July 13, 2007

All Eyes on the 1 Millionth Patient

Eye Surgeons to celebrate milestone this month

DAVENPORT, IOWA - If you have an appointment at Eye Surgeons Associates, P.C., this month, you could receive more than an eye exam.

You just might walk through the doors to become the 1 millionth patient since the practice opened its doors 24 years ago.

The honor would entitle you to a free pair of eyeglasses and $1,000 worth of gift certificates to different Quad-Cities attractions.

This week, four billboards went up in the Iowa and Illinois Quad Cities promoting the auspicious milestone. The billboards will change periodically as the tally edges closer to 1 million.

Eye Surgeons’ employees also are vying in a contest to guess which day, which office and which doctor will see the 1 millionth patient.

Based on daily appointments, it’s estimated that the celebrated patient will arrive mid-month, says Julie Berntgen of Eye Surgeons Associates, P.C.

“Acknowledging our 1 millionth patient is a way of celebrating our history in the Quad Cities over the past 24 years,” Berntgen says. “One million patient visits since 1983 says a lot about the fact that we offer comprehensive eye care for everyone, whether it’s a child who needs a pediatric ophthalmologist or an adult in his or her 80s with macular degeneration. We can provide a full spectrum of eye care, for a lifetime.”

Eye Surgeons Associates, P.C. opened in 1983 on the campus of Mercy Hospital in Davenport, a predecessor to the Genesis Medical Center, West Central Park campus. Ophthalmologists Dr. Amir and Dr. Lisa Arbisser founded the practice.

Since then, Eye Surgeons has grown to include 11 medical doctors who are board-certified and  fellowship-trained in their specialties of eye care, and six doctors of optometry. As a professional corporation, the shareholders now include Amir Arbisser, M.D., Lisa Arbisser, M.D., William Benevento, M.D., John Frederick, M.D., Peter Fries, M.D., Michael Howcroft, M.D., Richard Phinney, M.D., and Nikhil Wagle, M.D.

Eye Surgeons has expanded to more than 130 employees working in five locations – Silvis, Rock Island, Geneseo, Muscatine and a newly constructed facility in Bettendorf.

“We’ve done a lot of firsts in the Quad Cities and have always been at the forefront of eye care,” Berntgen says. “We were the first to offer LASIK in the Quad Cities; we are the only office with practicing pediatric ophthalmologists; and have the only oculoplastic and ocular oncologist to treat cancer of the eye. Most recently, we were the first practice between Chicago and Denver to offer the Optimedica® Pascal Photocoagulator, to provide faster treatment and improve the comfort of patients receiving treatment for diabetic retinopathy.”

The Arbissers also launched a non-profit organization called “See Life Clearly Foundation,” which promotes quality eye care locally. They have served on many professional and civic boards over the years. Lisa Arbisser has served as board chairman of the Davenport Schools Foundation, and Amir Arbisser recently concluded a term on the Iowa State Board of Regents.

The 1 millionth patient isn’t the first time Eye Surgeons has celebrated a practice milestone, either.

In 2003, the Arbissers bought out an entire performance of the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus at The MARK of the Quad-Cities. They invited all of their surgical cataract patients to attend free of charge as a celebration of Lisa Arbisser’s 20 years of restoring vision.

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