Draisin Vision Group

Draisin Vision Group elevates the eye care experience

By Jenny Peterson

Vision is more than reading the 20/20 acuity eyechart—it actually requires mastery of 17 visual skills. It is recommended by the American Optometric Association that a person’s first eye exam is between 6-12 months of age, again at age three, before the start of kindergarten and every year thereafter throughout a person’s life.

“Once school age, many reading and learning difficulties can actually be vision problems masking as learning problems,” said Dr. Jennifer Zolman, optometrist and owner of family-owned Draisin Vision Group in West Ashley, which has been serving Charleston for over 52 years with personalized, customized care.

Dr. Zolman joined Draisin Vision Group in 2006, became a partner in 2008 and became the sole owner in 2017, keeping it a family-run business providing the most advanced technology for pediatric and adult vision care.

Dr. Zolman is on a mission to bring awareness of how regular eye exams benefit all ages, from infants to senior citizens, from those looking to sharpen their vision after looking at a computer screen all day to high-level athletes wanting to get an edge up on the competition.

An under-the-radar benefit? Regular eye exams can make patients not just feel their best, but look their best, too.

“On the beauty side of things, we provide complete dry eye management and aesthetic medicine including radio frequency and OptiLIGHT treatments—the first and only light therapy FDA approved for dry eye management. Benefits of this treatment include skin rejuvenation, improved collagen production and noticeable improvement in appearance of eyelids,” Dr. Zolman said. “We also can evaluate and mange pharmaceutical treatments for eyelid lifting and lash enhancement.”

There is a fully-stocked showroom with the latest designer eyewear, accessories and sunglasses including Rayban, Kate Spade and Costa sunglasses, along with independent lines made in the USA and brands that give back (Modo brand, for example, provides eyecare for the underserved and their Ecco line plants a tree for every pair sold.)

“We have one of the largest infant, pediatric and children’s frame selection which are so cute and fun for the kiddos,” Dr. Zolman said. “The research and development in our contact lenses and eyeglasses technologies is reflecting society changes as we move more and more to hand-held digital devices and screens used for learning in schools and the way we work and play.”

Draisin Vision Group office offers state-of-the-art digital retinal imagining, Neurolens specialty glasses, EnChroma color blind glasses, eye supplements to specialty-fit contact lenses.

The office diagnoses and treats all eye diseases including red eyes, eye turns and lazy eye, inflammation, glaucoma, with co-management with a surgeon when needed, as well as can do vision therapy after head trauma or injury and everything in between.

Dr. Zolman was inspired to enter the field of optometry after seeing—quite literally—for the first time what a difference glasses made when she was a child.

“When I was a little girl, I needed my first pair of eyeglasses in fifth grade and it changed my world. I had that ‘ah-ha’ moment realizing that there were leaves on the trees instead of a green blob,” she said. “Once I got my first contact lenses in eighth grade, I was sold. My love for biology, science and vision all collided. I found mentors, a husband-and-wife optometry team, in high school, and the rest is history.”

Viewing into patients’ eyes is an important part of wellness; it allows professionals to asses health concerns like diabetes and hypertension and changes in the neurological systems. With many eye diseases, detection can often come too late where there is permanent vision loss.

“A yearly comprehensive eye exam should be just as important as going to the dentist or primary care doctor and we love supporting our beloved community,” Dr. Zolman said.

Draisin Vision Group

1470 Tobias Gadson Blvd., STE 115, Charleston

843-556-2020