. Myrtle, a few shoutouts to comment-section philosophers, and some thoughts...
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So this episode started with a Reddit post about a guy who thinks his poop smells like his patients’ poop... and I wish I could say it gets less weird from there, but no—it really doesn’t. Kristin and I spiral into the science (and total lack of science) behind smell memory, hospital food, and whether we’re all just walking around slowly absorbing our work environments. Spoiler: if you're in ophthalmology, congrats—you’re mostly ...
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What do 19th-century vampires, corneal scarring, and rampant chlamydia have in common? Possibly more than you'd think. I Nosferatu and spiraled (in a good way) into diagnosing one of film’s creepiest figures using real ophthalmology. Along the way, I breaks down the leading causes of corneal blindness, unpack the wild world of corneal transplants, and imagine what kind of eye care Nosferartu might’ve needed in his castle. Takeawa...
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In this episode we welcome back Dr. Kaveh Hoda—gastroenterologist, musician, podcaster, and accidental poop ambassador. We discuss what life is really like as a GI doc (spoiler: it’s not all about poop), how Match Day can go terribly wrong—or surprisingly right—and why some residents get influenced by... ultimate frisbee. Kaveh also opens up about his path into medicine, his Persian music background, and his worst interview story ...
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