Orchard Park Optometry // Mat Broschak

I stared in the bathroom mirror and gave myself a stern talking-to.

“You’ve got this. You’re bigger than they are. Just do it! You’re a grown-up lady for crap sake.”

(I am not always vey gentle with myself.)

It had been twenty-five years since I’d attempted to… what’s the word… install? apply? adhere? contact lenses. It didn’t go well back then and it wasn’t going well now. There were tears of irritation and of frustration. Finally, after 28 grueling minutes of poking and rinsing and blinking, I had successfully placed the correct lens on the correct eyeball, with the curve curving the correct way.

I WAS a grown-up lady! I really was!

Then I picked up my phone and realized I could read none-point-none words.

And this, my friends, is the indignity of forty-something. One day you can see just fine, and the next day ugly words like “progressives” threaten to enter your vocabulary. I tried to take some time to let my eyes adjust to my new prescription and the eyeball-adjacent lenses. I hung in for a few days and my vision became just the smallest tad better. However, I had two problems now: I couldn’t read and I wanted to scratch my eyes out. I may be a grown-up lady, but I’m also a delicate flower.

Enough about me.

Enter Dr. Mat Broschak, owner of Orchard Park Optometry, next to Lenscrafters (and Sun Valley Optometry, next to Pearl Vision). I saw Mat for my lens follow-up appointment. This is my intake form.

No joke:

I was frustrated and ready to give up on contacts, but Dr. B knew just what to say to take the pressure off the situation, leaving me confident that we’d work until my eyeballs and I were happy. He was unrushed, professional, friendly and engaging. With patience, encouragement, information and ideas, he convinced me that I would be able to both see AND do it comfortably. The three of us (me, my right eye and my left eye) are vey glad he did.

Those memorable qualities are shared among each staff member I encountered. Each of the lovely ladies at the front desk have been so helpful and hospitable on all my many visits and phone calls, going above and beyond to help me with my paperwork and insurance claim.

At the heart of this outstanding operation lies a value that is refreshingly evident. As Mat put it, “We live and work by the Golden Rule. All of us have been out there, operating in our communities, experiencing the good and bad in products and services. It’s so important to all of our staff that we’re treating people the way we would want to be treated. It’s that simple. We just stick to that approach with our patients and in everything we do.”

As a patient, and a bit of a difficult one, I was on the receiving end of this Golden Rule Culture - respectful, care-oriented, and with high value on customer service. I liked what I saw. (Okay, I mostly just heard things. Lefty & Righty were still adjusting.) Regardless, I could not have been happier with my experience, and I give Orchard Park Optometry 20/20. That’s what that means, right?