Congratulations go out to co-owners Victor (at right in top photo) and Armando (not pictured) Ramos and general manager Cristina Casimiro (left in same picture) of Azteca D’Oro Mexican Restaurant, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in The Shops at Wiregrass on a rainy June 29.
The authentic Mexican restaurant celebrated with live DJ Rico Smooth (below left) and an outdoor bar in front of the restaurant at 2000 Piazza Ave, Unit 170.
“We were packed earlier today,” Victor said, “but once the rain hit, it definitely kept away a lot of people, even though it let up.”
We tried to help out by posting on our Facebook page that the anniversary party was still going on — which reached about 5,000 people — but thankfully, Azteca is still open every day for lunch and dinner (we love the made-tableside guacamole, the chicken taquitos and fajitas) and still has mariachi and Latin DJ music every Thursday night and more DJ music every Saturday night. .
For more info, call (813) 527- 6033 or visit Aztecadoro.com.
It may end up with many names, but one day, it will all be connected. The photo below left is the existing Wyndfields Blvd. in Union Park, looking north toward the future Wyndfields Blvd. extension through the South Wyndfields development. (Above) This photo is taken on the under-construction Watergrass Pkwy. extension in the Watergrass community, looking south towards the future connection to River Glen Blvd. in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. See the map below to see where these pieces of the roadway connect. (Photos by Joel Provenzano)
There’s a main north/south road that’s planned to connect New Tampa directly into the middle of Pasco County. It will run from the K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. extension in Hillsborough County, all the way north to eventually intersect with Prospect Rd., near the south side of the Mirada development in San Antonio. You read that correctly.
Once completed, this one road of many names will be a little over 11 miles long (mostly in Wesley Chapel) and end up connecting 10 major existing and future developments together, becoming one of Pasco’s most important north-south thoroughfares. But, most local residents aren’t even aware of the overall plan occurring right in their own backyards. We did the research and pored through hundreds of public records to bring you the complete picture.
This road will be much bigger than many might realize. At just over 11 miles long, that would make it longer than the combined north-south stretches of Morris Bridge Rd., Eiland Blvd., and Handcart Rd. The only north-south road that might be longer in the area would be the Meadow Pointe Blvd./Curley Rd. combination, once those thoroughfares are fully connected together as one road, with the planned realignment of Curley Rd. through the Chapel Crossings community.
Parts of Wyndfields Blvd. already exist, but different segments are now being constructed at different times, in bits and pieces — and with a number of different names. It’s like a ninja road that is very stealthily being put together, with multiple names and multiple dead ends, seemingly isolated in each development. But, before you know it, it will be stitched together to become one major continuous road.
The History
If you’ve been paying attention, you probably couldn’t help but notice that Wyndfields Blvd. (the southernmost portion of this road) has been getting mentioned a lot in recent Neighborhood News articles including; “Will Rezoning Provide Viera’s Safety Cut -Through in K-Bar?” a couple of issues ago.
But Wyndfields (the 1,200-acre MPUD development) has been talked about for a long time — almost 20 years — and has been mentioned in over a dozen articles in this publication since then.
Many times, decades before they are ever built, county planners will envision where future roads will go, as areas begin to grow with new development, and new infrastructure is needed. These are know as “Vision Roads” and are often the responsibility of land developers to build in order o get their communities approved. These roads often take the names of the major DRIs (Developments of Regional Impact) or MPUDs (Master Planned Unit Developments) in which they are located. That’s why this one road will possibly end up with at least five different names when it’s all finally built.
Why Should We Care?
Wyndfields Blvd. will be one of three “local collector” connections between Pasco and Hillsborough counties, including Meadow Pointe Blvd. (existing), and Kinnan St./Mansfield Blvd. (restricted). Of course, there also is Bruce B. Downs Blvd. (C.R. 581), which is located between the Wiregrass Ranch and Seven Oaks communities but only goes 3.5 miles from the Hillsborough line north to S.R. 54 in Pasco.
