Eye Care of Virginia

EYE CARE

Eye Care of Virginia Dr. Miles Press

In his 51 years of experience, optometrist Dr. Miles Press has probably seen, diagnosed or treated every kind of eye disorder there is. “Every week, every day I see patients with unique problems,” Press said. “The key is, I work with my patients to solve those problems, sometimes finding issues other doctors haven’t found.” Press, of Eye Care of Virginia, has a keen fascination with eye health that was sparked as a youngster in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His family’s optometrist, Dr. Robert Morrison, noticed that Press was interested in what he was doing during an annual eye exam. “He took me downstairs and showed me around his contact lens manufacturing company,” Press said. “He told me, ‘When you’re 16, I’ll put you to work for me.’” And so, at age 16, he worked part-time for him after school. Press became immersed in the design and manufacture of soft contact lenses, brand new in the late 1960s and a boon to eye health. At that time, Morrison traveled to England on behest of the prince and princess and was gifted a Rolls Royce by them for saving their daughter’s eyesight with revolutionary contact lenses. “When he brought back the prescription, I was the one who cut the curves on those lenses,” Press recalled. Following pre-optometry courses at the local community college, Press, armed with a letter of referral by Morrison, enrolled in the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1971. Press then joined the Air Force as an optometrist and captain. He worked in the flight surgeon’s offices at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field and was held responsible for all the flight officers who flew the gunships and jets over to Vietnam. He also saw over 10,000 dependents of active duty personnel at both bases. After the military, he worked with opticians throughout Virginia, staying up to date on the newest advancements in eye care. He developed his own FDA-approved tinted soft contact lens in 1980 for which he sold the rights to Ciba Vision in 1986. In 2013, he partnered with Walmart to open offices in King George and Culpeper, where he continues to apply up-to-date procedures and technology to help his patients. Press offers a new product called MiSight©, a contact lens for children that slows the progression of nearsightedness by 59%. He said sadly more time spent on screens, virtual learning, and less time outdoors has fueled an increase in myopia among children aged 8-12 over the past five years. “It’s so rewarding to see the improvements in vision MiSight© can make,” Press said. His concern for people’s eyesight expanded overseas from 2009 to 2011 when Press joined three medical mission trips to Peru. The only optometrist in a group of over 20 doctors, he was able to see 3,000 patients during a week’s stay and help many there by providing eye exams and corrective lenses. Closer to home, Press saved a child’s vision by identifying an issue no one else discovered and referring him to a specialist for treatment. He diagnosed cancer in a patient during her eye exam, which she hadn’t known she had. He has brought diabetic patients’ vision back to 20/20. Fifty-one years of success in treating eye health concerns such as these has earned Press a reputation among patients that awarded him Culpeper’s Best of the Best seven years straight and continues to spur him on in his mission for excellence in eye care.