Clarkson Eyecare: Optometry Services and Eye Exams Nationwide

Clarkson Eyecare is a medically based optometric group founded in 1979 in Ellisville, Missouri, and has grown into one of the largest multi-location eye care providers in the United States. Part of the EyeCare Partners network, Clarkson Eyecare operates more than 200 offices across 13 states, staffed by highly trained optometrists, opticians, and technicians delivering comprehensive eye exams and vision care for patients of all ages.

Overview of Clarkson Eyecare

Clarkson Eyecare provides personalized, medically oriented optometry care across more than 200 locations in 13 states, with same-day appointments available at most offices and an online patient portal for managing records, prescriptions, and billing.

The practice is part of EyeCare Partners, the nation’s leading provider of clinically integrated eye care, whose national network includes over 300 ophthalmologists and 700 optometrists operating from more than 700 affiliated locations across 18 states. Clarkson Eyecare’s headquarters remain rooted in St. Louis, Missouri, reflecting the brand’s Midwest origins, while its geographic reach now spans Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia.

History and Growth

Clarkson Eyecare was founded in 1979 by Lawrence J. Jehling, O.D., on Clarkson Road in Ellisville, Missouri, and grew from a single-office practice into a nationally recognized optometric group over four and a half decades.

In 1995, Dr. Jehling collaborated with several other St. Louis-area eye doctors in a merger that set the stage for rapid expansion across Missouri and Southern Illinois. The practice maintained a regional footprint for nearly two decades before beginning multistate growth in 2014, when Clarkson Eyecare entered Ohio and Kentucky through new partnerships. Subsequent years brought the brand into Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, and Virginia.

The brand’s integration into the EyeCare Partners network connected it to one of the most extensive clinically integrated eye care platforms in the country, giving individual Clarkson offices access to shared resources, technology, and specialist referral pathways while preserving the community optometry model that defined the brand’s original identity. According to the American Optometric Association, multi-location optometric groups that maintain clinical independence within larger networks consistently demonstrate stronger continuity of care and patient retention than fragmented single-location practices.

Eye Care Services

Clarkson Eyecare provides a full continuum of optometric services from routine annual exams to diagnosis and management of complex eye diseases, using the latest diagnostic and treatment technology at every location.

• Comprehensive eye exams, including digital retinal imaging and visual field testing
• Kids and pediatric eye exams for early detection of vision development issues
• Contact lens exams and fittings, including specialty scleral lenses
• Diabetic eye care and monitoring for diabetic retinopathy
• Dry eye diagnosis and treatment
• Glaucoma screening and management
• Cataract evaluation and pre- and post-surgical care
• Ocular emergencies and urgent eye care
• Low vision therapy and aids
• In-office remote eye exams (available at select locations)
• LASIK consultations and referrals (surgery available at select locations, including Chesterfield Valley, MO)
• Prescription safety glasses

Clarkson Eyecare strongly recommends annual comprehensive eye exams for most patients, an approach consistent with guidance from the American Optometric Association, which identifies routine exams as the primary mechanism for early detection of conditions including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and hypertensive retinopathy before symptoms appear.

Eyewear and Optical Products

Clarkson Eyecare operates full-service optical boutiques within each location, offering designer frames, prescription lenses, sunglasses, and contact lenses with fast, free shipping on online contact orders.

Frame collections at Clarkson Eyecare locations feature brands including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Coach, Kate Spade, Vera Bradley, Michael Kors, and Nike, among others. An in-store virtual try-on tool allows patients to preview how frames will look before purchasing, and the tool is also available online at clarksoneyecare.com. Each location uses an on-site or affiliated optical lab to fabricate prescription lenses, with turnaround times typically ranging from one to two weeks depending on prescription complexity and lens treatments.

Contact lens patients can order their prescriptions directly through the Clarkson Eyecare website for home delivery with free shipping on every order. The practice also offers specialty contact lenses including scleral lenses for patients with irregular corneas, keratoconus, or other conditions that standard contact lenses cannot adequately address.

The Eyewear Protection Plan, available for purchase at the time of eyewear dispensing, covers lens replacement and eyewear repairs for one year from the date of purchase. The plan is priced up to $39.99, with pricing varying by state. It does not cover lost or stolen eyewear and is not available on Oakley, Maui Jim, or Costa products.

Insurance and Payment Options

Clarkson Eyecare accepts most major vision and medical insurance plans, with United Healthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, VSP, and EyeMed among the most widely accepted across locations.

Accepted insurance plans vary by location and provider. Patients are encouraged to contact their preferred office directly to confirm coverage for their specific plan and doctor. Co-payments and non-covered service fees are due at the time of the visit. Pre-authorization from a primary care physician may be required by some HMOs and medical insurance companies for certain services; patients should confirm requirements with their insurer before their appointment.

Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Reimbursement Accounts, and Health Savings Accounts are accepted across Clarkson Eyecare locations and can be applied to vision care costs not covered by insurance, including elective lens treatments, specialty contacts, and other out-of-pocket expenses. Major credit cards and checks are accepted at all locations. Financial assistance options and affordable care plans are available for patients without vision insurance.

Locations and Appointment Scheduling

Clarkson Eyecare’s geographic footprint covers major metro markets including St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis, Louisville, Paducah, Tampa, Pensacola, Frisco, Chesterfield, and more. The interactive locations finder at clarksoneyecare.com allows patients to search by state, city, or zip code to identify the nearest office and view provider profiles, accepted insurances, and available appointment times.

Same-day appointments are available at most locations, though availability is not guaranteed. Walk-in appointments are accepted at select offices. New patients are asked to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled appointment; returning patients should plan to arrive 10 minutes early. Appointments can be rescheduled with 24 hours’ notice through the patient portal or by phone.

For patients interested in comparable optometric group practices in their area, America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses offers another national multi-location optometry model with affordable exam and eyewear packages across more than 1,000 US locations.