But, the north-south “Vision Road” we’re calling Wyndfields Blvd. has long been a high priority for Pasco County. Many local leaders, developers and residents feel that connecting multiple developments together fosters stronger communities and helps to alleviate and spread out the traffic burden from other main roads, and reduce travel times. Some on the Pasco side have proven to be a little more cautious when that traffic may originate from Hillsborough.
Gary Gaal, a New Home Consultant with M/I Homes in K-Bar Ranch, says that, “Every future road benefits us even more.” Gaal has been working out of K-Bar for years, has attended HOA meetings, and has heard from county representatives. He is hopeful that with each new approved connection to spread out the traffic burden, Pasco might be more amenable to opening up the long-contentious Kinnan/Mansfield connection. “Any time you have open roads it helps immensely, but I understand Pasco’s hesitancy,” he says.
When asked if he believes Pasco would open up Kinnan/Mansfield with the completed Wyndfields connection, Dist. 7 City of Tampa Councilman Luis Viera says he doesn’t believe it would be a done deal, but notes, “Having a pathway there [to get the connection open] would be great, it would be good and encouraging for all residents.”
The connections to Hillsborough were studied years ago as part of a report commissioned by Pasco County, which reviewed the potential traffic impacts. What appears to be a done deal, however, is the Wyndfields Blvd. connection between the two counties, which is part of the required development agreements on both sides of the county line.
Details Of The Road Plan
So what’s the total length of Wyndfields Blvd. from Hillsborough up through Pasco? How much is already constructed and open to traffic, how much is under construction and how much is still planned? How will it affect each of the developments it goes through? Below are the lengths of the road (and its names), from south to north, in each community. For the full details of each, see the map below):
K-Bar Ranch (New Tampa): (proposed as Wyndfields Blvd.) – 0.9 miles
Union Park: (existing Wyndfields Blvd.) – 1 mile
Wyndfields South: (under construction [UC] as Wyndfields Blvd.) – 0.9 miles
Two Ridges: (UC as Two Ridges Rd.) – 1.6 miles;
(proposed Two Ridges Rd.) – 0.4 miles
Avalon Park WC: (existing River Glen Blvd.) – 1.5 miles; (proposed River Glen Blvd.) – 0.2 miles
Magnolia Island & Evans: (prop. name unknown) – 1.3 miles
Total Length of the Road: 11.3 miles
K-Bar Ranch: Huge (2,200+ acres total) K-Bar Ranch has been a long-term growing community, with new houses still being built, making it the only “unfinished” major community in New Tampa. In a previous issue from this year, we had an article talking about the newest part of K- Bar that the Eisenhower Property Group (EPG) submitted to Tampa on March 1, called “K-Bar Ranch Homestead Parcel Phase 1.” This community would have just under 500 new homes on a 400-acre site adjacent to Morris Bridge Rd. EPG is well on its way to having its rezoning approved as, a couple of weeks ago, it passed its first reading with the City Council.
The most important part of this proposed community were the two roadway extensions shown in the plans. The first was the proposal to extend K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. to the east, out to Morris Bridge Rd. The second was a proposed north-south collector road shown to connect K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. with the existing north-south road (Wyndfields Blvd.) inside of Union Park, connecting Hillsborough County to Pasco.
While it’s not known if the road’s name will still be Wyndfields Blvd. in K-Bar, at its very southern end, this collector road will align with Nature’s Spirit Dr., inside of K-Bar’s separately developed Easton Park community, where there currently is an odd intersection to nowhere. This intersection is where K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. will pass through east-west. From this intersection, the road would travel 0.9 miles north into Pasco County.
In the previous article, it was mentioned that Wyndfields Blvd. ended 540’ north of the county line, but between the article’s release and now, this missing 540’ in Union Park has now been constructed, bringing the end of pavement right up to the Hillsborough County line, making it easier for the K-Bar development to connect to it.
Union Park: Union Park is a large (580-acre) MPUD isolated back behind Meadow Pointe, where the last of its 1,800 dwelling units were just completed and sold this year by DR Horton. Until the Woodcreek development was recently built next door, the only way in and out of Union Park was via Oldwoods Ave. out to Meadow Pointe Blvd., where a traffic signal had to be installed to handle the heavy traffic. With the roads now built in Woodcreek, there is now an indirect way to get out to S.R. 56.
