If you need sharper vision and more stylish eyewear, count yourself lucky. Maida Family Eyecare, the new kid on Leonard Street, opened its doors on Aug. 24.
Dr. Rebecca Maida grew up in Belmont and worked at her mother, Dr. Linda Bennett’s, optometry practice. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Maida didn’t join the family business right away. She had a passion for education, and ended up teaching math at Chenery Middle School. After two years, she said she realized optometry was her calling.
“A lot of what we do [in optometry] is teach patients, so it wasn’t that big of a switch,” Maida told The Voice.
She enrolled at New England College of Optometry and started working at her mother’s practice in 2008.
Maida Family Eye Care will focus on customer service and serving the community she has been a part of her whole life, Maida said.
Maida and office manager Claire Holmes go way back to their days as Belmont Public Schools students. They have known each other for around 35 years. Holmes works to ensure every customer finds the right eyewear. She said she loves helping customers feel confident in their new looks.
“A lot of people don’t think of [eyewear] as a medical device, but that’s what it is. You want the utility to work correctly, you want the comfort to be there, and you want the fashion to be there, too,” Holmes said.
“We want patients to see clearly and comfortably, and look good while they’re doing it,” Maida emphasized.
Holmes added that they like to stay up to date on the latest technologies in the optical world.
The two are eager to partner with the Belmont community. They quickly joined the Belmont Center Business Association and said they hope to work with school nurses’ offices to ensure they can provide high-quality eye exams, Maida said.
“We’re bringing it back to one-on-one, excellent bedside manner,” Holmes added. The practice provides several services, including urgent care and a focus on myopia control. Myopia, or nearsightedness, makes it difficult to see distant objects. Maida said there are alternatives to slowing myopia progression that don’t include simply increasing a patient’s prescription. For example, patients can use contact lenses and eye drops.
Relationship building is also important to the two. Maida said that they have built up relationships with doctors over time. If there is an issue their practice can’t help with, they can connect their patient to someone who can.
“We’re a woman-[run], independent, local eye-care practice, and we are really gonna focus on having people see clearly and comfortably, and [on] customer service,” Maida said.
Maida Family Eyecare is now open, located at 85 Leonard St.
