For the first time in over half a century a doctor named Whittlesey is not practicing optometry in Humboldt.

Dr. Bryan Larson took over the reins on Jan. 4 at the newly renovated Three Rivers Eye Care clinic, following the retirement of Dr. Kirk Whittlesey last year.

Meanwhile, Dr. Brandon Hauck has joined Dr. Patrick Lenane at Broadway Vision Clinic in Eagle Grove.

Lenane acquired the clinic in Eagle Grove from Dr. Jeff Neighbors and took over the practice officially on Dec. 31.

Hauck and Lenane also work together at Medical Arts EyeCare in Fort Dodge. Lenane joined Medical Arts EyeCare in January of 2005.

Hauck replaced Dr. Richard Jacobson at Medical Arts in 2015. Jacobson was another long-serving optometrist in the area. Jacobson practiced for over 20 years in Fort Dodge and had 40 years of experience in optometry.

These optometrists represent the wave of new eye care specialists that have moved into two smaller area communities.

Three Rivers Eye Care

Larson grew up in Ames and went to Iowa State University before attending the University of Missouri-St. Louis for optometry.

While in Ames, Larson made a connection with Chad Gidel, an optometrist at Wolfe Clinic. Gidel had a familiarity with the eye care practice in Humboldt and was aware of Whittlesey’s impending retirement.

Larson then developed a relationship with Whittlesey in 2015.

“Dr. Whittlesey and I have been talking about this opportunity for about a year now,” Larson said. “It finally came to fruition in January.”

Larson says the transition has gone smoothly since beginning his operations in Humboldt.

There was a lot of running around that first day, but things went really well,” said Larson. “It was a good mess. Things have gone more smoothly as the days have gone on.”

Taking over a private practice is something Larson says he has always wanted to do.

“It is a much better professional opportunity to take over a practice that was already established versus starting a practice brand new,” Larson said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better professional opportunity.”

Practicing in a community such as Humboldt is another aspect Larson values.

“Everybody in the community has been friendly and are appreciative to have somebody in Humboldt to give them eye care, rather than them having to travel,” he said. “How friendly people have been is exactly why we chose this community.”

Larson’s message to the Humboldt community is about providing a high level of care.

“I want people to know that we are providing the same level of care that Dr. Whittlesey and his father have done for the last 50 or 60 years,” he said.

Another area of focus for Larson is providing patients more options for frames.

“We’re trying to offer a more extensive line of high quality frames for people to choose from,” Larson said, “so people don’t have to travel to Ames or Des Moines to get their glasses. They can stay here in Humboldt and get a good selection of frames.”

Broadway Vision Clinic

Hauck’s journey to becoming an optometrist began when he was still in high school as a patient.

“I actually saw Dr. Lenane as a patient when I was in high school,” said Hauck. “I was interested in optometry at the time and he told me to keep in touch with him if I was still interested down the road.”

Hauck attended Wartburg College in Waverly before going to school at Southern College of Optometry.

As it turned out, Hauck remained interested in optometry throughout his education and capitalized on an opportunity to work with Lenane.

“Brandon worked for us in his summers while he was in college at Wartburg,” said Lenane. “The timing just ended up being right. Dr. Jacobson, who started the practice in Fort Dodge, was retiring just as Brandon was finishing school, so it worked out perfectly for us.”

Hauck was able to work with Jacobson for a few months leading up to his retirement. Hauck’s first day practicing at Medical Arts EyeCare was July 1 in 2015.

“I was fortunate that I was able to work with a Dr. Jacobson and Dr. Lenane,” said Hauck. “It’s somewhat of a dream come true to be back at Medical Arts EyeCare as an optometrist after working as a technician in the summers before optometry school.”

Now Lenane and Hauck are starting a new venture in Eagle Grove at Broadway Vision Clinic.

Dr. John (Bucky) Gazaway, who was a former American Optometric Association president, started the practice in Eagle Grove. Neighbors had been practicing at Broadway Vision for the past nine years. Neighbors left for an opportunity to join a group practice in the Des Moines Metro area.

Hauck and Lenane officially began seeing patients at Broadway Vision on Jan. 6.

Hauck works out of Eagle Grove on Mondays and Wednesdays. He practices in Fort Dodge on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Lenane said having the opportunity to work in a small community like Eagle Grove is a nice fit for him.

“I have a niece that actually moved here a few years ago,” said Lenane. “She’s a grade school teacher here in Eagle Grove and that probably got me more interested in Eagle Grove than anything. It seemed like a nice opportunity for us.”

Hauck, who grew up in Humboldt, says he sees a lot of similarities in Eagle Grove.

“It’s a very welcoming town and it’s similar to Humboldt in that it’s a tight-knit community,” said Hauck.

Hauck and Lenane said one of their primary focuses is on the medical aspect of eye care as they start their practice in Eagle Grove.

“The population is not getting any younger in these parts of the country, so the emphasis is on the medical side of eye care as much as it is in glasses and contacts,” said Lenane.

Hauck said new technology allows doctors to detect eye diseases much earlier than in the past.

“We are always monitoring different eye diseases such as glaucoma,” said Hauck. “There’s a lot of technology available now that can allow us to detect diseases earlier.”

Hauck and Lenane are looking forward to serving the needs in the Eagle Grove community.

“This is a great opportunity for both Dr. Lenane and myself to get involved in the community of Eagle Grove and to serve the community,” Hauck said.