Eye care center opens new facility

More space, better tools, more convenience, better care.

Convenience and care are the themes of the new Atwater Eye Care Center, which opened Jan.5  in a new spot.  The teaching clinic moved to East Third Street, a block closer to campus than before.

The new 22,000 square foot, $3 million location is able to devote more space to patient care and convenience than previously, said Kevin Collins, clinic services administrator. It has state-of-the-art facilities and improved patient flow, he said.

“It’s really going to enhance our patient care and student experience,” Collins said.
At its old location in the Atwater Optometry Building, the clinic had to share space with School of Optometry researchers.

Continuing as a teaching clinic, each semester about 16 third and fourth-year optometry students gain practical experience by working with a practicing optometrist, Collins said. They will be able to train on the newest equipment, purchased for the new location, according to an IU press release.

The clinic is open to the entire Bloomington community. It provides primary, contact lens and pediatric care.

The move will also make it possible to expand the clinic’s services in the future, said Khashayar Tonekaboni, the clinic’s director.

The center hopes to add a pathological and disease clinic, Tonekaboni said. Many patients who would need to be treated there are referred to the west side clinic.
“We can hopefully maintain some of those patients here for patient convenience,” he said.

The School of Optometry funds the clinic, with patient money going to the school and then back to the center, Tonekaboni said. Collins said the clinic tries to be self-sustaining, but because it’s used in the curriculum, the school ultimately has to fund the project.

The center also sells eyeglass frames. Selling frames at a clinic is not uncommon, Collins said, but the location sells exclusive designs. He said students are savvy about fashionable frames.

“We’re proud of our design choices,” Collins said.