Cape Coral Eye Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary in North Fort Myers
 By: Andrea Galabinski, North Fort Myers Neighbor 

http://www.northfortmyersneighbor.com/page/content.detail/id/505192/Cape-Coral-Eye-Center-celebrates-30th-anniversary-in-North-Fort-Myers.html?nav=5164

North Fort Myers, FL February 9, 2010 - He served as a doctor in Vietnam, and even flew spy planes during the war. When he retired from the Air Force, he decided to make Cape Coral - and North Fort Myers - home for his family and his practice.

Now, more than 30 years later, Dr. Benjamin Martin, his family and staffs celebrated their 30th anniversary with a ribbon cutting at the Center's first North Fort Myers location.

The North Fort Myers location was the second center the group started after their main Cape office those years ago. The Center has six locations, three in Cape Coral and three in North Fort Myers.

The milestone was celebrated in conjunction with the opening of a new audiology office at the 18770 Tamiami Trail N. location."Audiology is undeserved in the area," said Medical Director Farrell C. Tyson, II, M.D.

The business is a family affair. Dr. Tyson, who is Dr. Martin's stepson, now owns the practice. His mother, Suzi Martin, PhD., is the Eye Center's practice administrator. Both have extremely active roles in the business.

"He's always been my role model," Dr. Tyson said, and of why he decided to follow in his footsteps. Tyson started in the family business when he was just 10 years old, going into the office to help with computers.

"Dr. Martin was the Chief of Ophthalmology & Surgical Services at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, a Flight Surgeon at PhuCat Air Base in Vietnam, and retired as a full colonel. When he started his practice he was the only ophthalmologist in Cape Coral."

Besides running the centers, Tyson added he was proud of the charity work the family has done, including their many missions to provide ophthalmic aid to those in underprivileged communities in Mexico, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Kenya and Honduras, among others.

"We're also one of the largest employers in the area," he said.

Suzi Martin is also a familiar face in the community. She is a former chairman of the Lee County School Board and was noted as Florida Woman of the Year.

Other familiar family faces include Steven and Eviana Martin, who run a recognized law practice in the area.

Why open three of his six locations in North Fort Myers?

"To concentrate on the local communities for better, more convenient patient care," Martin said. "That's the secret to our success.

"Other ophthalmologists have expanded to Naples or Punta Gorda," he continued. "But we have a very loyal patient base - and decided to open centers here when the area started growing and the traffic became harder for local residents."

Martin and his wife both said they researched the area before they moved here when he got out of the Air Force.

"The population in Cape Coral was about 33,000 then and Del Prado was two lanes," said Martin. "A friend of mine told me it was a good place to practice and I've never regretted it."

He said the last 30 years have passed quickly.

"It went by fast. It just seems like yesterday coming here, and it's amazing to me how much Cape Coral has grown. I never knew it would grow this much."

Martin calls Cape Coral and North Fort Myers "Kissing Cousins" and he and Tyson remarked about the friendliness of people in the area, a pleasure to their practice.

Many local residents say they have been long-standing patients at the centers. Gregg Makepeace, president of the North Fort Myers Civic Association, and Kim Constantine, head of the North Fort Myers

Chamber of Commerce, have been regular patients for many years.

"I think I'm one of the first - if not the first - patients here," said Makepeace of the North Fort Myers location.

Garrick R. Layman, O.D., has been there since the opening of that center.

"I like this location," he said. "We're around some of the largest local communities, and it is nice to be in the middle of things."

Many from the communities attended the event.

The anniversary also celebrated the opening of the new Cape Coral Audiology office.

Karen Major, AuD, will heading up the office there.

"I've been in the main Cape Center for over a year," she said. "We were getting many patients from North Fort Myers, so this location is so much more convenient to more people. It's all about patient care."

Major will be assisted by Kathy Schrage, a licensed audiology assistant at the location.

"She's one of the very few doctors of audiology in the area," Martin said.

The locations for the Cape Coral Eye Center in North Fort Myers include the 18770 Tamiami Trail N.l location, 5781 Bayshore Rd. and one at 4085 Hancock Bridge Pkwy. The main office and the Eye Surgery and Laser Center is located at 4120 Del Prado Blvd. S. and other locations are in Northwest Cape Coral at 900 SW Pine Island Rd., and in Southwest Cape Coral, 331 Cape Coral Pkwy W.

For information on any of the centers, call 542-2020.