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When he was growing up, Dr. Jeffery Underkoffler had to wear eyeglasses, which helped spark his interest in becoming an optometrist. “I was always very interested in science and how the body worked so I thought it would be a good field for me to get into,” he explains. “Now I really enjoy helping people with their visual needs and treating minor medical issues of the eye.”

At Reliant Medical Group, optometrists provide routine eye care, including the fitting of glasses and contact lenses. For patients, they act as primary care physicians for the eye and treat many problems including minor abrasions, foreign bodies in the eye, conjunctivitis, inflammation as well as other problems. If a patient needs more specialized care, such as treatment for cataracts or glaucoma, they are referred to a Reliant Medical Group ophthalmologist who can perform more sophisticated treatment, including surgery. “We can take care of virtually any eye problem, which makes it very convenient for patients,” explains Dr. Underkoffler. “We can also refer patients to other divisions within Reliant Medical Group, such as Neurology, if we find the root cause of their problem is actually unrelated to the eye.”

As an experienced optometrist, Dr. Underkoffler has seen many changes in how people respond to wearing glasses. “Glasses used to be thought of as a utilitarian item, something to just help you see better. Now we have designer lines and people are much more conscious of how their glasses look on them. Plus the materials are much more sophisticated now. Lenses are thinner and lighter and we have progressive lenses, photochromic lenses and other technologies we simply didn’t have before. There’s no doubt that people have a lot of great choices for their eyes.” According to Dr. Underkoffler, contact lens wearers have also benefited greatly from new technologies. “Today we have bifocal contact lenses, monovision contact lenses and you can even wear reading glasses over your contacts. There’s a lot of different ways we can improve people’s vision.”

Dr. Underkoffler has treated some of his patients for many years. “It’s nice to be able to see your patients over an extended period of time. Some I have even treated for almost my entire career. I guess you could say I’m kind of growing old along with them.” Dr. Underkoffler also enjoys working with his colleagues at Reliant Medical Group. “We really have a great team of people here, from our technicians to our surgeons, we all pull together to help the patient as much as possible.”

When he is not busy helping patients at Reliant Medical Group, Dr. Underkoffler enjoys going hiking and camping with his wife and children. “We spend a lot of time in the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The whole family really enjoys the outdoors.”