The existing north-south road (Wyndfields Blvd.) currently starts at the Pasco/Hillsborough county line and runs north through Union Park for about 1 mile (as a two-lane road) and it ends at Oldwoods Ave., just past the wood bridge at a T-intersection (near Union Park Charter Academy; see photo on pg. 6). Pasco owns a small tract of land on the west side of that school, where the road will be extended up into the bottom of Wyndfields South to continue north to S.R. 56. This will provide a much easier (and direct) way for residents of Union Park to get in and out of their community with good access to S.R. 56 and Morris Bridge Rd.
Wyndfields South: Wyndfields South will be a 378-acre development (mostly on the south side of S.R. 56) being built in many phases by DR Horton in conjunction with engineering firm WRA. Current plans show that it will have a total of approximately 960 residential units (138 villas, 212 townhomes, and 610 single-family lots). It’s part of the greater Wyndfields MPUD which encompasses 1,200 acres.
In the plans, Wyndfields Blvd. is expected to be two lanes (as built by the developer from its southern property line near Union Park to run north up to S.R. 56 ), for a distance of approximately 0.9 miles, with the option for Pasco County to widen it to four lanes in the future, as was shown in the recent “Innovate Pasco 2050” Planned Wesley Chapel Area Road Improvements list.
Wyndfields South includes the recently constructed community of Woodcreek, which also will have a connection to Wyndfields Blvd. via internal roadways (Rosepine Blvd.). The Bainbridge Apartments that are currently under construction also will have a rear connection to Wyndfields Blvd. To handle all of the traffic and allow for easier lefts-out for residents, the Wyndfields developer is responsible to permit, pay for, and install a new traffic signal at the intersection with S.R. 56 when it meets warrants. Wyndfields Blvd. will widen out to a 4-lane road as it approaches the signal.
Two Ridges: Two Ridges is the area immediately north of S.R. 56 and, as you might expect, contains two ‘Ridge’ communities being built by GL Homes — Winding Ridge on the south side and the age-restricted (55+) Valencia Ridge under construction on the north side, which stretches from the north side of Winding Ridge (where the east-west Chancey Rd. extension will be built) all the way up to S.R. 54. These communities also are part of the Wyndfields MPUD.
The road (now named Two Ridges Rd.) will extend north for 2 miles as a 4-lane divided corridor, starting at S.R. 56, where it will align with Wyndfields Blvd, and ending at S.R. 54, where it will align with the existing signal at River Glen Blvd that goes into Avalon Park. Currently, the southern 1.6 miles of Two Ridges Rd. (connecting with S.R. 56) is under construction and the northern 0.4 miles (to connect with S.R. 54) will be done at a later date.
The southern part needed to be done now, as it provides the only access into Valencia Ridge. The existing community of Ashton Oaks also will be connected to this new road at Grecko Dr., giving those residents access down to S.R. 56 for the first time.
Avalon Park Wesley Chapel: Avalon Park is the massive 1,800-acre MPUD on the north side of S.R. 54 at River Glen Blvd., which includes a number of established and new communities, some of which are still under construction by home builder DR Horton. The road (River Glen Blvd.) has been around for a long time now, and currently serves as the community’s main north-south road.
The signal at the newly widened S.R. 54 was designed in such a way that the new Two Ridges Rd. will be able to easily tie in as the southern leg of that intersection, allowing motorists to continue north into Avalon Park. As you travel north, that existing portion of River Glen Blvd. is 4-lane divided, and about 1.5 miles long, but there is still roughly 0.2 miles left to construct on the north end to tie into the future Watergrass Pkwy. extension that will be constructed in the Vida’s Way community.
