VISIONS OF GRATITUDE

McCulley Optix Gallery Celebrates a Decade of Success by Donating to Local Charities

MMarch 6, 2016 marked the 10th anniversary of McCulley Optix Gallery opening its doors as a premier eye-care clinic and boutique optical in south Fargo.

A proud member of the Fargo-Moorhead business community, Dr. Melissa McCulley is quick to credit others for reaching this milestone. “I am thankful for my fabulous staff and for all our patients who have supported us and for the whole community of Fargo that has supported us, visited us, bought glasses, kept coming back and referring their friends and family,” said McCulley. “That’s what it’s all about, we wouldn’t be here if people didn’t do a great job supporting us.”

Open House Celebration

McCulley and her staff of five are excited for an April 28 celebration that will include a ribbon cutting and open house. As part of the celebration, McCulley Optix Gallery will honor one local charity each month with a $1000 dona- tion, March – December, for a total of $10,000 going to local charities.

The process begins with patients and community members nominating their favorite charity. Charities can be nominated by visiting McCulley’s website or Facebook page, or by stopping at the office. The first two winning charities will receive checks at the open house on April 28. Others will be presented throughout the year.

Giving Back

Compassion for the patient and the concept of giving back has been a thread running through Dr. McCulley’s career since she first started studying optometry. Trips to Costa Rica and Chimbote, Peru provided not only education, but also helped set the tone for her work to come.

She described an encounter while in Peru, “I’ll never forget one patient, he was maybe a

20-year-old guy. His job was to drive truck, and just to have a job was a super big deal, and he was so near sighted he wouldn’t even be able to see across the room never mind his job was to be on the highway driving truck. He got glasses and his jaw just dropped when he put them on, he was just looking around the room, He’d never been able to see at a distance, it was a life changing moment for him.”

Today, Dr. McCulley is an InfantSEE provider. McCulley performs a one-time, no-cost, eye and vision assessment for infants between six months and one year of age. “I encourage all parents to bring their infants in for a wellness exam. They would have no idea if they couldn’t see clearly and the baby wouldn’t act any differently, they would act normal,” said McCulley.

Day by Day

A typical day in the office includes general optometry, eye care, contact lenses and a lot of pediatrics. In working with children, Dr. McCulley takes care to remove the fear they might have in visiting a doctor. She doesn’t wear a white lab coat and often speaks directly to the little patient instead of only to the parent. She tells them they’re going to play some games and starts with little instruments that light up and look like toys. It puts the kids at ease.

On the other end of the spectrum one of her oldest patients is her grandmother who recently turned 101.

Fashion plays a big role with McCulley Optix Gallery patients. When opening her practice Dr. McCulley understood the value of providing fashionable eyewear and brought in many lines not then available in the city. Today, two of the most popular brands carried are Oliver Peoples and Tom Ford among a wide selection, including Jimmy Choo, Lafont, and Juicy Couture.

“Over the years, we’ve been able to learn what diverse lines to carry and which ones are not as appealing,” said McCulley. “The whole side of frame buying is like Christmas everyday when the boxes ship in.”

Patient Dawn Duncan describes Dr. McCulley as both warm and professional. “Seeing her makes me smile because I appreciate all she does to keep my eyes healthy and my look as good as it can get, and because I honestly like her and all she does for our community.”

Get Involved

Nominate your favorite charity at www.optixgallery.com, McCulley Optix Gallery on Facebook, or by stopping at the South Fargo office.

Dr. McCulley’s #1 Tip: Wear sunglasses when outside―always. Wearing sunglasses can help prevent macular degeneration.

Look for good coverage with polarized lenses.

You’re Invited!

McCulley Optix Gallery Open House

Thursday, April 28 2016

4-7 p.m.

2553 Kirsten Lane | Fargo, ND