Southern Eye Associates

What Southern Eye Associates does

Southern Eye Associates is a private, multi-subspecialty ophthalmology practice founded in 1991 and headquartered at 601 E Matthews Ave, Jonesboro, Arkansas, with a satellite office in Paragould. The practice operates the affiliated Eye Surgery Center of Arkansas (an ambulatory surgery center) and the Laser Vision Correction Center, delivering cataract surgery, LASIK/PRK using the VISX Star S4 Excimer Laser with WaveScan and CustomVue Iris Registration, glaucoma surgery, macular degeneration treatment, clear lensectomy/refractive lens exchange, and diabetic retinopathy management. It is the only ophthalmology practice in Northeast Arkansas whose physicians are all board-certified across cataract, glaucoma, retina, and refractive subspecialties, supported by a consulting retina specialist from Charles Retina Institute and a clinical staff of approximately 30 including optometrists, RNs, technicians, and administrative personnel.

The business model is fee-for-service ophthalmology with two distinct revenue mechanics. Medically necessary procedures (basic cataract surgery, glaucoma care, retina injections, diabetic retinopathy treatment) are billed to medical insurance with patient responsibility limited to deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance. Elective and premium services — CustomVue LASIK/PRK, Toric IOL upgrades ($1,699 per eye), Multifocal IOL upgrades ($2,899 per eye), Extended Depth of Focus Vivity IOLs, and Clear Lensectomy — generate incremental out-of-pocket revenue with CareCredit financing (up to 18 months no-interest) extending patient affordability. The practice performs approximately 80 cataract surgeries per week and serves a regional patient base spanning Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri, with optometrist referral co-management as a core acquisition channel.

Customers are individual patients across age groups, including cataract patients, refractive error patients seeking spectacle independence, presbyopia patients over 45, and patients with chronic eye disease (glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, AMD). The go-to-market is consultative and direct: patients schedule via phone, web forms on arkansaslasik.com, or optometrist referral; conversion is supported by patient testimonials, doctor-profile content, and downloadable pre-op materials. Strategic positioning emphasizes regional all-subspecialty coverage, in-house surgical capacity, premium technology stack, and 30+ years of brand equity in an underserved mid-South market.

Name

Southern Eye Associates

Legal name

Southern Eye Associates

Website

https://arkansaslasik.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Eye Associates is a private multi-subspecialty ophthalmology practice in Jonesboro, Arkansas, founded in 1991, offering cataract surgery, LASIK/PRK, glaucoma, retina, and refractive lens procedures to patients across Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri via an affiliated ambulatory surgery center and a satellite in Paragould.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (62132)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmology Clinics (Medical & Surgical Eye Care) (HLAKAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery (LASIK/PRK) (HLAKAKAF), Glaucoma Specialists (HLAKAKAG), Retina & Vitreous Specialists (HLAKAKAE), Ophthalmology Surgery Centers (HLAFAIAF), Optometry Clinics (Primary Eye Care) (HLAKAKAB)

Keywords

• Ophthalmology services
• Cataract surgery
• LASIK vision correction
• Glaucoma treatment
• Retinal disease care

Headquarters

HQ city

Jonesboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Surgical Procedures: Fee-for-service medical procedures including cataract surgery, LASIK, PRK, glaucoma surgery, clear lensectomy. Revenue generated through insurance billing for medically necessary procedures and out-of-pocket payment for elective refractive procedures.
2. Insurance Reimbursement: Medical insurance coverage for cataract surgery deemed medically necessary, with basic lens implants covered by most medical insurances. Deluxe lens implants have upgrade fees not covered by insurance.
3. Premium Lens Upgrades: Additional fees for advanced cataract surgery options including Toric IOL ($1699/per eye for distance vision), multifocal lenses ($2899/per eye for distance and near vision), and Extended Depth of Focus Vivity IOL.
4. Financing Services: Partnership with CareCredit for patient financing options, allowing payment plans up to 18 months with no interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Southern Eye Associates is an ophthalmology practice that diagnoses and surgically treats eye diseases and refractive vision disorders. Its core offerings include cataract surgery (with phacoemulsification and premium IOL options), LASIK and PRK laser vision correction, glaucoma surgery, macular degeneration treatment, clear lensectomy, and diabetic retinopathy treatment, supported by an in-house ambulatory surgery center and a regional optometrist referral network.