Vida’s Way: Vida’s Way is a new 332-acre community that’s currently being constructed by Pulte Homes. It’s located just north of Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and just south of Watergrass. It’s part of the larger Depue Ranch MPUD, which encompasses approximately 930 acres. The road will be extended 1 mile north through here, and will eventually connect River Glen Blvd. to Watergrass Pkwy., ultimately giving Watergrass residents another way to access S.R. 54.
Currently, only the northern half (0.5 miles) of the road (the Watergrass Pkwy. extension) is under construction, as a 4-lane divided roadway, which is connecting to Watergrass Pkwy. The active construction ends at the south side, where the future east-west Wells Rd. extension also will be going through this community. The remaining 0.5 miles of the Watergrass Pkwy. extension will be south of that, and will connect with the north end of River Glen Blvd. to become one road.
Watergrass: Watergrass is an established MPUD of nearly 1,040 acres of beautiful homes. A little less than halfway through Watergrass, along Overpass Rd., you’ll run into the existing north-south Watergrass Pkwy., which serves communities like Whispering Oaks Preserve and Windchase Villas on the north end and, on the south end, Whisper Pointe, The Gardens and Cypress Bend. This existing stretch of road is about 0.8 miles long, top to bottom.
As the new part of the Watergrass Pkwy. extension is being built in Vida’s Way to the south, the developer also is widening the existing part through Watergrass from 2 lanes to 4-lane divided, from the southern end near the Cypress Bend community up to Overpass Rd. At the northern end, Watergrass Pkwy. dead-ends as a two lane road at the Kirkland Ranch property line.
Kirkland Ranch: Kirkland Ranch is situated to the north of Watergrass, immediately east of Curley Rd., on just over 1,000 acres of land. It’s mostly undeveloped, except for the existing Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation and the brand new Kirkland Ranch K-8 dedicated magnet school that, according to the Pasco School District’s website, will be focusing on world languages and entrepreneurship. The magnet school is planning to be open for the upcoming 2024-25 school year.
According to the Pasco Vision Road map, the Watergrass Pkwy. extension is planned to run north through Kirkland Ranch, behind both schools, for approximately 1.7 miles, until it intersects with Keifer Rd. at the north end of Kirkland’s property boundary. Currently, Kirkland has not submitted any preliminary development plans to the county, so this community is still a ways out. It’s unknown if the extension will retain the Watergrass name or be called something different.
Magnolia Island & Evans: Just north of Kirkland Ranch and Keifer Rd. are two developments listed in the Pasco development mapper, Magnolia Island MPUD (216 acres) and Evans (219 acres) which are part of the historic Villages of Pasadena MPUD. According to the map, the vision road will extend north through these two developments for approximately 1.3 miles until it intersects with Prospect Rd. at the north end. There are no current plans for either development, so it will still be a least a few years before the full 11 miles of what we collectively refer to as Wyndfields Blvd. is completed.
The crowd for the R&B Only Night at the KRATE at The Grove Container Park on June 28 was still building as the music started. (Photos by Charmaine George)
For everyone on local Facebook community pages who claimed that not just the R&B Only Nights, but also the KRATE at The Grove Container Park itself, were “over,” let’s just say that, in the words of Mark Twain, “the reports of (their deaths) are greatly exaggerated.”
On June 28, neither the heavy rains that started shortly after the gates opened at 5 p.m. and continued off and on for two+ hours and kept the music from starting promptly at 7 p.m., nor the new $5 pre-sale (and $10 day-of) admission fee that was implemented for the first time for that evening could “dampen” the enthusiasm of the people who have loved the R&B event for more than a year now — nor keep them away.
While waiting for the rain to subside, the Grove’s VP of operations Vance McAllister told the Neighborhood News that there were already about 3,000 pre-sold tickets at $5 a pop when the online sales shut down at 11:59:59 on Thursday night.
“Although we really have no idea exactly how many people attended these before, since we didn’t sell tickets or control entry to the event,” McAllister said, “we heard estimates of as many as 8,000 people at the May event, so we knew something had to be done. We love this event as much as the people who have been showing up for it do, so we knew we had to do something to keep it safe for everyone.”
