‘A place to feel normal’: Eye care practice to double space in West Chester and help those most in need

The owner of an eye care practice is investing more than $2.6 million into a new facility to retain and expand the patient base.

The new Focal Pointe Eye Care, when completed this spring on Liberty Way just east of Cincinnati Dayton Road in West Chester Twp., will provide twice the space as its present location in a medical condo at 7760 West VOA Park Drive, according to owner Dr. Michael Lyons.

“We’ve had wonderful growth the past 10 years and what we’re doing is going to be adding new doctors so we can see multiple patients scheduled at one time,” Lyons said. “With our current facility, we can really only see one patient scheduled at a time.”

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Staffing, which is at 12 people, will double to 24 in the course of the next year, he said.

The total investment into the new facility includes $650,000 that purchased 1.5 acres in December 2017, according to the Butler County Auditor’s Office, and approximately $2 million in construction costs.

The practice also includes Lyon’s wife, Liz, who works as chief financial officer and office manager.

Liz Lyons, who was born with a congenital vision disorder called Stargardt, lost a majority of her vision by the time she was 20, her husband said. She has now set out to develop a service within Focal Pointe Eye Care devoted to helping those who are unable to see normally, and even those who may not have full access to eye care.

“To me, this is one of the most exciting things our new building will create,” Michael Lyons said. “A safe place for those that need help seeing, a place to feel normal. My driving force for the practice is to change outcomes, and this new footprint will allow us the facility and the support to help others in a unique and caring way.”

Lyons earned a bachelor’s of science in biology with a minor in art in 1997 at Ohio University, then studied optometry at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, earning his doctoral degree in 2001. Following his graduation, he was accepted into the Ocular Disease Residency program at Cincinnati Eye Institute. From there, he joined the Cincinnati Eye Institute’s Corneal, Refractive, and Uveitis Clinic, working there full-time until 2008 before opening Focal Pointe Eye Care .

The modern, full-service optometric clinic features state-of-the-art equipment and an eyewear boutique. Lyons said his years of experience helped him design a facility that is welcoming to patients and their families.

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