My Montrose: Bimal Patel of Focus Refined Eye Care

Dr. Bimal J. Patel, O.D. will open his new boutique optometry office, Focus Refined Eye Care, later this month at 515 Westheimer Road.  

Tell me about your new practice.

I’m very excited—it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I went to the University of Houston for optometry school, spent four years there, and thought I wanted to open up my own practice right after graduating. But it didn’t seem feasible, so I started with the Mann Eye Institute, where I learned a lot. It’s a different side of the eye world—it’s higher-volume, more surgery-focused.

How is what you want to do different than that?

I want to do something that is often missing in health care, which is that one-on-one time with a doctor. That’s what I’m attempting to do with Focus. It’s a concierge health care practice.

What will an office visit to Focus be like?

When the patient comes in they’ll be offered champagne, a cocktail, or coffee if they want. I’m not really going to have a waiting room; as soon as they check in I’ll call them back immediately. The idea is that I’ll get to know them, figure out their eye care needs, what their lifestyle is like, what their hobbies are. I’ll do scans on their eyes with a new scanning machine from this German company called Zeiss. They do a digital scan of the eye that takes in all the contours, the curvature—it basically gives you a one-of-a-kind map of your eye. I’ll be one of the few optometrists in Houston to have one.

What kinds of frames will you offer?

I want to be my patients’ eyewear stylist. I want to get an idea of who the patient is as an individual and what kind of eyewear they need, whether it’s sunglasses, glasses to look at the computer, or glasses to wear while exercising.

The office will also offer some spa services, right?

Before every eye exam, the patient will receive a massage. There’s a massage mask that they’ll wear. I want to create that spa-like experience, because people enjoy going to the spa and the salon. I feel like when I go to most doctors’ offices, I’m just a number. I want to make it a more enjoyable experience, so that people actually want to come here. And I’m looking into getting into some more spa services like Botox, eventually, for patients who want that.

Why did choose to open your office in Montrose?

Well, I spend a lot of time in Montrose. I’m very involved in the LGBT community, a lot of my friends live there, I live very close by. I love that it’s so diverse—there’s young people, there’s older people, there’s young professionals…it’s the perfect fit. And I think Montrose kind of defines what the city is becoming. So I want to welcome everybody, and give them the experience they deserve in going to see a healthcare provider.

eyelovefocus.com