Vision Health Month

TRADITION. QUALITY. SERVICE ARMSTRONG & SMALL EYECARE CENTRE CELEBRATING OUR 100 TH ANNIVERSARY In 1916, Dr. Frank Armstrong started his practice in Manitoba. Forty years later Dr. Don Small purchased the practice from Dr. Armstrong and was later joined by his son, Dr. Rod Small who then took over ownership of the practice when his dad retired. Today the practice is owned and operated by Rod's son, 3rd generation Optometrist, Dr. Luke Small and his wife Dr. Gina Small. With 100 years of experience, Armstrong & Small Eyecare Centre is pleased to continue to be a locally-owned one stop shop for all of your eyecare and eyewear needs. With the most current technology, a great selection of the latest eyeglass frames and lenses, and friendly and knowledgeable doctors and staff, there's a reason our patients keep coming back after all these years. Thank you to all our patients...old and new...for trusting us with your eyes year after year! • We have the ability to bill most insurance companies directly • Diabetic testing • Glaucoma Management • AMD (Macular Degeneration) monitoring and nutritional guidance • Cataract referrals • Dry eye treatment and management • Hard, soft and specialty contact lens fittings Welcome to Dr. Leanne Zimmer & Dr. Matthew Lepage who are now accepting new patients of all ages. Call 204-786-8991 or visit us at www.armstrongandsmall.com to book your eye exam today. PAG E 11 When optometrist Dr. Rod Small decided it was time to retire after 42 years, he knew he was leaving his clinic in good hands. The "new" eye doctor in town was his own son, Luke. "I see lots of my old patients and they say, 'Luke's just like you—a bit of an entertainer,'" Rod says. "We had a lot of laughs in our office with the patients. It was a happy place to work." The Armstrong and Small Eye Care Centre has always been a family affair. Rod's father purchased the practice from Dr. Frank Armstrong, who started it in 1916. This June marks the clinic's 100th anniversary. When Rod was still in Grade 9, he began to consider following in his father's footsteps. "We'd have dinner with my dad every night and he'd tell stories about the office. He never seemed to be in a bad mood," he says. "We became partners while he was still in charge. For a while he worked for me, but your father never really works for you." Luke joined the practice in 2000 with his wife Gina, who is also an optometrist. Rod retired in 2007. Luke suspects one of the reasons for the practice's success is its friendly atmosphere. "My dad is a really fun guy. Some of his old patients always got a hug. It's a family atmosphere—somewhere people are comfortable," Luke says. "When you're an optometrist, it's easy to come across like you're talking over the patients' heads, but we pride ourselves on being able to listen. We keep it fun and take the edge off things. "Some of our patients have been coming here for 70 years. We're seeing the fourth generation of families. At least twice a day people ask me about my dad." Optometry has changed radically over the last 100 years, mostly due to ever-evolving technology. Rod is fascinated by how much the business has changed over the years. "We were one of the first in the province to fully computerize our practice in 1989," he says. "There are instruments now that can measure eyes down to the cellular level. In my day we were in the dark, but we made some good guesses." May is Vision Health Month, with this year's campaign promoting the fact that comprehensive eye exams can help detect eye disease and serve as early indicators of potentially serious health conditions such high blood pressure, diabetes and even cancer. "In my grandpa's day, it was all about determining the prescription for glasses," Luke says "That continues to be a part of what we do, but so much more of my day is being my patients' general practitioner for their eyes. I am often communicating with their family physicians, their diabetic doctors, their ophthalmologists and any other specialists that make up their health-care team." All three generations of Smalls have been active in the Manitoba Optometric Association and Luke continues to be active with the PR and communications committee helping to promote the importance of regular eye exams. "I'm always trying to emphasize that one can have 20/20 vision and still have eye diseases," Luke says. "Once you're over 40, your risk for eye disease doubles, and when you're over 70 it triples. The dental associations have done a much better job of building awareness, but would you rather lose a tooth or an eye?" Children and youths under 19 should get their eyes checked every year, starting at six months old. Adults between the ages of 19 and 64 should be checked every two years, and once a person turns 65, eye exams should once again become an annual event. CELEBRATING A CENTURY BY HOLLI MONCRIEFF (From left) Dr. Rod Small, Dr. Gina Small and Dr. Luke Small. Photo by Darcy Finley

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