By: Zee Miller

There is a moment in Bradley Swaim’s career that he cannot forget, and that probably says everything you need to know about him.

He was working as an optometric technician, still early in his path toward earning his doctorate, when a man walked into the clinic looking hollowed out. The patient had been bounced between providers for months and told repeatedly that nothing was wrong. By the time he found his way to Swaim, he was hopeless and discouraged.

“He was told his concerns were exaggerated, and it was clear that he felt dismissed,” Swaim explained during a recent interview. “Instead of assuming that the previous assessments were definitive, I made a conscious decision to slow down and genuinely listen. I performed a simple confrontation visual field test, something that took less than a minute, but the results were clearly abnormal and supported his description. This small moment of careful attention provided the validation needed for the doctor I worked with to pursue more urgent neuro-imaging and specialty referral.”

It was a life-changing decision. The patient was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumor that required treatment.

“His relief was profound,” Swaim shared, “not only because there was finally an explanation, but because someone had finally taken him seriously. It reinforced that our greatest impact does not always come from complex procedures or advanced technology, but from listening, believing our patients, and being willing to investigate rather than dismiss. It shaped the clinician I strive to be: one who is present, attentive, and committed to advocating for the person behind the symptoms.”

That story, more than any credential or accolade, embodies who Dr. Bradley Swaim is. He is a clinician who chose this profession not for its status but for its humanity, who trained for years to master the science so that the care could feel like something more.

Today, he brings that same conviction to Wake Forest, where he is building a practice rooted in empathy and compassion.

A Son Watching His Father, and Understanding Everything

Bradley Swaim grew up watching medicine practiced the right way. His father was an optometrist, and from a young age, Swaim had a front-row seat to what good doctoring actually looks like in practice.

“What stood out to me was the way he combined a deep understanding of anatomy, science, and problem-solving with strong communication skills and a sincere desire to help people,” Swaim said. “Seeing him not only diagnose and treat conditions, but also explain, reassure, and guide patients through their concerns was exciting.”

His father passed on more than a professional interest. He passed on a philosophy.

One lesson lodged itself in his son’s memory and never left: “Patients don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

That line became Bradley’s north star.

Swaim earned his undergraduate degree in Pre-Professional Health and Chemistry from East Carolina University, graduating with a 3.9 GPA while working as an organic chemistry tutor, already revealing an instinct to bring others along with him. He then earned his Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, completing his degree in 2022 after a rigorous curriculum spanning adult and pediatric primary care, cornea and contact lens services, vision therapy, low vision rehabilitation, advanced ocular disease management, and the TearWell Dry Eye Clinic.

His clinical training was deliberately broad. Externships took him to The Eye Center at SCO, the Greenville VA Clinic, and Piedmont EyeCare in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the VA, he worked extensively with veteran populations carrying complex, advanced pathology. In Charlotte, he refined his skills under mentors who modeled interdisciplinary thinking, coordinating with cardiology and neurology when the case demanded it.

He became proficient with some of the most sophisticated diagnostic tools in the field, including the Cirrus OCT, the Heidelberg Spectralis, the Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer, Lipiview, Lipiflow, Meibography, and Lumenis IPL technology for ocular surface disease. He also received training in Laser Peripheral Iridotomy and Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty. The point was never to collect credentials. The point was to be ready for whatever a patient brings through the door.

iCare, Cause for Paws, and the Belief That Service Is Not Optional

There is a version of medicine that operates as a transaction. Patient arrives, patient is seen, patient leaves. Swaim has spent his career building something deliberately different, and that orientation toward service extends well beyond the clinic walls.

Through his work with iCare, he participates in community eye care outreach aimed at bringing essential vision screenings and care to underserved populations across the Wake Forest area, the kind of work that rarely makes headlines but changes lives quietly and consistently. He believes that catching a vision problem early, in a child who has been struggling in school without anyone knowing why, or in an older adult whose independence depends on sight, is one of the most direct ways a doctor can improve a community’s quality of life.

“Maintaining visual function is foundational to safety, independence, and quality of life,” he explained. “I value contributing to efforts that expand access for those who may not otherwise receive care.”

Access to proper vision care, in his view, should not be determined by zip code or income. Swaim has also found a second home volunteering with Cause for Paws, an organization focused on supporting and rehabilitating animals in need. It is perhaps a surprising avenue for a medical professional, but it fits the person entirely. “It combines service with compassion and reinforces the importance of giving time and care to the broader community,” he added.

Away from the clinic and the volunteer sites, Swaim maintains the kind of personal equilibrium that sustained care requires. He exercises regularly, plays leisure sports, and has learned to treat his own well-being as a clinical priority rather than an afterthought. He considers morning walks with his dogs medicine to his soul.

“They compel me to slow down, get outside, and remain present in the moment,” he shared. “These habits allow me to return to clinical responsibilities centered, focused, and able to give my full attention and energy to the patients I serve.”

The Future of Optometry, and Who Still Gets Left Behind

As Wake Forest grows, so does another challenge facing healthcare providers across the country: access.

Optometry, despite being one of the most critical entry points into preventive health, remains underutilized, particularly in underserved communities where routine screenings are often delayed or missed entirely.

Nationally, vision problems affect millions of Americans, yet many cases go undiagnosed until they begin to interfere with learning, work or daily safety. For children, that can mean struggling in the classroom without understanding why. For adults, it can mean living with limitations that could have been addressed much earlier.

Optometrist Bradley Swaim sees that gap not as a statistic, but as a call to action.

“I have participated in community eye care outreach events aimed at improving access to essential vision screenings and care for underserved populations,” Swaim said. “Maintaining visual function is foundational to safety, independence, and quality of life.”

His approach to that work has been shaped by mentors who emphasized substance over scale. During his training, Swaim worked alongside clinicians such as Dr. Borgman and studied the philosophy of optometry leaders like Dr. Neil Gailmard, Dr. Ron Melton and Dr. Randall Thomas, all of whom reinforced a model built on thoughtful care and patient trust rather than volume.

What Success Actually Looks Like at the End of a Long Day

In an era when healthcare systems are optimized for throughput and productivity dashboards crowd out the actual point of the work, Optometrist Bradley Swaim has built a practice philosophy that subtly pushes back.

“In today’s healthcare environment, it can be easy to become influenced by corporate metrics, productivity pressures, or business targets,” said Bradley Swaim. “I take pride in the fact that I have remained grounded in the core purpose of our profession: to serve others.”

His definition of success is not built around procedures completed or patients moved efficiently from room to checkout. It is built around something harder to quantify and, in his view, far more important.

“My greatest achievement is not a title or a procedure,” he said, “but the consistency with which I place patient well-being at the center of every clinical decision. I always educate patients from the standpoint of what I would recommend if I were caring for my own family’s eyes.”

He is equally direct about the advice he would give his younger self. “A shortcut is often the longest road,” he added. “There is real value in doing things the right way the first time, even when the process feels slow or demanding. Integrity is not defined by occasional good intentions, but by consistent actions, especially when no one is watching.”