There are two things I’ve always wanted to do in life: be a doctor and tell jokes.

Turns out, you can do both. I’m Will Flanary, M.D. – but you might know me better as Dr. Glaucomflecken.

Who Is Dr. Glaucomflecken?

And Is That His Real Name?

Sadly, no. My name is actually Will Flanary, and I’m a practicing ophthalmologist and creator of medical comedy on social media. Turns out, those are two things you can do at the same time.

I’ve always had a passion for humor, going back to the time I was kicked out of my 6th grade English class (taught by my own mother, no less) for being the class clown. That turned into performing stand-up comedy at sparsely attended open mic nights in my hometown of Houston, TX, and carried with me all the way through medical school at Dartmouth in New Hampshire. It was then that I realized you could make jokes about medicine, which was pretty huge for me. My wife Kristin – not a doctor, but fluent in doctor speak – also laughs at them sometimes, so I think that means I’m doing it right.

What I never realized was that comedy would become a lifeline. My childhood passion would end up getting me through not only the pressures of medical school and residency, but through multiple health crises – starting with the harrowing experience of getting my (first) diagnosis of testicular cancer during med school.

So when did you get online?

My internet comedy experience started back in 2015 when I wrote for the Gomer Blog. I started posting on Twitter (RIP) the following year. At the time, I was a resident, fresh off my second occurrence of testicular cancer. That account became my place to tell painfully specific ophthalmology jokes, and vent about being betrayed by my genitals. And to my surprise, a lot of people liked what I had to say.

My audience grew, and I kept posting through the pandemic… and my wife Kristin saving me from a sudden cardiac arrest. That experience came with its own set of aftershocks that were completely different from either experience with testicular cancer. It took an emotional toll on our whole family. But laughter helped – especially when paired with venting my frustrations about the state of healthcare as both a doctor and a patient. I started making often-satirical sketch comedy videos about life as a doctor, issues in the US healthcare system. This is also how I’ve ended up with a lot of med students quoting my characters back to me.

More importantly, I’ve gotten to connect with millions of people, and turn what started as a hobby into an entertainment and educational media business, as well as a real platform for advocacy. And it’s all driven by our mission: to use humor – the same thing that’s gotten us both through the hardest parts of our lives – to promote humanity in healthcare.

Meet the Characters

Through intensive research and scientific study, I’ve developed representations of many different kinds of medical professionals. Characters, if you will. I’m told they are at least somewhat accurate and occasionally funny.

Who knew that healthcare and humor together could be so validating?

Healthcare comedy that validates (and keeps you from crying)

I’ve used my platform to make medical professionals and their loved ones laugh – and more importantly, feel seen. I’m proud to create content that resonates.