Eye Specialty Group: Focused on Patient Care

As a new year approaches, the physicians and surgeons at Eye Specialty Group look forward to celebrating five years at 1458 W. Poplar as a vital part of the Collierville community. January is Glaucoma Awareness month, and the group is ready to serve its neighbors with a full range of ophthalmologic and optometric services: LASIK, retina surgery, specialized glaucoma treatment, laser cataract surgery, neuro-optometry and even eyelid and facial plastic surgery.

For over fifty years, Eye Specialty Group has provided state-of-the-art care to its Mid-South patients and has always looked to the future, as they pioneer new techniques and procedures. Earlier this year, Cathy Schanzer, M.D., was the first in the mid-south to perform refractive surgery using Alcon’s PanOptix lens for those who suffer from cataracts.

With approximately 85% of their patients coming to them as referrals from medical and optometric doctors, the group has achieved a reputation for quality care and exacting professionalism. They provide service at five locations within the Memphis community, including an office inside the Southern College of Optometry.

“Diabetes has become an epidemic in our community” comments Betty Grothe, director of marketing and public relations for the group, and notes that diabetes and complications from the disease can lead to serious problems with eyesight. Socioeconomic status frequently plays a part in diabetes, and it is at their Southern College Optometry location where they frequently address such needs of an urban population.

In addition to their Collierville location, Eye Specialty Group has surgery centers on Ridge Lake Blvd in Memphis near the Hilton Hotel, at 7600 Airways in Southaven, MS, and at their Retina Center at 5350 Poplar in East Memphis.

Their team of specialists includes: Drs. Desirae Brinkley, O.D., Chris Brown,
M.D., Adam J. Cohen, M.D., Andrew Crothers, M.D., John Elfervig, M.D., David Fingerhutt, M.D., Subba Gollamudi, M.D., Kareen Holdinghausen, O.D., Andrew Krauss, M.D., Dennis Mathews, O.D., Henry McQuirter, O.D., James Savage, M.D., and Cathy Schanzer, M.D.

Addressing special needs comes naturally to Eye Specialty Group. The Surgical Eye Care Foundation was founded over 10 years ago with a mission “to provide ophthalmologic surgery for anyone facing imminent blindness without ability to pay” and is the passion of Bryan Watson, who serves as Director of Philanthropy of the foundation. He points to providing the potential of up to 80 cataract surgeries to individuals in one day each year via the surgeons of Eye Care Specialty Group at their annual Eye Love My Community Day event. Additionally, the foundation assists with procedures required to save someone’s eyesight who might otherwise face blindness. Doing business as 2020Memphis, they host a series of events for the foundation: Golf for Sight; Bowling for Sight; Food Truck Tuesdays, and a slew of new projects coming soon.

In addition to their efforts to raise money to restore and save patients vision, the Surgical Eye Care Foundation also hosts an annual regional seminar in Memphis, for over 200 optometrists.

Whether it’s providing LASIK, cataract, glaucoma, retina, neuro-optometric or eye related cosmetic surgical procedures the doctors and staff of Eye Specialty Group are focused on providing advanced care to their patients.