Growing The Vision

Clemson Eye has almost as many locations as it does ophthalmology services. Still, the doctors, clinicians and administrators aim to provide patients with the individual care they need, says the company’s CEO.

“We developed a mission statement: Making lives better with personalized care,” says Mary Lou Parisi, CEO of Clemson Eye. “The word ‘personalized’ is intentional because we want all of our doctors and teammates to strive for that.”

Though the practice will continue to grow, innovate and seek out talented staff, patient care is at the forefront, Parisi says.

“Our core values are to offer heartfelt service, to be people-focused, honest and transparent with patients and each other. In everything we do, we ask: ‘Are we living our mission?’ ‘Are our behaviors consistent with our core values?’”

Clemson Eye was founded as Clemson Ophthalmology in 1970 by Robert Osborne Brown, M.D.

Two decades later, Mary Lou and her husband, Dr. Joseph Parisi, were seeking a climate warmer than their home near Toronto, Canada – and an ophthalmology practice.

“We looked all over the country. Every time, we came back to Clemson. It seemed perfect … is perfect. We love Greenville, the Upstate, the mountains,” Mary Lou says.

Joseph Parisi was born in the United States but grew up in Canada, where he went to medical school and completed a residency in ophthalmology and a fellowship.

The family made their move in 1994; Dr. Parisi bought the practice from Dr. Brown, who still lives in Clemson after serving for 25 years in eye care missions overseas.

Meanwhile, Mary Lou co-founded an international furniture design and manufacturing business with distribution in five countries. She stayed in the business for eight years, until the economic downturn after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Soon, she became more involved in her husband’s business.

“My husband was having some struggles managing the practice. Typically, doctors spend their entire day with patients. They trust that everything's firing properly on the business side. It’s a complicated business model,” she explains. “Before I knew it, I got drawn in, and I loved it.”

Mary Lou saw an opportunity not just to manage, but to expand.

Joseph Parisi, now Medical Director of Clemson Eye, was already performing sophisticated cataract surgeries, his wife says. (Since then, he has performed more than 30,000 cataract and refractive – vision improving – surgeries using advanced techniques, lenses and equipment).

“He’s done LASIK since 1997, the early days of LASIK,” Mary Lou says.

“My husband gave us a great foundation,” she says. “I said, ‘We can grow this.’ I love to grow things. We partnered with Brian Johnson, M.D., and other great doctors and opened practices in Easley, Greenville, Anderson, the Midlands, and now Seneca.”

Since 2002, the business has expanded from one doctor at one location to 30 physicians, providing a full spectrum of eye care services at 14 locations, including three surgery centers. The newest is in Seneca.

“We couldn’t have done it without the heartfelt dedication of our talented doctors and team,” Mary Lou says.

“It wasn’t so much about being a big business as it was to expand the quality of our care, what we could offer to people's lives. If we believe – and I do – that we are transforming lives, it’s a missionary philosophy in many ways.”

Like other locations, the new Seneca office has its own doctors, manager, specialties and style.

“Each clinic has its heartbeat,” Mary Lou says.

Modeled after the Clemson Eye building on Pelham Road in Greenville, the Seneca facility has numerous treatment rooms; a surgical suite for cataract, glaucoma, and plastic and reconstructive facial procedures; a medical aesthetics wing; plus, skincare products, eyeglasses and contact lenses.

“It’s exciting for me and Joe,” Mary Lou says. “The first practice in Clemson is just 10 minutes down the road. Here we are, 20 years later, with a full-blown clinic and ambulatory surgery center in Seneca. Many of our patients live in Oconee County.”

In addition to surgery, Clemson Eye has always embraced aesthetic care, she says.

“We had aesthetics in the Clemson practice going back to 2002. It just continued to grow,” Mary Lou explains. “Did you know Botox was the invention of ophthalmologists? They used it to treat patients who had spasms in their eyelids. That's how it started.”

Today, nurse practitioners and aestheticians specialize in cosmetic injections, laser skin treatments, facials and other services. The business also has a Morpheus8 skin treatment system that can eliminate sun damage, improve the appearance of stretch marks, and tighten any part of the body, including the neck and jaw, Mary Lou says.

Clemson Eye medical spas are at the clinics on Pelham Road, Harrison Bridge Road in Simpsonville, and Union Station Drive in Seneca.

“We’ve always been big promoters of Clemson Eye Aesthetics. They have an incredible following,” Mary Lou says.

“That said, we're fundamentally a medical eye care practice. Our M.D.s oversee what happens across our service lines and approve everything,” she says.

Clemson Eye recently received two 2023 Community’s Choice – Best of the Upstate awards, for eye care and aesthetics, presented by the Greenville News, greenvilleonline.com, and TALK Greenville magazine. In 2022 and 2023, Clemson Eye was recognized as one of South Carolina’s 25 Fastest Growing Companies.

The Clemson Eye team also volunteers with Servants for Sight, which helps people who can’t afford eye care.

“Our doctors all participate, with exams and completely free surgeries. Many of these patients are almost blind. When they have cataract surgery, it's life-changing,” Mary Lou says.

Treatments can be life-changing for others, too. Mary Lou urges everyone, especially those over the age of 50, to have their eyes checked for macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma – the “thief of sight,” she says. “It happens slowly. If you don't get your eyes examined, you'll never know.”

Doctors at Clemson Eye believe in treating issues early instead of waiting. “Cataract and refractive surgery is our core competency. That is how we started,” Mary Lou says.

“More than anything, I want people to know that we have some of the most innovative M.D.s, optometrists and aesthetic practitioners in the nation. We're proud of our care.”

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Growing The Vision