Carolina Eye Care

What Carolina Eye Care does

Carolina Eye Care is a privately held optometric practice founded in 1976, operating three physical offices in Denver, Lincolnton, and Huntersville, North Carolina, serving the Lake Norman and Lincoln County communities. The practice provides comprehensive family eye care including adult and pediatric eye exams, diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease, contact lens fitting across standard and specialty modalities (daily, toric, multifocal, silicone hydrogel, scleral, hybrid Synergeyes, and CRT/ortho-k), an optical dispensary carrying over 30 designer frame brands plus premium specialty lens upgrades (Crizal anti-reflective, Transitions GEN 8, Xperio UV polarized), a dedicated Dry Eye Center, and co-management of LASIK and cataract surgery. Diagnostic capabilities include Optical Coherence Tomography, fundus photography, corneal topography, visual field testing, corneal pachymetry, and tear film assessment.

The clinical team comprises six optometrists, two of whom hold the F.A.A.O. (Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry) designation, and the practice offers after-hours emergency care for established patients. Carolina Eye Care generates revenue through one-time clinical exam fees, sales of prescription eyewear and contact lenses, specialty lens fitting services, and surgical co-management fees, with patients paying via vision insurance, cash, checks, major credit cards, or FSA funds; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the three offices, online scheduling, phone/text, walk-ins, and an Eyefinity patient portal, with marketing conducted through the practice website, Facebook, Instagram, and a regularly updated educational blog. The firm is founder/operator-owned with no disclosed venture or PE sponsorship, and operates exclusively within North Carolina.

Name

Carolina Eye Care

Legal name

Carolina Eye Care

Website

https://carolinaeyecarenc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Carolina Eye Care is a private, 50-year-old optometric practice operating three North Carolina offices (Denver, Lincolnton, Huntersville), delivering comprehensive eye exams, specialty contact lens fitting, designer eyewear, dry eye care, and surgical co-management to families in the Lake Norman and Lincoln County communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optometric Services

NAICS

Offices of Optometrists (62132), Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Optometry Clinics (Primary Eye Care) (HLAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA), Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL), Contact Lenses & Care Systems (Soft/RGP/Scleral Lenses; Cleaning/Disinfection Solutions) (HLAHAJAE)

Keywords

• Comprehensive eye exams
• Prescription eyeglasses
• Contact lens fitting
• Dry eye treatment
• Optometric services

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Eye Exams and Clinical Services: Comprehensive eye exams, pediatric eye exams, dilated eye exams, and special diagnostic testing services billed to patients or vision insurance.
2. Eyeglasses and Specialty Lenses: Sale of prescription eyeglasses including designer frames, specialty lenses (computer lenses, no-line progressives, anti-reflective coatings, Transitions, polarized lenses), and specialty lens options. Revenue from frame and lens combination sales.
3. Contact Lenses: Sale and fitting of contact lenses including daily, monthly, toric, multifocal, scleral, silicone hydrogel, RGP, hybrid, and CRT/ortho-k lenses from manufacturers including CooperVision, Alcon, Johnson & Johnson, and Bausch + Lomb.
4. Co-management of Surgical Procedures: Pre- and post-operative co-management of LASIK, cataract surgery, and other low-vision interventions in partnership with surgical specialists.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carolina Eye Care is an optometric practice that delivers comprehensive family eye care, including adult and pediatric eye exams, diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases, contact lens fittings across all major types (including specialty designs), and dispensing of prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, and specialty lenses. The practice also offers dry eye evaluation and treatment and co-management of LASIK and cataract surgery with external surgical specialists.

Product overview

Carolina Eye Care is an optometric practice offering comprehensive eye care services across three locations in North Carolina. The core offering consists of comprehensive eye exams (adult and pediatric), diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases, and optical products including eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses. The practice provides a broad portfolio of contact lens options ranging from standard soft lenses to specialty designs including silicone hydrogel, scleral, toric, multifocal, and hybrid lenses. Specialty lens services include computer lenses, anti-reflective coatings (Crizal), progressive lenses, and photochromic (Transitions) and polarized options (Xperio UV). Advanced diagnostic testing capabilities include Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), fundus photography, visual field testing, corneal topography, and tear film assessment. Surgical co-management services cover LASIK and cataract surgery. The practice carries numerous designer eyewear brands including Tom Ford, Ray-Ban, Oakley, Coach, Versace, Michael Kors, Nike Eyewear, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Warby Parker: DTC eyewear and contact lens brand with physical retail and online channels. An emerging threat to Carolina Eye Care's optical retail revenue and a partial substitute for routine prescription dispensing.

Broad incumbents

• Pearle Vision: Established optical retailer with neighborhood offices offering eye exams and eyewear dispensing. Comparable in the exam-plus-eyewear format but operates as a franchised national brand rather than an independent practice.
• America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses: High-volume optical chain offering affordable eye exams and two-for-one glasses deals. Competes for price-sensitive patients in the same eyewear category Carolina Eye Care serves.
• LensCrafters: National optical retailer with in-store optometrists and broad designer frame assortments. Directly comparable to Carolina Eye Care's eyeglasses/contact lens retail function but at mall and big-box scale.
• Visionworks: National optical retail chain combining eye exams with prescription eyewear and contact lens sales. Overlaps with Carolina Eye Care's exam-plus-eyewear positioning, though much larger and storefront-driven rather than independent OD-led.
• Target Optical: Optical storefronts inside Target stores that offer eye exams and dispense glasses and contacts. Competes for convenience-seeking eyeglass shoppers in Carolina Eye Care's North Carolina trade area.
• EyeCare Partners: PE-backed national network of optometry and ophthalmology practices providing the same comprehensive eye exam, optical, and medical eye care services. Relevant as a scale competitor and a potential strategic acquirer of Carolina Eye Care.
• For Eyes Optical: Optical retailer combining eye exams, prescription eyewear, and contact lens fittings. Operates a comparable practice-plus-retail format, though more store-centric than a multi-OD medical optometry practice.
• MyEyeDr. Large multi-location optometry and optical retail platform operating hundreds of offices across the U.S. Comparable as a multi-location primary eye care and eyewear dispensing model, though at meaningfully greater scale and PE-backed reach than Carolina Eye Care.

Direct peers

• Clarkson Eyecare: Multi-location optometry group in the Midwest offering comprehensive eye exams, designer eyewear, specialty contact lens fittings, and surgical co-management—closely paralleling Carolina Eye Care's full-service clinical-plus-retail model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/carolinaeyecarenc
• Instagraminstagram.com/carolina_eye_care

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Carolina Eye Care