Tag: optometrist

Excellence In Eye Care (Inside Costco) Can Save Your Eyesight Or Even Your Life!

*(L.-r.) Optometric techs Alex Bush and Savannah Leder, Dr. David Scamard, Dr. Carson Woolwine and optometric* *techs Francesca Alata and Evangelina Rivero of Excellence in Eye Care, located inside the Costco next to the Tampa* *Premium Outlets combine outstanding customer service and the latest technology. (Photos by Charmaine George)*

When you think of Costco, you think of saving money. When you think of Excellence in Eye Care inside the Costco store, you should also be thinking of saving — saving your eyesight that is!!

Located inside the Costco on S.R. 56, Dr. David Scamard, O.D., has been helping patients for more than 30 years. Since joining the Costco location in 2017, Dr. Scamard, a native Floridian, has continued his mission of providing high-quality eye care. He earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Nova Southeastern College of Optometry in Ft. Lauderdale in 1999. Initially drawn to the medical field, he says his time work- ing in an optometry office solidified his passion for optometry. “I knew this was my calling,” he shares, and his dedication has only grown over the years.

Dr. Scamard is joined by his associate, Carson Woolwine, O.D., who also graduated from Nova Southeastern College of Optometry and received his degree in 2016.

Together, these doctors handle everything from basic eye exams and treating conditions like pink eye to fitting patients for glasses and contact lenses. But, occasionally, their work goes beyond routine care.

A Life-Saving Testimonial

The Neighborhood News spoke with Rocio, one of Dr. Scamard’s patients. Three years ago, Rocio had recently moved to Wesley Chapel and needed a routine eye exam after not having one for two years. She booked an appointment with Dr. Scamard at Excellence in Eye Care. What seemed like a straightforward visit quickly became much more.

After completing Rocio’s exam, Dr. Scamard informed her that she needed to see a specialist immediately. He provided her with contact information and urged her to make an appointment as soon as possible. Rocio followed through, but the earliest appointment she could secure was a month away. The very next day, to Rocio’s surprise, she received a follow-up call from Dr. Scamard’s office, asking if she had made the appointment. She explained that she was scheduled for the following month. However, the office urged her to call back and request the first available slot.

“I did, and they got me in two weeks earlier,” Rocio recalls. She updated Dr. Scamard’s office, but then something unexpected happened. Dr. Scamard personally got on the phone. “He told me he had already made an appointment for me for the following day,” Rocio says. Surprised, she mentioned that she had to work, to which Dr. Scamard responded, “Give me your work number, and I’ll explain the situation to them.”

“I couldn’t believe an eye doctor would do that,” Rocio explains. She went to the appointment, where the specialist quickly sent her to the hospital. “I was diagnosed with meningitis. One of the nurses told me that if I hadn’t come in when I did, I would have died.”

Rocio credits Dr. Scamard’s insistence with saving her life. Reflecting on the experience, she remembers that her father had passed away when she was a teenager, and at the time of her illness, her daughter was the same age she had been.

“This could have been history repeating itself,” she says. “But thanks to Dr. Scamard, I’m here, enjoying my family, and they’re enjoying me.”

And, while Dr. Scamard may not have saved NeighborhoodNews editor Gary Nager’s life, he certainly helped save his eyesight. When Gary told Dr. Scamard that he was seeing spots before his eyes, Dr. Scamard ran a few tests and recognized that, in Gary’s case, those spots were a sign that Gary had a detached retina, so he immediately called retinal specialist and surgeon Dr. Alfred White at Retina Vitreous Associates in Wesley Chapel and got Dr. White to see Gary the same day. Dr. White performed retinal reattachment surgery on Gary’s left eye the next day.

“If left untreated, a detached retina can lead blindness in the affected eye,” Dr. Scamard says. “It needs to be taken care of quickly.”

Dr. Scamard also says that when Gary told the story in this publication of how Dr. Scamard diagnosed him — and then made sure Gary was seen as quickly as possible by Dr. White — a lot of people started coming in to Excellence in Eye Care to have the spots in their eyes checked.

“A number of things — even just not drinking enough water — can cause some people to see spots,” Dr. Dave says. “It’s not always a detached retina, but it is something you want to have checked as quickly as possible.”

About Costco Membership

Making an appointment at Excellence in Eye Care is simple. If you don’t have a Costco membership, just inform the greeter at the entrance that you have an eye appointment, and they’ll let you through. Dr. Scamard works directly with the Costco optical department, which can provide glasses or contact lenses based on your prescription.

In addition to Dr. Scamard and Dr. Woolwine, the office staff includes techs Evangelina, Savannah, Alex, and Francesca, all dedicated to providing a smooth and pleasant experience.

Embracing Technology

*Dr. Scamard uses a lot of technology to diagnose eye problems and find the right prescription for you.*

“Many of my patients come in for a quick exam,” says Dr. Scamard, “and when they’re told they need their eyes dilated, they often say they don’t have the time and will do it next time.”

