Advantage Eye Care is preparing to relocate its Whitesville office to a new, state-of-the-art facility on the edge of Owensboro, a move co-owner Dr. J. Murray Adams said reflects both the region’s growth and the practice’s long-term commitment to the community.
The locally owned optometry practice was founded 50 years ago by Dr. H. Andrew Ward in Wesleyan Park Plaza. Today, the business is owned by husband-and-wife optometrists Dr. Patricia Ward Adams and Dr. J. Murray Adams.
“My father-in-law, Dr. H. Andrew Ward, he started our practice 50 years ago,” Adams said.
After graduating from optometry school in 2003, Patricia Ward Adams joined the practice while Murray Adams worked out of town. As the practice grew, the couple purchased and renovated a building near United Way at 411 Park Plaza Drive in Owensboro, expanding to accommodate multiple doctors and additional exam space.
“We noticed that our waiting room was getting really busy,” Adams said. “Especially with the pandemic, people were kind of on top of each other.”
In 2022, the practice opened a satellite office in Whitesville, citing both the growth along the Kentucky 54 corridor and a strong Catholic population in the Whitesville and Knottsville areas.
The new office is being constructed at 4367 Springhill Drive, just off of KY 54 and between Poole’s Pharmacy Care and Trunnell’s Market & Gourmet Deli.
“The expansion of Owensboro seems to be around that intersection of Millers Mill and Highway 54,” Adams said. “If you kind of zoom out on the map of Owensboro, that’s my thoughts.”
Adams said the location offers easy access, convenient parking, and enough space to continue growing without moving deeper into the city’s busiest commercial areas.
The new facility will feature six exam rooms, allowing up to three doctors to work simultaneously. Adams said the office is being designed with advanced technology and patient comfort in mind.
“The exam rooms will have state-of-the-art technology,” Adams said. “We like to invest in good technology that really takes care of patients.”
Among the equipment planned for the facility are digital phoropters, ultra-wide retinal imaging systems, OCT imaging technology for glaucoma and diabetic eye monitoring, and a dedicated procedure room for dry eye treatments and other medical services.
One of Adams’ favorite tools is the Optos ultra-wide retinal imaging system, which captures high-definition images of the retina to help detect conditions such as retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration.
He also highlighted the office’s OCT technology, which helps monitor glaucoma progression and microvascular changes associated with diabetes.
“That’s ultra state-of-the-art right there,” Adams said.
In addition to routine eye exams and eyewear, Advantage Eye Care also offers specialized vision therapy services at its Owensboro office. Adams said the practice is one of only five in Kentucky to provide vision therapy, which can help children with eye coordination issues and stroke patients experiencing double vision.
The practice also offers myopia management programs aimed at slowing the progression of nearsightedness in children through specialized lenses and contact lenses.
“It’s not just about glasses,” Adams said. “It’s about protecting your vision forever.”
The new office is expected to open around Aug. 1, though Adams said construction could be completed sooner.
“We want to make the building a beautiful part of Owensboro, because we absolutely love Owensboro,” Adams said. “This is home. We’re never moving.”
