Just over a year ago I introduced you here to Dr. Melanie Jones — a veteran Optometrist with nearly 33 years of industry experience — and showcased her new Dry Eye Center of Southwest Michigan which she had established at that time on Cleveland Avenue across from Lakeshore High School in Stevensville.
At that time her new Dry Eye Center was just part of her service to the community, inasmuch as she also operated an optical shop inside Walmart of Benton Harbor. Well, the success of her new venture in Stevensville has achieved a critical mass that is resulting in her departure from the Walmart operation, and starting next week she will see patients exclusively at the Dry Eye Center at 5770 Cleveland Avenue across from the high school.
Dr. Jones tells me that she will officially close her Walmart office at the close of business this Friday, March 1st, 2019. Going forward, she will see all patients in Stevensville.
Dr. Jones has been a practicing Optometrist working for hundreds of families for years, but last year she set out on her lifetime dream to establish her own private practice in order to specialize in a burgeoning field that is increasingly prevalent in society among people of all ages — the issue of dry eyes.
The aging population that is surviving years beyond the statistical norm in combination with the proliferation of electronic devices seemingly everywhere we turn have exacerbated the dry eye syndrome far beyond any other time in history.
As the role of electronic devices with high definition screens ratchets up in our daily lives, more and more of us are suffering from the nagging problems of gritty, itchy, burning eyes that oftentimes blur our vision until we blink. Staring, typically in an unblinking manner, at electronic screens from desk top computers to tablets, cell phones and even the dashboards in our cars, is contributing mightily to the problem.
It has been the goal of Dr. Jones to make the Dry Eye Center of Southwest Michigan a center for treating and curing dry eyes for the entire community of Michigan’s Great Southwest.
Early last year she invested in and trained extensively on advanced technology in the form of the Occulus Keratograph 5M. That cutting-edge device has a high-resolution camera and is equipped with intelligent software to analyze the data she collects and document it. As a result, Melanie can show patients before and after results of dry eye treatment applications.
Research has shown that approximately 90-percent of dry eye disease is attributed to something called meibomian gland dysfunction — or simply MGD. That’s why the good doctor also invested in an innovative therapeutic medical device for in-office treatments of that condition — the MiBo Thermofolo. Thanks to advancing medical technology, Dr. Jones can offer long-term relief to the vast majority of people who suffer daily with dry eye conditions.
But, her private practice is not exclusive to such treatment. She offers the full range of services you would expect from an office of optometry including eye exams, a collection of designer frames, digital quality lenses, both prescription and non-prescription designer sunglasses, contact lenses, solutions and more.
Melanie arrived in the area in 1999 and ever since she graduated from Indiana University at Bloomington she felt the real need to provide her own private practice and focused on dry eye issues after hearing so many regular clients complain about the problem while only employing artificial tear drops as “treatment.” Extensive travel in her first marriage and a growing family precluded her from taking the leap to her own private practice until last year, and she has put down her roots to stay, now even moreso with her Stevensville office being her only focus.
She told me last year, “Starting from scratch is pretty ambitious, but that’s why I felt I needed to focus on a true specialty field like dry eyes.” That feeling was solidified when she attended an industry trade conference in Portland, Oregon and found the issue to be so widely discussed in virtually every class she attended that the lightbulb went off and she began her intensive training to become a specialist who treats the cause, not just the symptoms of the disease.
In addition to issues generated by electronic devices and our longer lifespans, the increasing ability to accurately diagnose dry eye issues with the amazing diagnostic technology that she now employs in her practice have made successful treatment considerably more effective.
So, if you have grittiness, blurred vision that clears when you blink, burning, itchy eyes, and even excessive tearing — which sounds weird because if you have dry eyes why are you tearing — but, Melanie points out those tears are not good tears, because when you dry out you get reflex tearing and it makes it even worse, you might want to check out the Dry Eye Center of SW Michigan across from Lakeshore High.
You can visit for information and to browse eye wear, but for dry eye treatment, appointments are necessary and you can call for additional information or to make such an appointment at 269-408-8221.
