Editor’s note: this story has been updated to correct a reference name and title.

Some big changes have taken place in the local eye care industry over the past year — all with the intention of providing top-of-the-line service to residents. 

Both Mountain Eyeworks and Eyecare Specialties have made some adjustments within their practices to expand services and bring in new technology. 

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In May, optometrist Erica Musgrove announced that Mountain Eyeworks, which has its flagship store in Steamboat Springs, was purchasing Victory Vision in Craig. Now, Mountain Eyeworks is welcoming a new eye doctor to its team.

Dr. Brian Williams, who worked under Musgrove as a student while going to optometry school, moved to the Yampa Valley from Iowa to join Mountain Eyeworks. Williams perviously worked in Steamboat and is now working out of both the Craig and Steamboat offices. 

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Williams said he was drawn to the profession because it allows him to provide a service that increases people’s quality of life and builds relationships. Williams added that he feels at home in Craig because it reminds him of his hometown. 

“I’m from a small town in Iowa, and they have some of the same qualities,” Williams said. “It’s easy to be in a small town and easier to build connections here.” 

Since the business changed ownership in May, Mountain Eyeworks has brought updated technology into the practice to get a better perspective of eye health. Williams also said they will be renovating the office around the first of the year to give it a fresh look. 

Craig’s other eye care provider, Eyecare Specialties, also has established offices in Craig and Steamboat and recently changed which vision plans it considers in-network in an effort to broaden its services.

In 2022, Eyecare Specialties decided to go out of network for third-party prepaid vision plans, which are different from medical insurance.

Staff at Eyecare Specialties said that they provide extensive medical eye care and bill to medical insurance. For patients with medical eye conditions or other health problems that can affect eye health, nothing has changed from years prior. 

Julie Caorale-Brown, the practice administrator said that being out of network with third-party vision plans has allowed Eyecare Specialties to expand cutting-edge services and significantly lower lens prices for all patients. 

“Moving away from network controlled vision plans allows us the freedom and flexibility to treat and prescribe the most advanced lens technology without restrictions,” said Dr. Craig Eckroth, who has been with Eyecare Specialties for almost 30 years in January.

Eyecare Specialties is one of seven Colorado providers and boasts being the only one on the Western Slope to offer Neurolens, which is a new lens design that corrects eye misalignment and can help alleviate symptoms such as eye fatigue, headaches, migraines, and neck and shoulder pain. 

Eyecare Specialties has also integrated Lumenis Optilight into its practice, which is the first FDA approved treatment for dry eyes using intense pulsed light to treat the root cause of dry eye disease. 

For more information on Eyecare Specialties, call 970-824-3488 or go to Eyecare-Specialties.com.

Fore more about Mountain Eyeworks, call 970-824-8307 or go to MountainEyeworks.com.