Eric E. Schmidt, OD, FAAO

WEST CHESTER, Ohio—Total Eye Care Partners (Total ECP) has acquired Omni Eye Specialists in Wilmington, N.C. and Bladen Eye Center located in Elizabethtown, N.C., from Eric Schmidt, OD, FAAO. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Bob Barton, president and CEO of Total ECP told VMAIL, “We are honored to welcome these ‘Best in Class’ practices to the Total ECP family. Both teams are extremely passionate about the profession and heavily involved in their communities. Dr. Schmidt is a recognized educator and key thought leader in the industry. We look forward to him sharing his knowledge with all our partners and we are extremely excited that he chose our organization.”

Dr. Schmidt commented, “For over 25 years, my associates and I have provided world class medical-based eyecare in a private practice setting but regulatory constraints and escalating operational costs are placing additional burdens on practices like mine, making it harder to succeed on our own terms. Partnering with Total ECP affords us a true opportunity to not only grow my practice but protect and expand this mode of optometry across the country.”



He added, “I believe that optometry, given the proper resources, should be the leading providers of complete eyecare; not just refractive and not solely medical/surgical, but total eyecare. With the leadership of Dr. Ben Gaddie and others such as myself, helping to educate and develop doctors to expand their practices, I am very certain that Total ECP can move the needle firmly forward for like-minded doctors seeking a partner to help expand their practice. I am confident that Total ECP will help to revolutionize optometric care for the next decade or longer. The model is to deliver world class care without compromises and I am very excited to be a part of this group.”

Ben Gaddie, OD, Total ECP chief medical officer, added, “We are so excited to bring Dr. Eric Schmidt and his team together with Total ECP. A well-known educator and lecturer within the profession of optometry, Dr. Schmidt was also involved in the development of surgical co-management, which is now the standard by which we collaborate with our ophthalmological colleagues to achieve the best outcomes for our patients. Obviously, Dr. Schmidt will bring a lot to the table at Total ECP and we are delighted to announce his addition to our best-in-class platform and team.”

Dr. Schmidt will continue to practice actively, Barton said.

Total ECP launched as a platform in September 2017 to seek partnerships with optometrists and to assist in managing medically-focused optometry practices in the U.S. It is backed by Toronto-based Imperial Capital. In connection with the transaction, Anne Kavanagh of Kavanagh Consulting represented and provided financial advice to Omni Eye Specialists.