Business Matters: Like Father, Like Son at Crystal Vision Clinic
A man who has spent his life working with eyes now has a different vision. Dr. Scott Endres, who has spent the past 25 years at Crystal Vision Clinic, retired from patient care. However, the clinic will remain in the hands of family.
All in the Family
At Crystal Vision Clinic, eyes connect the Endres family. Dr. Endres’ son, Dr. Chase Endres, works at Crystal Vision Clinic. While Chase’s mother and Scott’s wife, Rita Endres, works there too.
Dr. Chase Endres has seen patients for the last five years at Crystal Vision Clinic. Working with his father wasn’t necessarily the vision.
“Didn’t push him, didn’t encourage him,” said Dr. Scott Endres. “I really enjoyed it. I think he saw that I enjoyed it, and it’s been a nice choice of career for me, and I suppose the kids sort of pick up on that somewhat.”
Chase entered the eye care field after exploring other options like chiropractic, dental and the hospital setting.
“I really liked the 9 to 5 gig you can get out of optometry. He was around a lot for me as a kid for sporting events and things like that,” said Chase about his father.
Eye Care Challenges
They have each dealt with challenges in the profession. For Chase, it’s getting the word out about how important a routine, yearly eye exam is.
“I think dentistry has done a good job, come in once, twice a year for your cleanings, but eyes you often don’t know there’s an issue until we find it for you. A lot of things come on without symptoms, so just getting people in routinely,” said Dr. Chase Endres.
For Scott, it’s the paperwork behind the practice.
“Certainly insurance is a challenge I think in the way insurance changes,” said Dr. Scott Endres.
Vision Clinic Sees Technology Advances
The eye care field also has seen rapid advancement with technology. Crystal Vision Clinic has a new machine that scans the retina to help detect a variety of eye health issues, including glaucoma and macular degeneration. The technology can also detect other health concerns, such as early signs of diabetes.
For the past year, Crystal Vision Clinic also has a new machine called an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), which uses light waves to take photos of different layers of a patient’s retina.
“The retina is paper thin. There’s actually 10 layers to it, and this can help us break down each individual layer to find the source of a bleed or the start of macular degeneration or early signs of glaucoma,” said Dr. Chase Endres. “Nothing is going to beat a doctor’s intuition and their clinical skill, but this enhances that.”
Dr. Scott Endres shows advanced retinal imagining analysis
A Proud Mother and Spouse
Rita Endres has a unique perspective at Crystal Vision Clinic. She’s Scott’s wife, Chase’s mother and an employee at the clinic. She’s witnessed how eyes have connected the family.
“It’s been an amazing experience. I feel really blessed and lucky,” Rita Endres said. “We’ve always been so proud of Chase and all through his schooling. And to watch him turn into this young professional. I mean what an opportunity for me to actually watch him grow into that experience. And of course, being beside my husband all those years.”
A Future Vision
Now both father and son will see their practice in a different way. Dr. Scott Endres is retiring from patient care, but will still handle some of the administrative work at the clinic, at least for the next year. Dr. Chase Endres, meanwhile, is joined by two other optometrists to handle the patient load.
“The patients that you’ve grown to really enjoy, you’re passing them on to someone who’s going to take as good of care as you did, and that’s important,” said Dr. Scott Endres about his son.
“Been a great mentor. He’s been a friend. We’re regular pals outside the office and it’s translated here really well,” said Dr Chase Endres about his father. It’s been a true blessing to get to see him everyday and to work to build this practice together.”
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