A couple of issues ago, we mistakenly told you that the R&B Only Nights at the KRATEs were being produced by Tim Hancock’s Jazz Tyme Productions, but that was an unintentional mistake on my part.
The R&B Nights actually are being produced by Nico Brown of Nico Brown Productions and Nico called me to let me know of my mistake before the news hit that he was going to begin charging admission fees to attend his super-popular R&B Nights beginning with the June 28 event.
Nico Brown (Source: Nico Brown Productions Facebook page)
Since the moment he announced on Facebook that he was going to start charging admission, Nico had been dealing with a lot of backlash but even more support, especially from The Grove management and the KRATEs.
On June 28, with virtually no one yet in attendance after 6 p.m. (when previous R&B Nights were normally already packed) and with the rain coming down hard, then subsiding, then pelting him (and anyone else outside) again, Nico was still hard at work setting up the event — knowing that not only was the rain eventually supposed to end but also that he had at least 3,000 people who pre-paid the $5 admission fee by the night before to enjoy his first paid R&B Night.
When the rain did finally break for the remainder of the evening sometime after the intended 7 p.m. start time, Nico and his crew were scrambling to get the sound equipment set up for DJ Control. By sometime after 7:30, DJ Control not only got the music started, he also introduced saxophonist Marlon Boone, who got the early attendees going right away with some jazzy R&B sounds. Later in the evening (although we weren’t still on hand to verify it), DJ Psycho and guest vocalist Rubi Mar also were expected to hit the main stage.
But, everything else that both Nico and The KRATEs promised on their respective Facebook pages would be different about this first paid R&B Night also came true: there were 22 Pasco Sheriff’s Deputies on hand and the only way to get into the event was through the gates, which had plenty of tennis-ball-green-shirted attendants on hand to either take the $5 prepaid tickets or sell $10 day-of admissions. In addition, there was a clear path set up down the center aisle between the KRATEs on both sides between the stage and the admission gate (photo below left) and another blocked off path behind the first sea of personal chairs brought in by those early attendees.
Did anywhere near the estimated 8,000 people who attended in May or the 3,000 who prepaid their admissions end up showing up? I can’t answer that. All I can say is that those who were there seemed to once again have a great time, enjoying the music and each other, checking out the food from the KRATEs and dancing.
In other words, it was still very much R&B Only Night at the KRATEs, so don’t miss the next one on Friday, July 26, 7 p.m.!
The Florida “state bird,” also known as the “tall construction crane” (photo) has been seen making its home at the corner of S.R. 56 and Mansfield/Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., as the foundation of the third hospital to be located in Wesley Chapel — Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital — has now begun vertical construction.
The 46.78-acre parcel, appraised at more than $9 million (at the northeast corner of the traffic signal), has seen activity for a while now, ever since the sign was put up announcing the hospital’s pending construction back in April of 2023. A little over a year later, the vertical components of the building are beginning to take shape.
For large sites, such as a new hospital (and its two affiliated medical office buildings) now under construction, it typically takes a while to start seeing progress, as the land clearing, brine fill dirt, grading, drainage and underground utilities typically take up a significant amount of time. But now, the poured concrete foundational columns and the hospital’s elevator & stair shafts, of at least part of the first floor, are visible at the site.
Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch, which is expected to open sometime in 2026, will be constructed in multiple phases — the initial main building will be built first and then, the “Future Phase 2” for the areas to each side of the main building. There’s also an area in the rear part of the main building where the hospital can be expanded in the future. Ultimate buildout would bring it to around 300 beds total, which will make it the largest of the three hospitals in Wesley Chapel. The hospital’s parking lot will flank both S.R. 56 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. The natural wetland towards the rear of the property will remain untouched.
In April of this year, Orlando Health filed additional plans for two standalone medical office buildings — one that will be 90,000 sq. ft. (called “MOB 1”) and the other 60,000 sq. ft. (“MOB 2”), with additional parking in part of the “Future Phase 2” area along Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. (east of the main building).