Dilating the eyes allows optometrists to get a clearer view of the back of the eye, which is crucial for detecting conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. In Rocio’s case, significant inflammation at the back of her eye was detected during this process.

Dr. Scamard notes that he has even seen cases of diabetic retinopathy in patients who didn’t know they had diabetes.

When patients arrive, the staff uses a refractor, a machine that helps determine the correct lens type needed. “The information from the refractor is sent to a phoropter, which pre-populates the prescription numbers,” Dr. Scamard explains. The phoropter is the device used when you’re asked, “One or two? Two or three?” during an eye exam, helping to fine-tune the lens prescription.

For patients who can’t spare the time for dilation, Excellence in Eye Care offers a modern solution: the Optos machine. Optos retinal photography captures a detailed image of the inside of the eye without the need for dilation. “It allows us to show patients exactly what we see,” Dr. Scamard says. “We charge a minimal fee for this test, and it’s worth it for many patients who are short on time.”

When it comes to children, Dr. Scamard encourages parents to pay attention to early signs of vision issues. However, he recommends that all children get an eye exam early, even if no problems are noticeable.

To support this, both Dr. Scamard and Dr. Woolwine participate in the InfantSEE program, a public health initiative started by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Managed by the American Optometric Association (AOA), the program offers no-cost comprehensive eye assessments for infants aged 6 to 12 months, regardless of a family’s income or insurance status. This ensures that vision care becomes a vital part of infant wellness.

A Clear Vision For The Future

At Excellence in Eye Care, Dr. Scamard and his team are committed to more than just helping patients see clearly — they’re dedicated to their patients’ overall well-being. Whether it’s using cutting-edge technology to streamline care or going the extra mile to ensure someone gets life-saving treatment, the level of care you receive here is exceptional.

Having compassionate, dedicated doctors like Dr. Scamard and Dr. Woolwine, conveniently located inside Costco, means you have access to high-quality, personalized care that truly makes a difference.

So, next time you’re at Costco for those un-beatable savings, remember that one of the greatest deals inside might just be on your health — because at Excellence in Eye Care, they’re not just saving your eyesight, they could be saving your life.

Excellence in Eye Care doesn’t accept insurance, but will provide an itemized receipt to submit for reimbursement with vision insurance companies. Costco Optical does accept insurance for glasses, contact lenses and other eyewear products.

Excellence In Eye Care is located inside Costco at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr. in Lutz.The office is open Mon.,Wed. & Fri., 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; 1 p.m.–7 p.m. onTues. &Thur.; & 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on Sat. For more information call (813) 279-7038, or visit ExcellenceInEyeCare.net.

Anderson & Chhabra Eye Care Center Is Now Open In Wesley Chapel!

*(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.

Anderson Anderson and Chhabra Eye Care Center Anderson Eye Care Aundrea Snyder Bruce Anderson Chhabra Eye Care Neeta Chhabra New Tampa optometrist Wesley Chapel

Trust Cataract Surgery At St. Luke’s & Dr. David Scamard For After-Care

It was not quite 20 years ago when optometrist David Scamard, O.D., who had only recently opened his first office on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., first asked me my age and then said, “Yes, that makes sense. You’re going to need to start wearing reading glasses soon.”

I was flabbergasted.

“But Doctor Dave, I’ve been nearsighted since I was eight years old. You’re going to tell me that now, I’m going to be farsighted, too? How can that even be?”

As it turned out, he was right. I started needing either bifocal contact lenses or correcting one eye for close-up reading and the other eye for activities like watching TV and driving — by the following year.

So, even though Dr. Dave has had other offices in Lutz since then, his “Excellence in Eye Care, LLC” office has been located in his new home — he has been the Independent Optometrist inside the Costco off S.R. 56 — for about two years.

And, even though I briefly changed optometrists after Dr. Dave closed his most recent office on S.R. 54 in Lutz, when I was told late last year by that other optometrist that I had a cataract in my left eye that might need to be surgically corrected in the future, I got a second opinion months later from Dr. Dave, whose new office in Costco is across the street from where Jannah and I live.

Fortunately for me, not only did Dr. Dave confirm that I had a cataract in my left eye, he said, “You also have just the beginning of one in your right eye, too.”

I wasn’t really considering surgery before I visited Dr. Dave, because I hadn’t yet really noticed any change in my vision.

That is, until Jannah and I were driving home one evening in January of this year, after visiting my mom in Sarasota. As the skies turned from dusk into dark, I noticed that whenever there was a vehicle driving southbound as we were headed northbound on I-75, the glare from the headlights of those oncoming vehicles would temporarily prevent me from seeing the tail lights of the vehicles in front of me.

Everytime this happened, I would tap my brakes, to make sure I wasn’t getting too close, which isn’t a particularly safe thing to do when you’re going 70 mph on an interstate highway. I immediately stopped driving at night after that incident and asked my old friend to recommend a good cataract surgeon.

Cataracts are like a film over the lens of your eye, so even I could understand that when they replace the “foggy” lens surgically, it definitely will make your vision clearer.

Thank You, St. Luke’s!

