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PDS Optical Featured on Welcome Home Podcast

Paying retail for prescription eyeglasses is frustrating enough. Finding out you may have qualified for VA glasses the whole time is worse. We sit down with Sean Loosen, CEO of PDS Optical and a West Point graduate with an infantry background, to explain how VA vision benefits actually work and why awareness remains the biggest barrier to better eye care for veterans.

We break down the real-world basics: VA health care enrollment, what “service-connected disability” can mean for eligibility, and why even a 10% rating may open the door to prescription eyeglasses through the VA system. We also discuss the impact of the PACT Act and burn pit exposure claims, and how a surge in new enrollments is changing demand for optometry, vision exams, and affordable eyewear. If you’ve ever assumed the VA is only for the most serious cases, this conversation challenges that mindset with practical steps and plain language. 

Sean also shares what it looks like behind the scenes: large-scale eyeglass manufacturing, Patriot Vision Centers in VA hospitals and clinics across the country, hiring veterans, and keeping “Pride, Dignity, and Service” as a real operating standard rather than a slogan. We close with a forward-looking look at AI in manufacturing automation and leadership decision-making, plus a simple nudge that can help somebody today: tell one veteran who wears glasses to ask the VA what they qualify for.

Listen to the entire podcast here

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