Family Eye Care of Abilene: A Constant in Care, Generation After Generation
Dickinson County, Kan. — When someone walks into Family Eye Care of Abilene with a problem, Dr. Jarad Waite wants them to know they are in the right place.
Sometimes that means a routine eye exam. Other times, it is something much more immediate.
Recently, a patient came in with a piece of metal in his eye. Waite was able to examine the injury and take care of the problem — the kind of situation he says is more common in an optometry office than many people realize.
For Waite, that ability to identify a problem and improve someone’s quality of life is one of the most rewarding parts of his work.
“Honestly, it’s just when someone comes in with a problem and I have the training and capability to solve their problem,” Waite said. “Being able to diagnose and heal — being able to improve quality of life by addressing their eye care needs.”
It is an approach that has guided Family Eye Care through nearly two decades of growth and service in Abilene.
A Small-Town Path
Waite knew by middle school that he wanted to become an eye doctor.
Growing up in Osborne, Kansas, one of his early inspirations was a local optometrist he knew there. That early influence helped set Waite on the path toward a career in optometry.
Waite graduated from Osborne High School in 1994, earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Kansas State University in 1998 and his Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2003.
After living in Wichita, Waite and his family wanted to return to a smaller community. He also wanted to own his own business.
He found both opportunities in Abilene.
On July 1, 2008, Waite began seeing patients after purchasing the practice of retiring optometrist Dr. Jon Thayer. Abilene soon became more than the location of the business. It became home.
Growth Creates Room for More
As Family Eye Care’s patient base grew, the practice eventually outgrew its original location on Northwest Third Street.
In 2013, the business moved to its current location on Northwest 15th Street. The larger facility expanded the practice from two exam rooms to four, created room for additional staff and improved accessibility for elderly patients and people with disabilities.
The move also allowed Family Eye Care to add an in-house lens lab, giving the team the ability to cut lenses on site.
The practice has grown in other visible ways, too. When Waite purchased Family Eye Care, it stocked about 300 frames. Today, patients can choose from more than 900.
Jarad’s wife, Jenn Waite, serves as office manager and has watched much of that growth from behind the scenes.
“Jarad is definitely the face and force behind Family Eye Care,” Jenn said. “My roles are much smaller and more behind the scenes, which allowed me more flexibility to raise our children.”
As the years have gone on, she has transitioned into roles at the front desk, in the optical area and in pre-testing, allowing her to interact more directly with patients.
The business has also adapted to changes well beyond its walls. Jenn points to the growth of online companies selling glasses and contacts as one of the challenges facing independent practices today.
“We appreciate customers continuing to buy local and hope that we can come close to providing products at similar costs — which is a challenge sometimes when trying to compete with corporate companies,” she said. “We do pride ourselves in being a physical location with real people to assist with day-to-day needs.”
Waite also continues to invest in diagnostic equipment to keep pace with changing technology.
“We like to stay up on technology,” he said. “We try to update our equipment every couple of years to make sure it’s current.”
Longtime patient Tony Geiger has watched that evolution. Geiger has been a Family Eye Care patient since Waite took ownership in 2008 and said he has seen the practice’s customer base grow consistently over the years.
More Than Glasses and Contacts
While glasses, contacts and routine exams remain an important part of the practice, Waite said optometric care extends well beyond vision correction.
Family Eye Care diagnoses and manages conditions including cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and dry eye, in addition to evaluating urgent eye-health concerns.
“We can diagnose a majority of eye problems,” Waite said. “If it’s something we can’t treat, we refer to a specialist.”
That role has become increasingly important as some specialty providers retire and patients face fewer options nearby.
Family Eye Care maintains an emergency line, works to accommodate urgent needs and continues to accept new patients, with a goal of scheduling them within a matter of weeks.
For Geiger, having that care available close to home makes a difference.
“As with any needed service or product, having local availability is a major advantage and convenience,” he said.
Relationships Built Over Time
Nearly 18 years after arriving in Abilene, Waite can also measure time by the families he serves.
Some of the children he treated years ago grew up alongside his own kids. Today, some are in their mid-20s and beginning families of their own. Family Eye Care now cares for multiple generations within some families.
That kind of connection is part of what brought the Waite family to Abilene in the first place.
“The driving factor for our move to Abilene eighteen years ago was to be in a smaller community similar to what we both grew up in,” Jenn said. “We are believers in giving back to the community that supports you.”
She said they remain thankful for the way the community welcomed their family and has continued to place its trust in the practice.
“We have patients that have been with us since the beginning, but we also always welcome new,” she said.
Geiger’s relationship with Waite reflects that continuity.
“Jarad and his staff have always taken excellent care of my eyes and have done so with a compassionate, knowledgeable approach,” Geiger said.
Over the years, the relationship has grown beyond the exam room.
“I consider Jarad a valued friend in addition to being a trusted caretaker of my eyesight,” Geiger said. “He is quick to point out issues that need to be addressed or monitored, but does not ‘push’ remedies or equipment that isn’t needed. I come away from each exam or visit feeling valued and assured that my eyes are in good hands.”
Geiger, who also serves on the Driving Dickinson County Board of Directors, sees Family Eye Care’s value from another perspective as well.
“Family Eye Care provides a vital service to our Dickinson County community and beyond,” he said.
He pointed to the practice’s local employment and contribution to the tax base, as well as the Waite family’s support of area organizations and events.
Jarad and Jenn both serve on local boards and stay involved in the community they have called home since 2008.
Being Here When It Matters
For Waite, accessibility is about more than responding when someone walks through the door with an injury.
He also wants patients to understand the value of routine care before something feels wrong.
“The importance of routine exams every year is really just to check the health,” Waite said. “We can be proactive with a problem versus waiting for it.”
For Jenn, that same commitment comes down to being a place patients know they can count on.
“We hope that patients and the community will associate us with being a constant, reliable place of service,” she said. “We pride ourselves with being able to take time to fully engage with the needs and concerns for each patient.”
Nearly two decades after Waite moved his family to Abilene and took ownership of an established practice, Family Eye Care has grown in patients, space, staff, technology and capacity.
It is the kind of roadmarkable growth that happens gradually — through investment, relationships and a commitment to keep showing up for the people a business serves.
And for Waite, that remains the goal.
“We want people to know we’re always here.”
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