Visionary Eyecare has a vision for taking care of everyone’s optical health – and that includes yours.

“We genuinely try to make every single patient feel welcome,” says Dr. Natalee Frie, one of two optometrists at Visionary Eyecare in Altoona. “We are dedicated to an exceptional experience and making a connection with every patient.”

That commitment to serving patients has paid off for Visionary Eyecare, which placed No. 1 in three categories in Volume One’s most recent Best of the Chippewa Valley Reader Poll: Best Place to Buy Eyeglasses, Best Eyecare Clinic, and Best Customer Service.

‘We really care about our patients,” explains practice manager Kristi Parr. “We want them to know that we are here to take care of them. If they are having troubles at all with their glasses, it’s not just, ‘Well, we tried a couple of things and it didn’t work, so good luck.’ No, we’ve got to get to the bottom of this.”

Visionary Eyecare is located in Altoona’s River Prairie development, and while its name might be only a year old, the business isn’t. Previously a franchise, Visionary Eyecare set out on a path as an independent business last year.

After a yearlong sabbatical, Dr. Frie has returned to Visionary to work alongside Dr. Stephanie Meyer, who joined the business shortly after it moved to Altoona in 2016.

“I like to think we treat everyone like it’s your mom walking in,” Dr. Meyer said of Visionary’s family-friendly atmosphere.

Dr. Meyer and Dr. Frie are happy to have technology available that helps them make their eye exams extremely thorough and comfortable. “Our imaging equipment allows us to see so much detail inside the eye, so we know we are giving the best care possible, often without the need for dilation,” Dr. Frie says.

Now that the business is no longer a franchise, Dr. Meyer emphasized, it can serve customers better. For example, lenses are no longer sent to and from a lab in Texas; instead, Visionary works with a lab in Burlington, Wisconsin, which means quicker turnaround.

In addition, Visionary is one of only two optometrists offices in the area that has its own in-house lab. If you want to keep your frames, Visionary’s lab can cut new lenses to fit within 30 minutes.

Looking for new frames? No problem. Now that it’s no longer a franchise, Visionary can carry a much broader variety of frames from different designers. More than 1,200 frames are kept in stock, so there’s sure to be something that meets your personal style – as well as your budget.

And on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, customers will have even more choices available when Visionary holds a Fall Style event from 2-6:30pm. In addition to a radio DJ and discounted prices, 10 customers will be able to order custom frames from Catch London, which creates handmade frames in London, England. There will also be a special trunk sale of frames from Jimmy Choo and other top brands.

But customer service isn’t reserved for special events. Parr explains that Visionary’s staff acts as a concierge service every day, helping patients pick glasses that flatter their features. And fitting frames in person can also help customers avoid the pitfalls of online ordering, which can involve guesswork and problems.

“Most people don’t often think about what it takes for our eyes to see the world, but when you really think about it, it is just unbelievably fascinating,” Dr. Frie says. “And when that process isn’t working correctly, it’s so gratifying to be able to help people see.”

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