Product overview

Southern Eye Associates is an ophthalmology practice offering a unified portfolio of eye care surgical and medical services. The core offerings include Cataract Surgery (using phacoemulsification technique), LASIK/PRK laser vision correction (using VISX Star S4 Excimer Laser), Glaucoma Surgery, Macular Degeneration Treatment, Clear Lensectomy, and Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment. Premium add-on modules include Custom LASIK/PRK with WaveScan and Iris Registration technology, Monovision LASIK, Advanced Cataract Surgery with deluxe lens options (Toric IOL, Multifocal IOL, Extended Depth of Focus Vivity IOL), and Multifocal Cataract Surgery. The practice serves patients in Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri with a focus on refractive and cataract surgery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cataract Surgery Surgical removal of clouded lenses and replacement with artificial intraocular lens implants (IOLs) using phacoemulsification clear cornea sutureless technique, for patients with age-related or other cataracts.
• Cataract Lens Options Premium intraocular lens implants including Monofocal IOL, Toric IOL for astigmatism correction, Multifocal IOL (ReSTOR, Tecnis), and Extended Depth of Focus IOL (Alcon AcrySof IQ Vivity) used during cataract surgery.
• LASIK / PRK Laser vision correction procedures using the VISX Star S4 Excimer Laser with Advanced CustomVue Iris Registration technology to reshape the cornea and reduce dependence on glasses or contacts for patients with refractive errors.
• Custom LASIK / PRK Advanced wavefront-guided laser vision correction using VISX Star S4 Excimer Laser with WaveScan technology, ActiveTrak 3-D Eye Tracker, and CustomVue Iris Registration for personalized treatment.
• Monovision LASIK LASIK technique that corrects one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision, allowing reduced dependence on reading glasses for patients over 40.
• Glaucoma Surgery Surgical and laser treatments for glaucoma including laser trabeculoplasty, laser cyclophotocoagulation (ECP), and conventional filtration surgery to lower intraocular pressure.
• Macular Degeneration Treatment Medical management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) including wet AMD treatments with anti-VEGF injections, laser surgery, and photodynamic therapy.
• Clear Lensectomy Refractive lens exchange procedure for patients without significant cataracts who wish to reduce dependence on glasses or contacts, using the same surgical technique as cataract surgery.
• Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment Medical and surgical management of diabetic eye disease including laser treatments (scatter laser, focal laser), vitrectomy surgery, and anti-VEGF injections.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of cataract surgery patients achieve better vision after surgery
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charles Retina InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Stephen Huddleston is a partner at Charles Retina Institute in Germantown, TN and sees patients at Southern Eye Associates Jonesboro satellite location every Monday. This partnership provides integrated retina care for the Northeast Arkansas region.
• Lions ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership for the semi-annual Cataract-a-Thon program, a joint initiative with the Hamilton Eye Institute providing free cataract surgeries to people in need.
• Hawaiian Eye FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedical mission trip partnership for international ophthalmic surgical care. Dr. Josh Little participated in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic learning special surgery techniques for mature cataracts in developing countries.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Eye Care Centers of America: Multi-location ophthalmology and optometry provider offering comprehensive eye care including cataract and refractive surgery. Comparable full-service eye care positioning with broader geographic footprint.
• LasikPlus: National refractive surgery chain focused primarily on LASIK. Closely comparable on laser vision correction offerings and pricing model, though competing through corporate scale and standardized marketing rather than regional physician relationships.
• TLC Laser Eye Centers: National LASIK and refractive surgery chain offering laser vision correction at scale. Directly comparable to Southern Eye's LASIK/PRK service line, though operating through a corporate-owned multi-location model rather than a physician-owned regional practice.
• Hamilton Eye Institute: Academic ophthalmology center at University of Tennessee Health Science Center where multiple Southern Eye surgeons trained and where the practice co-sponsors the Cataract-a-Thon program. A larger, broader-scope ophthalmology institution operating in the same regional referral catchment.
• OCLI Vision: Large multi-specialty ophthalmology platform with comprehensive eye care services including cataract, refractive, and retina. Comparable service breadth and ASC integration, though operating at significantly greater scale as a PE-backed consolidator.

Direct peers

• Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center: Multi-specialty ophthalmology group covering cataract, glaucoma, retina, and refractive surgery across multiple locations. Highly comparable in service mix, multi-specialty depth, and ASC ownership to Southern Eye Associates.
• McDonald Eye Associates: Arkansas-based multi-specialty ophthalmology practice offering cataract, LASIK, and glaucoma services in a comparable regional community-hospital setting. Operates as a direct geographic and service-line peer in the same state.
• Charles Retina Institute: Tennessee-based retina specialty practice where Dr. Stephen Huddleston is a partner and which provides integrated retina services to Southern Eye Associates every Monday. Operates in the same retinal disease treatment space with overlapping surgical and clinical trial capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/southerneyeassociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southern Eye Associates