Craig Fellers has owned Midtown Optometry for nearly three years, and he has built his practice on the pillars of customer service, community, and excellent eye care.  

Dr. Fellers was first introduced to optometry as an undergraduate where he took a job in Ophthalmology working for a cataract surgeon. And while he found the work engaging, he noticed that the surgeon would see upwards of 40 patients a day and didn’t really have the time to get to know his patients.

Dr. Fellers remembers that “he'd tell me on busy days, ‘Don't forget your running shoes.’ And I'd always think, ‘Man, there's no place for running shoes in a medical facility.’ You should have time to talk with your patients and shouldn't be running from patient to patient.”

So when it came time for Dr. Fellers to setup his own practice, he really put an emphasis on developing the kind of doctor-patient relationships that can be so crucial to providing good health care. And being someone who genuinely enjoys getting to know people, a practice with a focus on people perfectly aligned with the type of health care provider Dr. Fellers naturally is. He enjoys catching up with his patients, and he feels it helps him to learn and stay connected to the community. 

And, Dr. Fellers is not only able to develop that sense of community with his patients, but also with other businesses located in his business complex on Water Street.  He recently hosted a business mixer to get to know his neighbors better.

In addition to providing excellent customer service and care to his patients, Dr. Fellers distinguishes his practice with the added focus on the growing need for computer eye wear. Many of us may interact with screens all day, from cellphones, TVs, and computer screens, to even the screens used to check out at the grocery store, and we may not even realize the strain and fatigue that can cause.  

And many people aren't aware of the symptoms caused by so much screen time or know that it can cause headaches, general fatigue, and can decrease overall work productivity, which is why Dr. Fellers feels it is an important emphasis for his practice. 

Dr.Fellers is clearly passionate about his work and is excited to be doing it here in Santa Cruz. Being relatively new to the area, he can already say with confidence that he is “here for life, without a doubt”.

“The first thing that I noticed about Santa Cruz was how welcoming all my patients were of me joining the community. And, people here don't just end up in Santa Cruz, because it's too expensive to just end up here by circumstance. Everybody here values living here and that shows through in the love of the outdoors, the love of community, and the comradery that people share.”

To learn more about Midtown Optometry and to schedule an appointment, visit midtownvision.com