Throughout his 33 years of practice in Optometry, Dr. Clayton Twitero knew in his heart that he wanted to open his own private practice. He did just that after returning to Brookings from the Twin Cities in 2000.
In 2000, he opened Brookings Vision Center (BVC) and has built a reputable name in Brookings and the surrounding communities.
Though Brookings Vision Center was started by Dr. Twitero, the business is a team effort. In 2018, Dr. Trisha Morehouse joined the practice, and BVC has truly become an institution for pioneering top-notch eye care services.
“Since founding the practice, Clayton has built a dedicated patient base and he and Dr. Trisha Morehouse have served the Brookings area community’s eye care needs,” said Cathi Twitero, CEO of Brookings Vision Center.
The clinic performs routine primary vision care for all ages, but Dr. Twitero’s passion lies with his elderly patients.
“His passion has grown into that because his patients have been with him for over 30 years. They’ve grown up working with him,” said Cathi.
She adds, “Both he and Dr. Morehouse also love seeing families and little kids. So we really pride ourselves on our whole family approach from ages zero to 100-plus. We know that every one of those patients has different needs for their eye care.”
Dr. Twitero and Dr. Morehouse serve their community’s eye care needs together with the acronym CARE: compassion, authenticity, respect, and excellence. It guides everything they and Team BVC do.
In an effort to better serve their community, Brookings Vision Center decided that after 23 years in the same location, an expansion was needed.
“We curated our new building to truly serve our patients in the best way we can, but also be mindful of our staff and identify what their needs were,” shared Cathi.
“We want everyone to enjoy their day at work, and the patients feel that.” -CATHI TWITERO
For a more connected patient experience, exam rooms were designed so that staff and doctors could always face the patients, even when entering data. A new row of testing rooms has also been added, avoiding an overflow of testing into exam rooms.
“We want to meet our patients wherever they need to be. We have all kinds of accommodations for patients who may have physical challenges,” stated Cathi.
For the staff, Dr. Twitero and Dr. Morehouse wanted to focus on the well-being of Team BVC. They built an exercise room, a full bathroom/locker room, a full kitchen, and a staff family room filled with comfy sectionals.
“We included two ‘Eye Need a Minute’ rooms, with a massage chair in one and a recliner in the other,” shared Cathi.
While Brookings Vision Center focuses on whole-family eye care, they also specialize in treating Dry Eye Syndrome, which affects all ages.
“We recently added Optilight IPL Technology, the first and only FDA-approved treatment for the cause of dry eye,” added Cathi.
This system treats the root cause of dry eyes, rather than just managing the symptoms.
“The relief the dry eye patients are enjoying brings them both immense gratification and joy,” expressed Cathi.
Along with the new building expansion came the expansion of the eye care practice and the introduction of Vision Aesthetics at Brookings Vision Center, an Eye and Med spa.
“Rachel Lynde, DNP, and Rowdy Warr, an optician and Aveda-trained esthetician provide patients and guests with a unique set of services,” shared Cathi.
Rachel provides Med Spa services, including Xeomin anti-wrinkle toxin injections, IPL skin rejuvenation, IPL hair removal, and medical ear piercing.
Rowdy provides Eye Spa services, including brow and lash services, along with facials.
“A lot of our patients see him in the optical and now will see him in the Eye Spa for facials, threading for their facial hair, or a lash lift,” said Cathi.
“We really designed the entire building with the patient experience in mind.” -CATHI TWITERO
A trip to the optical starts in the exam room with your doctor and at BVC, the doctors will prescribe the particular lenses you need for your vision and lifestyle.
“They take the time to enquire about what patients do with their lives outside of the exam room so that they know they can find the right technology,” explained Cathi.
The fun truly begins outside of the exam room with optical styling.
“We have four opticians who do an outstanding job of inquiring about the patient’s needs, wants, and lives,” said Cathi. “Then they help the patient find different ways of seeing themselves in glasses that they maybe hadn’t considered before.”
Also, a new larger optical lab allows BVC’s Optical Stylists to provide more same-day cut lenses and a wider variety of price points.
“We pride ourselves on having our patients walk out feeling great in their glasses,” expressed Cathi. “That’s a big importance to us.”
For more information, visit BROOKINGSVISION.COM+