Dr. Dave recommended two or three different ophthalmic surgeons that he felt comfortable with, but I ultimately chose to go with Dr. Jeffrey Wipfli of the St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute, who had amazing reviews online and an office nearby (on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Carrollwood), but who performs his surgeries at the main St. Luke’s location on U.S. Hwy. 19 in Tarpon Springs.

Not only that, but St. Luke’s has been a some-time advertiser with us and we actually did a story about Dr. Wipfli in a Wesley Chapel issue last October, so I felt even better about entrusting him with something as precious as my eyesight.

The truly amazing thing is that I got the cataract in my left eye fixed in late January and the right eye in mid-February, so my eyes were all fixed prior to the shutdown of elective surgeries in Florida due to Covid-19. I even got to do both follow-up appointments with Dr. Dave before he had to temporarily close his office in Costco.

Easiest Surgery Ever!

I have no idea how it’s been for surgery patients at St. Luke’s since March, but I did notice this on the company’s website as I was writing this story:

“This has been a challenging time for all of us. Many of you know that St. Luke’s has remained open on a much restricted schedule to do our best to serve our patients through the last several weeks. We have been able to serve many of our patients who have had urgent needs by keeping our doors open in our main office in Tarpon Springs….We have resumed surgery and all clinic locations are now open. Safety of our patients and employees is the priority for us as we continue to practice social distance and adhere to all CDC and governmental guidelines.”

But, here’s how both cataract surgeries went for me at St. Luke’s:

The office staff tells you to expect your total time there to be between 3-4 hours, of which waiting and taking care of all of your pre-surgical paperwork takes up about two of those hours. Jannah drove me and waited for me to drive me home both times, since your vision can be a little blurry at first and because you are mildly sedated during the surgery. All the amazing St. Luke’s surgical assistants tell you to do is to focus on the light being shined in that eye and the surgeries seemed to be over in a few seconds, rather than the few minutes it actually does take.

I could see pretty well out of the surgical eye both times right away, but it takes some getting used to because none of your old glasses will properly correct your vision in the surgical eye and wearing one of your existing contact lenses on the other eye really only works after the first surgery.

The cool thing was that Dr. Wipfli let me pick beforehand what I wanted my vision to be after the surgery. And, because I spend so much time at the computer writing and editing, I chose to be able to see up close with no correction whatsoever and to only have to wear glasses to watch TV and drive. Most patients can choose to have uncorrected vision for both far and near, but it was more expensive to do so and Dr. Wipfli said that, for a variety of reasons specific to me, I might still need some correction for either near or far, even if I did pay more.

And I’m glad, because since Covid-19, I’ve been able to wear my glasses anytime I go anywhere (some eye protection is better than none) and I really only have to take them off to read a menu at a restaurant (which we didn’t do for a long while).

Best Post-Surgical Care, Too!

So now, here’s the scoop on doing business with Dr. Dave, whose Excellence in Eye Care, LLC, is an A-Rated business, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and still has a 5-Star rating on Google Reviews with more than 160 reviews. The practice even has a 5-Star rating on its Facebook page.

Excellence in Eye Care also features some amazingly high-tech equipment. For eye exams, Dr. Dave uses an Optos retinal camera (photo on this page) in his office. This high-tech machine is a retinal imager that gives the optometrist a view of the internal structures of your eyes, so that, for many patients, it means they don’t have to have their eyes dilated at their annual exam.

“When your pupils are dilated,” Dr. Dave explains, “you are very sensitive to bright light and your nearsightedness is fuzzy, sometimes for up to five hours after dilation. It’s something that compels a lot of people to pass up their eye exams.”

One of the other high-tech devices Dr. Dave uses is a RT-5100 Refractor, a digital refractor with electric motors that change the lenses. He operates the digital refractor from a console on his desk.

“The digital refractor is faster, more accurate and more efficient than the old-style analog devices,” Dr. Dave says. “Our patients appreciate that we have the latest technology available to them.”

But, perhaps the most important thing going for Dr. Dave as an optometrist is his people skills — which are awesome — and his entire office staff is always friendly, professional and happy to serve their patients.

And, you do not have to be a Costco member to see Dr. Dave. Tell the membership checkers at the entrance that you’re there to see him and they’ll let you go back.

He notes, however, that you do have to be a Costco member to purchase your glasses or contact lenses in the store, but Dr. Dave will provide you with both prescriptions so you can buy your glasses/lenses anywhere else you choose.

And, it’s nice to be able to pick up a bottle (or case) of wine or a 3-lb. bag of coffee when you get your eyes checked, too.

Excellence in Eye Care is located at 2225 Grand Cypress Dr. The office is open Tues. & Thur., 1 p.m.-7 p.m.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wed. & Fri. & 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sat. Optical insurance is not accepted, although itemized receipts are provided that patients can use to get reimbursed by their providers. I]Eye insurance can, however, be applied to lenses and frames you buy at Costco. For appointments (although walk-ins are welcome) and more info, call (813) 279-7038 or visit ExcellenceinEyeCare.net.

cataracts optometrist vision