In Newington, new spacious quarters on Willard Avenue add to the experience of eye care that not only include eye exams and picking out the right set of glasses or contacts. It also includes a comfortable waiting area with the calming sound of falling water, a large children's play area and the latest testing techniques such as a tonometer, a small hand-held device that offers a much more comfortable way to test for glaucoma.
"They really do a nice job of making the patients comfortable from the moment they walk in until they are done," said Practice Administrator Sharon Cahill.
The staff at the store is led by husband and wife optometrist team Drs. Mitchel and Regina Strand. The two met at the New England College of Optometry and after working for five years in California, returned to Regina's native state in 1989 and opened an office in West Hartford. After outgrowing that office, the two moved to Fenn Road in Newington and continued experiencing growth.
The two are part of a team that owns the TotalVision name and participate in a peer review system. The Strands also own a second store in Uncasville, where Regina spends much of her work week. There are five TotalVision locations in all. About a month ago, they completed their move from Fenn Road to 485 C Willard Ave., in the Fountain Pointe Professional Park complex. The new location gives them about 4,500 square feet, up from the 1,800 at the last location.
Cahill believes much of the business' success is due to the comprehensive service offered.
Eye exams include Internal and External Eye Health Analysis (cataract and ocular disease detection), Eye Muscle Coordination Skills, Depth Perception and Color Vision Testing, Neurological Pupil Evaluation, Glaucoma Testing and Blood Pressure and Refraction to Determine Present Eyeglass Prescription. In addition to an exam that not only includes tests for blood pressure, diabetes and other conditions. The business is also one of very few eye facilities that offer services for people with low vision, Cahill said. Although most of those conditions such as macular degeneration or MS-related low vision cannot be cured, Regina Strand sees patients on Fridays in Newington to help with magnifiers, electronic devices and other techniques to let people work around those issues.
"She can bring maximum sight to people that have minimal function." Cahill said.
TotalVision will host a grand Re-Opening Celebration from noon to 3 p.m. on June 27. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. The public is invited to come any time during the celebration for Hors D'ouvres, a raffle, wine tasting and demonstrations. The store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MWF, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
They can be found on the Web at http://eyecarect.com/