The vertical construction of the hospital comes on the heels of the announcement in Aug. 2023 that Florida Medical Clinic — with 55 locations and 350 medical providers in 40 disciplines — had merged with/ been purchased by Orlando Health and has been rebranded as “Florida Medical Clinic – Orlando Health.”
The new hospital joins Advent Health Wesley Chapel and BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, which are only 2.5 and 4 miles away, respectively. From a real estate perspective, the trio of local hospitals, plus the planned Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital (located off I-75 at Overpass Rd.), and the establishment of two locations for treating cancer patients — Moffitt Cancer Center at the Advent Health site and Florida Cancer Specialists (see story on pg. 12) — has made the Wesley Chapel area a hub for nearby medical care. This already has put Wesley Chapel on the map and will continue to bring everyone from young families to aging retirees to our area for that convenience.
(l.-r.) Dr. Neeta Chhabra, Dr. Bruce Anderson & Dr. Aundrea Snyder of Anderson & Chhabra Eye Care Centers, which have offices in Tampa & Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)
Located in the Red Fern Professional Center off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Bvd. between S.R. 56 and S.R. 54 is the new second office of Anderson & Chhabra Eye Care Center. The optometrists at Anderson & Chhabra have been helping adults and children in the Tampa area at their original office on W. Fletcher Ave. for more than 40 years and have 70+ years of combined experience.
The newest member of the Anderson & Chhabra team, and the primary optometrist working at the Wesley Chapel office, is Aundrea Snyder, O.D. Dr. Snyder earned her Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry located at Salus University in Elkins Park, PA, in 2022. She completed her residency in Ocular Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa in 2023. Dr. Snyder provides primary eye care for adults and children ages 5 and older, as well as specialty contact lens fittings and help for those with double vision or low vision (also known as near-blindness).
Although Dr. Snyder is the main doctor working at the Wesley Chapel office, the other doctors based at the Tampa office also will rotate between both offices. Below is an introduction to the other doctors at Anderson & Chhabra Eye Care:
Dr. Bruce Anderson, O.D., F.A.A.O., DIPL, opened his first practice on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa in 1983 and was there for 13 years before moving the practice to the Fletcher Ave. office in December 1996. Dr. Anderson received his O.D. degree from the University of Houston in 1980. He did his residency at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albuquerque, NM, in 1981. He is a Fellow and Diplomate of the American Academy of Optometry and worked at the Contact Lens and Low Vision Clinics at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa as their director from 1996 to 2018. Although no longer seeing patients himself, Dr. Anderson is still very much involved with the practice as its mentor and leader.
In 2008, the practice added Neeta Chhabra, O.D., M.S., F.A.A.O., F.S.L.S. Dr. Chhabra received her Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Vision Science and completed her O.D. degree, both from the Ohio State University in Columbus, in 2006. She also had an ocular disease residency at The Omni Eye Services in Iselin, NJ, in 2007 and her contact lens residency from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale in 2008. Dr. Chhabra is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the Scleral Lens Society and a Member of the American Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control. She also serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of South Florida (USF) and sees patients at Anderson & Chhabra as young as age 5.
In 2017, Richard Weisenberger O.D., F.A.A.O., DIPL, joined the group. He earned his O.D. degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2016 and completed a residency in Primary Care and Brain Injury at the Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa in 2017. Dr. Weisenberger is a Fellow and Diplomate of the American Academy of Optometry and an Associate Professor at USF in the Ophthalmology Department.
No story about Anderson & Chhabra would be complete without mentioning a wonderful man who worked in the practice for more than 20 years — Dr. William O. Malone, Jr. Unfortunately, Dr. Malone passed away in 2022. As someone whose entire family was treated by Dr. Malone, I can tell you that he was a loving and gentle man who was always quick with a joke. He loved his patients and his patients loved him. He is very much missed by everyone who knew him.
About The Wesley Chapel Office
Dr. Aundrea Snyder works with a patient at Anderson & Chhabra Eye Care’s Wesley Chapel office, which also has a small optical area (below right) with a variety of prescription eyewear (below left) available for purchase.
