Hiemstra Optical
Hiemstra Optical is a multi-location optometry practice operating five West Michigan sites, offering comprehensive eye exams, medical eye disease management, designer eyewear, contact lens fittings, and on-site frame repairs, serving individual consumers via direct retail and major vision insurance plans.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1967
- HeadquartersPortage, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hiemstra Optical does
Hiemstra Optical is a multi-location optometry practice headquartered in Portage, Michigan, operating five retail sites across West Michigan: Downtown Kalamazoo, Gull Road (eyewear dispensary only), Portage, Paw Paw, and Plainwell. Founded in June 1967 by Harold Hiemstra and led since 1981 by Todd Totzke (great-nephew of the founder), the practice now operates as a subsidiary of Chicago-based Midwest Vision Partners. It employs between 11 and 50 people across the network, including nine Doctors of Optometry.
The core offering combines routine and medical eye care with retail eyewear. Services include comprehensive eye exams, chronic condition management (dry eye, glaucoma, diabetic eye care, medication toxicity monitoring) using standard diagnostic equipment such as OCT, slit lamps, and phoropters, contact lens fittings (including specialty lenses), and an in-house soldering lab for same-day frame repairs. The practice sells designer and independent eyewear brands (Ray-Ban, Gucci, exclusive brands like Dutz and Dolabany) and major contact lens brands (Acuvue, Alcon, CooperVision, Bausch + Lomb). No mobile app, software product, or proprietary technology platform is offered.
Revenue is generated through professional services (exams and medical management), one-time product sales (frames, lenses, contact lenses), and recurring chronic-care visits. Pricing is facilitated through accepted vision insurance plans (VSP, EyeMed, ASR, with Davis Vision and UHC Spectera credentialing in progress) plus self-pay. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via walk-in and appointment-based retail; the marketing footprint is limited to a website and 275+ five-star Google reviews. The business is a stable, regionally embedded healthcare provider rather than a scaling technology-enabled platform.
Hiemstra Optical firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hiemstra Optical
- Legal name
- Hiemstra Optical
- Website
- https://hiemstraoptical.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1967
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hiemstra Optical is a multi-location optometry practice operating five West Michigan sites, offering comprehensive eye exams, medical eye disease management, designer eyewear, contact lens fittings, and on-site frame repairs, serving individual consumers via direct retail and major vision insurance plans.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hiemstra Optical industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Optometry and Eye Care Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Optometrists (62132), Optical Goods Retailers (45613)
- SIC
- Ophthalmic Goods (3851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL), Ocular Imaging & Diagnostic Testing Centers (HLAKAKAN)
Keywords
Where Hiemstra Optical is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Portage
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Hiemstra Optical business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Eye Exams: Comprehensive eye exams billed to vision insurance or self-pay. Includes routine exams, contact lens fittings, and medical eye exams.
- Contact Lens Sales: Contact lenses sold directly to patients. Carries major brands including Acuvue, Alcon, CooperVision, and Bausch + Lomb. Annual prescriptions required.
- Eyeglasses and Frames: Designer and independent eyewear frames sold with prescription lenses. Carries Ray-Ban, Oakley, Nike, Gucci, Kate Spade, Hugo Boss, Carolina Herrera, and exclusive brands like Dutz, Dolabany, Zen, Woow, and ProDesign.
- Eyewear Repairs: Repair services including nose pad replacement, screw tightening, frame adjustments, rimless remounting, and soldering. Often completed same-day while patient waits.
- Medical Eye Care Management: Chronic condition management for dry eye, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and medication toxicity monitoring. Includes diagnostic testing and ongoing monitoring visits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Vision Insurance Accepted |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Hiemstra Optical product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hiemstra Optical operates as a multi-location optometry practice providing comprehensive eye examinations, medical management of chronic ocular conditions (dry eye, glaucoma, diabetic eye care), prescription eyeglasses including designer frames, contact lens fittings and supply, and on-site eyewear repair services. Services are delivered across five West Michigan retail locations by nine Doctors of Optometry and licensed opticians.
Product overview
Hiemstra Optical operates as a multi-location optometry practice offering a unified suite of eye care and eyewear services. The core offering combines comprehensive eye examinations and medical eye disease management with retail eyewear services. The service portfolio includes: Comprehensive Eye Exams (diagnostic testing and vision assessment), Medical Management (dry eye, glaucoma, diabetic eye care, medication monitoring), and Glasses & Contacts (encompassing frame selection with designer brands like Ray-Ban and Gucci, prescription lenses including Kodak progressives, contact lens fittings, and in-house repair services). Customers can access all services across five West Michigan locations in Downtown Kalamazoo, Gull Road, Portage, Paw Paw, and Plainwell. The practice was founded in 1967 and serves as a traditional eye care provider without a technology platform or software product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Comprehensive Eye Exams Licensed Doctors of Optometry perform comprehensive evaluations including visual acuity testing, refraction assessment, eye pressure checks, slit lamp examination, and dilated retinal exams to assess vision clarity and overall eye health for patients of all ages.
- Medical Eye Care Management Chronic ocular condition management covering dry eye disease, glaucoma monitoring and treatment, diabetic eye care, and medication toxicity surveillance for systemic medications with known ocular effects.
- Designer Eyeglass Frames Curated collection of designer and independent eyewear including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Nike, Gucci, Kate Spade, Hugo Boss, and Carolina Herrera, plus exclusive independent brands (Dutz, Dolabany, Zen, Woow, ProDesign) not available elsewhere in Kalamazoo.
