PLEASANTON, Calif.—CooperVision Inc. announced earlier this week that 10 eyecare practices have been chosen for its 2018 group of “Best Practices” honorees. This is the third class of Best Practices honorees named by CooperVision. “[Practices] from every corner of the country, practices big and small, submitted their stories of excellence in eyecare, sharing the innovation, business momentum, patient experience and culture that set them apart,” CooperVision said in its announcement. Now in its third year, CooperVision’s Best Practices program seeks to recognize and celebrate practices whose visionary, innovative and unexpected aspects of care delivery lead to exceptional patient care and the elevation of the profession.

“We are proud to publicly congratulate and formally introduce our newest Best Practices honorees,” said Michele Andrews, OD, senior director of Professional and Academic Affairs, North America, CooperVision. “Over the last three years, this program has uncovered some of the nation’s most impressive eyecare practices—some more prominent, but others who have truly been hidden gems. We continue to be humbled by the opportunity to get to know and partner with these eye doctors, and look forward to sharing their stories.”

This year’s honorees are:

Doctor My Eyes, Scottsdale, Ariz.—Founded in 1985, the practice has a motto of “where modern technology meets old-fashioned care,” and for 32 years, Stephen Cohen, OD, has cared for patients who have become like extended members of his family.

Family Eye Care of Coal City, Coal City, Ill.—Located in a small rural town in central Illinois, Family Eye Care of Coal City operates on the foundation that all patients deserve comprehensive, high-quality, honest eyecare. Nicholas Rutkowski, OD, makes sure the practice brings that mentality to every patient interaction.

Highlands Ranch Optical, Highlands Ranch, Colo.—If there is one word to describe Highlands Ranch Optical, it is “passion,” said Jeff Ward, OD. Since establishing the practice in 2004, Dr. Ward has built a culture in which doctors and staff are passionate—about the specialties they offer, the relationships they form with patients, the instruments they utilize, the eyewear they sell and the personal growth they all achieve.

The Koetting Associates, St. Louis, Mo.—The Koetting Associates is an independent optometry practice with deep roots in St. Louis. Felix Koetting, OD, first founded the practice in 1921, and was joined in practice by his son, Robert Koetting, OD, in 1947. Robert became very intrigued by the potential of contact lenses, and in 1961, he began a practice exclusive to contacts. In 1982, Carmen Castellano, OD, joined Dr. Koetting, and purchased the practice four years later. Today, the practice continues the tradition of providing quality comprehensive care with a strong emphasis on contact lenses.

Livermore Optometry Group, Livermore, Calif.—For more than 70 years, Livermore Optometry Group has been a leader in eyecare and health care in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now with seven doctors and 35 staff members, the practice is known for its ability to provide exceptional eyecare services and patient experiences. Its core culture is to “Just Say Yes” to patients and staff. Livermore Optometry Group is led by Clark Abramson, OD, Steven Faith, OD, and Shawna Kuntz, OD.

Norwalk Eye Care, Norwalk, Conn.—Jennifer Stewart, OD, and Mark Feder, OD, truly love optometry. They love going to work each day and consider their patients family. The culture at Norwalk Eye Care—founded in 1985—is built around that feeling, as the practice aims to deliver top-notch, warm, friendly service with high-tech diagnostics. Norwalk Eye Care recently moved from its 1,100-square-foot home of 20-plus years to a brand new, 3,400-square-foot office. By doing so, it now has five exam lanes and double the optical and pretest space.

Personal Eyecare, Sylvania, Ohio—Roxanna Potter, OD, wants patients to know that her practice, Personal Eyecare, is true to its name. Established in 2008, the practice provides primary eyecare to patients of all ages, but Dr. Potter specializes in cornea and contact lenses, including scleral lenses and orthokeratology, as well as dry eye treatment and macular degeneration prevention.

Pinnacle Eye Associates, P.A., McKinney, Texas—Since founding Pinnacle Eye Associates in 2003, Carrie Alfieri, OD, has inspired everyone at the practice to work toward a shared mission: to exceed patients’ expectations, inspire confidence through education, and foster excellence in vision care services and products by remaining at the technological forefront of eyecare. An industry consultant once said, “Dr. Alfieri will not settle for the status quo… she doesn’t just have out-of-the-box ideas, she implements [them].”

Vision Optique, Houston, Texas—Founded in 1999, Vision Optique is a private optometric practice in Houston that features an innovative high-end optical, an advanced contact lens practice, and a comprehensive ocular health center. Led by Bridgitte Shen Lee, OD, the practice’s co-founder, along with her partner Brad S. Owens, OD, Vision Optique focuses on giving patients an exceptional experience from start to finish.

Vision Professionals, Columbus, Ohio—Vision Professionals was established in 1974, but Christopher Smiley, OD, purchased the two-location practice immediately after graduating optometry school in 2001. Since then, he has grown the contact lens specialty practice to become a referral center in the region, where he and his colleagues see four to five irregular cornea fits per day. It is not uncommon for patients to drive two or more hours to be seen at Vision Professionals, as Dr. Smiley is able to fit patients who haven’t been successful anywhere else.

New this year, the Best Practices honorees will collaborate to tackle a challenge facing the industry, working together in the coming months to conduct research, collect ideas, put together recommendations, and present them to their peers in optometry. CooperVision and the Best Practices honorees will share their progress throughout the process.

“This collaboration is an exciting addition to the Best Practices program,” said Dr. Andrews. “Through our ongoing partnership with practitioners across the country, we have identified trends and challenges facing today’s eyecare practices. Best Practices is largely about recognizing practices that have found ways to succeed in spite of all of that. These honorees are some of the brightest minds in our industry, and we believe that providing them the resources to collectively tackle these issues will be a valuable opportunity to advance the profession.”

All U.S. optometry practices currently fitting contact lenses were eligible for consideration in the fall of 2017. Candidates were evaluated and honorees were selected by a panel of judges including past Best Practices honorees, industry experts and CooperVision leaders.