ST. LOUIS—EyeCare Partners, LLC (ECP) has announced its expansion within the Birmingham, Ala. market with the acquisition of The Eye Place, the optometry practice of Sheila Kirk, OD. The Eye Place specializes in contact lenses, eyeglasses, adult and pediatric eyecare, LASIK evaluations, and the treatment and management of ocular diseases, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. “Since its founding in 1989, The Eye Place has established itself as a trusted name for superior quality vision care and has achieved widespread success among its patients in Birmingham,” said Dr. James Wachter, chief professional officer of ECP. “As such, we felt that Dr. Kirk’s practice was a perfect fit for our growing team of optometry practices at ECP.”

Kelly McCrann, ECP’s CEO added, “This acquisition helps to further strengthen ECP’s portfolio of optometry practices and is consistent with ECP’s broader strategy of building a leading platform of superior quality vision care practices across the United States. We’re confident that this new relationship will benefit patients in Birmingham and throughout Alabama.”

Dr. Kirk noted, “We have always been dedicated to improving quality of life for our patients through professional, patient-focused care. With this partnership, we are able to continue focusing on our patients while simultaneously leveraging the expert support of ECP to improve and expand the capabilities of our practice.”

EyeCare Partners, which is backed by FFL Partners, has been continuing to add optometric and ophthalmology practices to its group this year. Based here, EyeCare Partners is comprised of over 240 offices, including locations in Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Kansas, Florida and Georgia.