- Prescription Lens Options Full range of lens technologies including single vision, bifocal, progressive (no-line multifocal), reading lenses, computer/occupational lenses, prism lenses, and specialty premium options like Kodak Infinite and Kodak Unique DRO.
- Contact Lens Fittings & Exams Comprehensive contact lens fitting services including eye measurements, trial lens fitting, vision assessment, wear and care instruction, plus specialty fittings for scleral lenses, bifocal/multifocal lenses, and toric lenses for astigmatism.
- Eyeglass Repairs & Adjustments On-site repair lab services including nose pad replacement, screw tightening, frame adjustments, rimless remounting, precision soldering, and full frame replacement with remounting of existing lenses.
Companies that use Hiemstra Optical
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Hiemstra Optical technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Hiemstra Optical partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VSP (Vision Service Plan)coreMajor vision insurance provider accepted at all Hiemstra Optical locations for eye exams and eyewear.
- EyeMedcoreMajor vision insurance plan accepted for comprehensive eye exams and eyewear purchases.
- ASRcoreVision insurance provider accepted for eye care services and eyewear.
- Davis VisionminorCurrently finalizing credentialing; coverage status pending for this vision plan.
- UHC SpecteraminorActively finalizing credentialing for this vision insurance plan.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Hiemstra Optical competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- EyeCare Partners: Large PE-backed optometry and ophthalmology platform owner of regional practices across the US. Not a direct competitor but the most structurally analogous consolidator to Hiemstra's parent Midwest Vision Partners, sharing similar multi-practice roll-up economics and medical/optical integration strategy.
- Parschauer Eye Center: West Michigan-based ophthalmology and optometry practice referenced on Hiemstra's own website as a partner providing advanced/surgical care. Sits in the same West Michigan clinical referral ecosystem and shares the Midwest Vision Partners affiliation, making it a directly adjacent clinical rather than competitive peer.
Broad incumbents
- Clarkson Eyecare: Multi-state optometry and ophthalmology group practice offering comprehensive exams, medical management, glasses, and contacts. Comparable in service breadth and medical management offering but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic scope than Hiemstra.
- America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses: High-volume US optical retailer offering combined eye exams and eyeglasses/contact lens packages at value price points. Competes for budget-conscious eyewear consumers in markets that overlap with Hiemstra's positioning and benefits from substantial scale economics.
- Pearle Vision: Nationally franchised optical chain providing comprehensive eye exams, glasses, and contact lens services. Comparable service offering but a national, franchise-driven model with stronger brand marketing and broader geographic reach than Hiemstra's regional footprint.
- LensCrafters: Largest US optical retail chain offering eye exams (often through affiliated optometrists) and a wide selection of designer frames. Competes for the same premium eyewear customers as Hiemstra but at much larger national scale and with a more transactional retail model.
Direct peers
- Sterling Optical: Established franchise and corporate optical retail chain offering eye exams, designer frames, lenses, and contact lenses in physical storefronts. Comparable business model combining exam services with optical retail, though it operates as a franchise system rather than an independent regional group.
- RX Optical: Michigan-based multi-location optical retailer and optometry practice offering eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses across dozens of locations. Highly comparable in scale, footprint, and service mix to Hiemstra Optical, operating in overlapping West Michigan markets.
- SVS Vision: Michigan-headquartered optical retailer with a strong regional presence offering eye exams, frames, and contact lenses. Closest geographic and service-model analog to Hiemstra, with similar value positioning on accessible vision care.
Emerging players
- Warby Parker: DTC eyewear brand with retail stores and online operations, offering prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses plus in-store eye exams. Comparable in optical retail category but distinctively DTC-led, threatening traditional practices like Hiemstra by combining digital convenience with growing physical footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hiemstra Optical social profiles
Digital presenceHiemstra Optical financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hiemstra Optical leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hiemstra Optical funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hiemstra Optical M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hiemstra Optical
What does Hiemstra Optical do?
Hiemstra Optical operates as a multi-location optometry practice providing comprehensive eye examinations, medical management of chronic ocular conditions (dry eye, glaucoma, diabetic eye care), prescription eyeglasses including designer frames, contact lens fittings and supply, and on-site eyewear repair services. Services are delivered across five West Michigan retail locations by nine Doctors of Optometry and licensed opticians.
Is Hiemstra Optical a public or private company?
Hiemstra Optical is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hiemstra Optical founded?
Hiemstra Optical was founded in 1967. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hiemstra Optical based?
Hiemstra Optical is headquartered in Portage, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hiemstra Optical make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Eye Exams are the primary driver. The others are contact Lens Sales, eyeglasses and Frames, eyewear Repairs and medical Eye Care Management.
Who are Hiemstra Optical's main competitors?
Others on record are EyeCare Partners and Parschauer Eye Center. Broad incumbents are Clarkson Eyecare, America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Pearle Vision and LensCrafters. Direct peers are Sterling Optical, RX Optical and SVS Vision. Warby Parker is listed as an emerging player.
Does Hiemstra Optical have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hiemstra Optical.
What industry is Hiemstra Optical in?
Hiemstra Optical's product category is Optometry and Eye Care Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAKAA, Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care, with a secondary code of HLAKAKAL, Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses). Its NAICS code is 62132 and its SIC code is 3851.