I grew up in nearby Albany, Georgia and graduated from Westover Comprehensive High School in 1996. I was fortunate to have received several scholarships for college including a baseball scholarship to play for the Darton Cavaliers. After two years at Darton I moved to Valdosta, Georgia where I graduated with a B.S. degree in Biology in 2001. And most importantly, found the Lord through the help of the love of my life, Ashley. Ashley and I wed in May of 2001 and moved to St Louis for me to pursue Optometry School and for her to teach. I graduated from the University of Missouri at St. Louis Optometry School, with honors, in 2005 and we moved back home to our Georgia roots.
I had planned to practice in my hometown but God had different plans for me. Little did I know, but my interview at Regional Eye Center would change my life forever. My Christian faith was growing at this time and the focus of the interview wasn't so much on my clinical skills, as they knew I was properly educated, but on my character and my walk with the Lord. It didn't take long to realize that if given the chance, I would be joining an elite team of Christian men and women that had the highest set of morals. They also were all very gifted clinical practitioners who loved the Lord and had a desire to take care of every patient to the best of their ability.
Upon joining Regional Eye Center in July of 2005, my immediate goal was to find out what I could add to this already very successful practice. My true passion for growing Regional Eye Center targeted four categories of focus: First, I wanted to head up our optical department and stay on the forefront of technology. I wanted to ensure that our patients were getting the best quality single vision and progressive lenses for their eyeglasses that also matched their particular lifestyles and vision needs while keeping the cost lower than our competitors. Secondly, I wanted to incorporate Low Vision into our practice in which we help individuals with reduced vision, caused by various eye diseases, to see and do things via low vision aids that they were previously unable to do on their own. And what a rewarding adventure that has been. Third, through many of my rotations in inter-city St. Louis, I developed a passion for treating ocular diseases such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. I wanted to continue serving this population. This was another blessing for me ending up at Regional Eye Center, where we have one of the largest practices in south Georgia made up of a large percentage of diabetics and glaucoma patients. Finally, since Regional Eye Center has multiple locations, a surgery center, 6 doctors and a staff of nearly 60 great employees, I wanted us to grow as a family. I wanted to do my part to make Regional Eye Center more than just a job. I wanted everyone to look forward to coming to work and experiencing joy with coworkers while helping others.
My personal goals, along with those of many others, are part of an ongoing mission at Regional Eye Center to fulfill an ultimate goal of providing the best eye care possible to our patients. Regional Eye Center is a premium practice built on Christian values started by Dr. Ray Williams in 1970. To date it has expanded upon these values with the additions of Dr. Ken Moates, Dr. Valerie Moates, Dr. Chanh Tu, myself and Dr. Matthew Greene. Each of these doctors I am very thankful to say have been great mentors to me over the years.
Ashley and I have raised two children here in Americus and have become very involved with our church at First Baptist of Americus, where I serve as a Sunday School teacher and deacon.
Specialties:
Primary Care Optometry
Contact Lenses
Low Vision
Locations:
Americus
Leesburg
Education
B.S. in Biology (2001)
Valdosta State University
Valdosta, Georgia
Doctor of Optometry (Honors) (2005)
University of Missouri at St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
Board Certification
Georgia Board of Optometry
Associations
Georgia Optometric Association
American Optometric Association