The Anderson & Chhabra office in Wesley Chapel is available for general eye exams. Dr. Snyder will detect, treat and manage a variety of ocular diseases, such as glaucoma, pink eye, dry eye, infections and much more. Although the offices don’t take infants as patients, Dr. Chhabra specializes in children ages 5 and older.
Dr. Snyder says, “The best time to take your child to the optometrist is right before they begin school.” She recommends glasses for children until they are in middle school, when they can transition into contact lenses. She says, “Exceptions can be made for younger children who want contacts earlier and can wear them responsibly; as well as for those who are involved in sports.”
Two specialty services that are offered by the Anderson & Chhabra offices that you don’t always find in other optometric practices are specialty contact lens fittings and working with patients with low vision.
Dr. Snyder says that “contact lenses are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are lenses you can wear daily, weekly, monthly and then you have the previously dreaded original hard contact lenses.”
She adds that, “These days, the difference between hard and soft contact lenses is the vision clarity. The clarity you get with the hard contact lenses will never compare with the soft.” She adds that there are many people who will be able to see better with hard lenses, especially those suffering from extreme myopia or astigmatism.
“Hard contact lenses have gotten more comfortable,” she explains. “One of the ways they have changed is the way they are made. Today’s hard lenses are more breathable, come in different sizes and stay in the eye.” In the past, hard lenses would float on the eye and the slightest movement or touch could make the lens fall out. This is not the case anymore. Now, says Dr. Snyder, “Hard lenses stay in place and are made so they don’t touch the cornea, which also makes them more comfortable — and cause fewer problems.”
Dr. Snyder also says that “Hard contacts are primarily used when someone has a high prescription, a deformed cornea, or when soft contacts cannot be used.”
The practice offers services for people with low vision, which is a visual impairment that makes it difficult to function on a daily basis. The condition can affect the sharpness of a person’s vision or the visual field. The World Health Organization defines low vision as “visual acuity between 20/400 and 20/70 or a visual field of 20 degrees or less. Dr. Snyder says that when treating patients with low vision, the Anderson & Chhabra offices work with a few organizations, including the Florida Division of Blind Services, which has the following Mission Statement: “To ensure blind and visually-impaired Floridians have the tools, support and opportunity to achieve success.”
Working With Lighthouse
The Anderson & Chhabra offices also work with Lighthouse for the Blind & Low Vision, which offers training programs designed to help anyone who has recently lost part or all of their vision to gain the skills they need to perform daily living tasks.
Dr. Snyder says that children who are blind or visually impaired need the proper tools and training to succeed in life. Lighthouse will help blind and near-blind infants and young children get prepared for school, and help teens get ready for college, the workforce and independent living after graduation.
Dr. Snyder says her goal is to help people who are vision-impaired become more comfortable with glasses or devices, including digital magnifiers, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A digital magnifier has a camera that is almost like a projector and captures the image for the visually impaired. The image can then be zoomed in on and offer contrast changes, depending upon the user’s needs.
Dr. Snyder says most of these digital magnifying devices unfortunately are not covered by insurance but that’s where Lighthouse steps in to help.
Speaking of insurance, both Anderson & Chhabra offices accept Vision Service Plans (VSPs), EyeMed insurance and Medicare. They also accept most regular medical insurance plans as well, but regular optometric office visits are not usually covered by medical insurance, which comes into play if a lab test that is not covered by vision insurance is needed.
The new Anderson & Chhabra office also has a full optical area, where you’ll find brands such as Burberry, Tory Burch, Gucci, Ray-Ban, Kate Spade, DKNY, Michael Kors, Swarovski and Under Armour, to mention just a few. The optical area also makes prescription sunglasses. Please note that the variety available currently at the Wesley Chapel office is a bit smaller than at the Tampa location.
At this time, the Wesley Chapel office is accepting appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays only.
Anderson & Chhabra Eye Care’s Wesley Chapel office is located at 3822 Turman Loop. The Tampa office is located at 719 W. Fletcher Ave. For more information or to make appointments at either office, call (813) 961-2020 or visit AndersonEyeCareCenter.com.
