The Columbus Blue Jackets are excited to partner with First Merchants Bank to recognize small businesses in our community. Each month throughout the season, one company will be featured as the Small Business of the Month presented by First Merchants Bank. November's Small Business of the Month is the Eye Center of Columbus.
Geoff Haught and Kail Niederkohr arrived at the Blue Jackets’ Thanksgiving Eve game Nov. 26 vs. Toronto having had a busy workday the day before.
The surgery technologists at the Eye Center of Columbus helped surgeons at the downtown facility perform 84 procedures the day before. It was uncommonly hectic – they said an average day consists of 50 or 60 surgeries – but that’s a lot of people helped in one day when it comes to one of the basic necessities in life.
With that in mind, the two said helping patients fix problems with their sight makes for a pretty good way to make a living.
“It’s very rewarding,” Haught said.
The Eye Center of Columbus has over 80 ophthalmologists from more than 10 different practices working together to provide quality eye care in central Ohio. The Eye Center brings together community ophthalmic resources in one technologically advanced, state-of-the-art facility.
One of the specialties at the downtown location just steps from Nationwide Arena is surgery, where Haught and Neiderkohr help doctors perform the critical procedures that can help those with serious eye problems regain their vision.
“Our process is a little different,” Niederkohr said. “There’s the clinical side, the office where you go to get your eyes checked. We’re all surgery. We do cataract surgery, retina surgery, glaucoma surgery, muscle surgery, so that’s all we focus on in our office.
“(Us surgery technologists) kind of help run the show. The doctors perform the surgery, but we kind of run the surgery and get everything set up and then they come in and do it.”
Haught said he gets to a couple of Blue Jackets games each year and had previously been able to ride on the Zamboni, but their attendance at the game vs. the Maple Leafs included a couple of special perks. The guests from The Eye Center of Columbus were able to watch pregame warmups from the bench before enjoying the game from club level at Nationwide Arena.
“It was awesome,” Niederkohr said. “It’s the first time I’ve gotten to do anything like that.”
