Cynthia Sayers, OD,
owner of EyeShop Optical.		 
LEWIS CENTER, Ohio—If there’s one thing that sets EyeShop Optical apart, it’s just how much fun owner Cynthia Sayers, OD, seems to be having all the time. Dr. Sayers’ bio on her website includes a series of fun facts—she hosts Dessert Fridays at the office, and sometimes patients show up to their eye exams in their baseball uniforms. “I understand health care needs to be a serious business to a point, but combining professionalism with fun has brought EyeShop great success. No one should be that stressed coming to an eye appointment,” Dr. Sayers told VM.
Dr. Sayers opened EyeShop in Lewis Center, Ohio, in 2011, after eight years of working in corporate optometry.
  
  
  The team at EyeShop work to make every experience at their practice a fun, memorable one.

Dr. Sayers, who graduated from NECO in 2001 and then moved back to Ohio to be closer to family, opened her Lewis Center, Ohio, practice in 2011, after spending eight years as an associate doctor at LensCrafters. Taking the plunge into independence was the perfect move for Dr. Sayers, who has created a practice that provides a fun, personal, caring place for patients to visit.

Of all the reasons Dr. Sayers loves being an independent practice owner, her dedication to making an eye exam an enjoyable event stands out the most. To accomplish this, she makes an effort not to rush through her patients, and to get to know them personally. “One of my personality traits that I think has brought me success as a doctor is my ability to get to know people on a personal level, make them feel comfortable, and it’s really fun. If my job only consisted of staring at eyeballs all day I would lose my mind. Getting to know people and having a personal connection makes my job amazing.”

On Fridays, Dr. Sayers, who also considers herself an amateur baker, brings in treats for her staff and patients. She sponsors a little league team in the community every year and delights when patients stop by in their EyeShop team uniforms, participates in the annual Fourth of July parade, and advertises in local yearbooks, swim programs and more. She lives in the community, and her daughter attends school in Lewis Center too. “Community presence is everything. Going within the community makes much more sense to me than contributing to a national organization,” she said.


 
Dr. Sayers loves making EyeShop whimsical and a little quirky. 

Building a community happens inside the practice, outside the practice, and online, too. Dr. Sayers explained, “I love whimsy and being a little quirky, and social media is a great way to express the business’ personality.” The practice’s Instagram page is updated every day, and interspersed with images of the staff’s family and lives, a little addition that allows followers to get a feel for the people behind the practice, even if they haven’t become a patient yet.

Dr. Sayers’ dedication to make eyecare something to be excited about has allowed her to grow both her practice and the community. She has turned EyeShop into a place people remember long after they leave with new glasses. “I love coming to work because it’s like hanging out with a bunch of new friends and then helping them choose a great new accessory. I’ve been invited to patients’ weddings and graduation parties, and that’s really what it’s all about for me: establishing a connection with my patients and enjoying my career in a way that may not suit everyone’s idea of what an optometrist is,” Dr. Sayers concluded.