About Kara

Optometrist. Healthcare Rebel. Community Leader. Mom on a Mission.

Hi, I am Dr. Kara Foster, an optometrist, founder of EyeCare for You in Apex, NC, president of VOSH North Carolina, elected Holly Springs Town Council member, and host of The Opt-Out Podcast. My work exists at the intersection of eye care, public health, and system change.

After years inside the insurance machine, I realized the problem was not “broken” healthcare, it was a healthcare system working exactly as designed, putting profit ahead of people. So I opted out. I built a Direct Care optometry practice with transparent pricing, longer visits, and time to talk about what really changes health, like nutrition, movement, stress, sleep, and community.

Now my mission is bigger than one exam room. Through Direct Care Difference, Break the Matrix, and The Opt-Out Podcast, I help patients, doctors, and communities understand how the system really works and how to step outside of it. My work is inspired by Blue Zones research, Dr. Michael Greger and Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and what I see every day in clinic and in my community.

I believe healthcare should be human, prevention should come first, and food should be treated as powerful medicine. I also believe change starts close to home, in our kitchens, our workplaces, and our town halls. Whether I am seeing patients, volunteering with VOSH, recording an episode, or working on local policy, the goal is the same, to help more people not just survive, but feel truly alive.