Excellence In Eye Care Expands Focus On Kiddie Eye Care

For nearly 20 years, independent optometrist David Scamard, O.D., has taken care of patients’ eyes in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Even before his practice was called “Excellence In Eye Care,” that’s exactly what he always strived to deliver.

Since 2017, Dr. Scamard’s Excellence In Eye Care, LLC, has been located inside the Costco next to the Tampa Premium Outlets on S.R. 56. Prior to that, it was located off of S.R. 54 in Lutz.

He has been practicing much longer than that, however, since he opened his first private practice in New Tampa way back in 2002. 

He had previously earned his undergraduate degree at the University of South Florida in Tampa and earned his Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.

Some people who see Dr. Scamard inside Costco have been his patients over the last two decades and originally found him at one of his previous locations.

For example, patient Jill Bonnville and her husband Frank Filippone saw Dr. Scamard for about 10 years when he was located on S.R. 54, but then lost touch. They saw several doctors closer to their home in Town ‘N Country, but every year, when it was time for their exams, Jill would again try to find Dr. Scamard.

Of all the doctors who have tried to help her with her admittedly difficult eyes, Jill says, “He’s the only doctor who nails it the first time, every time.”

And, while it takes her nearly an hour to get to his office, she says it’s worth it.

Jill says she went back to another doctor for several months in a row to get a prescription that would allow her to see better, but that doctor kept getting it wrong.

When she finally found Dr. Scamard again, “I couldn’t believe it,” Jill says. “It was very similar to when I first had to get glasses as a kid. When I put them on, I went, ‘Wow. This is what everything is supposed to look like.’ I didn’t even realize it was that bad until he fixed it.”

Wee Care Eye Care Coming Soon

Coming this fall, Excellence In Eye Care will introduce Wee Care Eye Care, offering a new experience that is focused (no pun intended) on children’s eye care.

While Dr. Scamard has always seen babies and children, the new program will expand the practice’s focus on kids, with a specially-designed, kid-friendly exam room and education targeted at parents.

“A lot of times, parents are under the false impression that their kids’ eyes are being checked thoroughly at school or they can address problems once a child starts having them, but problems are missed in school screenings,” explains Dr. Scamard. “Children think that’s just the way the world looks. They don’t realize they should be able to see better. They could even end up with visual problems, such as a lazy eye, that may never be fully corrected because the visual pathways haven’t formed properly.”

He says that parents should bring their children in for an eye exam once a year and that children’s eyes often change even more quickly than that.

Dr. Scamard also is a charter member of a program called Infant-See. For babies who are at least six months old but not yet one year, Dr. Scamard will do their first eye exam for free. “It takes less than 10 minutes and allows us to check everything out from an optometrist’s point of view.”

New Technology For Sports

Also this fall, Dr. Scamard and his team will introduce a sports vision therapy program for people of all ages to improve their sports performance.

Using a specialized machine called the Sanet Vision Integrator (bottom photo on next page), patients can improve their hand-to-eye coordination and reaction time. Dr. Scamard says it will help athletes in many sports, including baseball, hockey and others.

Eileen Aldrich, the practice’s office manager, who also is an optometric technician, explains, “It will give them better visual perception, such as when to use a racket to hit the ball, and gets them more focused on using vision to reach their training or sports goals.”

The machine hooks up to a large, touch-screen television, which provides exercises for the person being trained to respond to, while they work on balance using a Wii Fit board.

“There’s no one else in the area who has this instrument,” Dr. Scamard says, “so we’re very unique in that regard.”

He says many patients are impressed with all of the latest technology available at Excellence In Eye Care.

For example, Dr. Scamard uses a high-tech retinal imager to view the internal structures of the eyes. He also uses a digital refractor, which he says is faster, more accurate and more efficient than the old-style analog devices, and patients like that they don’t have to have their eyes dilated. 

“We’re state of the art,” he says.

The entire process from eye exam to putting the glasses on your face or the contacts in your eyes can be completed right there in Costco. However, while you do not need to be a member of the wholesale club to visit Excellence in Eyecare and have an exam, you do need to be a Costco member to get your glasses and contact lenses from the wholesale giant’s eyewear department right next to the office. 

Excellence In Eye Care does not accept vision insurance plans. However, Eileen says, “We do offer a detailed, itemized bill once a patient is seen. The patient can then send that bill to their insurance company for reimbursement.”

Dr. Scamard, Eileen and optometric technician Jill Wagner will do whatever it takes to help you with your eye care needs.

“We want our patients to feel comfortable,” says Dr. Scamard. “We listen to our patients, address their needs, and we take our time with them. We really pride ourselves on making sure our patients are happy — that’s always our goal.”

Jill Bonnville says she is one of those very happy patients.

“He’s very kind, he’s extremely patient,” says Jill. “I ask a lot of questions and he explains both the scientific stuff and what it means. It’s always a nice experience.”

Excellence In Eye Care is located inside the Costco Wesley Chapel Warehouse at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr. (on the south side of S.R. 56) in Lutz. The office is open Tuesday and Thursday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday; and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (813) 279-7038 or visit ExcellenceInEyecare.net.