New Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania facility larger, more convenient

May 19—CRESSONA — In the expanded reception area of the new Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania office Friday, chief administrator Charles "Chuck" Busack said the location will be more convenient for patients of the practice.

Formerly an Aldi supermarket, the office is on Route 61, next to the Rockwood Center and the Cressona Mall in North Manheim Twp.

The practice of eye specialists had planned to move from 100 Schuylkill Medical Plaza to its new location next Tuesday, but the relocation has been delayed due to complications involving telephone, internet and data services.

Patients will be notified of the new opening date, a company spokesman said, and it will also be announced publicly.

Having outgrown its present location, Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania purchased the former grocery store building in 2021.

Olsen Design Group, a Berks County architectural firm, gave the commercial structure a striking contemporary look.

Benchmark Construction, a Lancaster County company, began a major renovation of the 14,000-square-foot property in July 2022. The building is complete, but some technical equipment still has to be transferred from the present office.

"We have increased the number of examination, technician and testing rooms," Busack said, "so we're able to accommodate twice the number of doctors and patients."

At Schuylkill Medical Plaza, there was space for only three ophthalmologists to see patients at a given time. The new facility has space for six.

Jenny Schafer, manager of the practice's Pottsville office, said the new building will have 16 examination rooms, 12 technician rooms and seven testing rooms. There is also space for seven receptionists.

The new office, Busack said, will be second in space only to the practice's headquarters in Wyomissing, Berks County.

Eye Consultants of Pennsylvania also has offices in Pottstown, Lebanon and Blandon, employing 225 people.

The practice's eye glasses division, Granite Point Optical, has been expanded and will have a separate entrance. Formerly, it had been known as Lor-Ron Optical.

A second optician has been hired, and space has been reserved for a laboratory that will eventually cut and grind lenses on-site.

The practice is also planning to build a new wing — Schuylkill Surgery Center — to open in 2024. Surgical procedures performed there will be limited to patients of the practice.

"The new surgery center will fill a void in the region for ophthalmic surgery left by the now-closed Surgery Center of Pottsville in the Cressona Mall," Busack said.

Aside from abundant parking, Busack said, the new office has been designated a stop by the Schuylkill Transportation System.

For more information on the practice, visit www.eyeconsultantsofpa.com or call the office at 570-621-5690.

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007