Apex Eyecare expands with new location in Belmont, cosmetic services

BELMONT — Growing at a rapid pace, Apex Eyecare is poised to hire a second optometrist and a nurse practitioner in the coming months, expanding the team of the 4-year-old business to nine.

Kaylee A. Boisvert, of Gilford, started with Apex on May 8, as the new aesthetics nurse, and optometrist Grace Olczak is moving to the area from Ohio, and will come on board in mid-July.

Deidre Cullen, of Laconia, co-owner and main optometrist at Apex, said the practice is growing in patient numbers, and in the services it provides. Olczak will help serve the expanding patient base, and Boisvert, who specializes in neurotoxins like Botox, will offer injections to treat wrinkles around the eyes and forehead.

“Patients ask, ‘What can you do about my fine lines around my eyes and forehead?’” Cullen said. “So, we thought to provide a service, and help people with that.”

Launched at Tanger Tilton

Cullen partners with co-owner Samantha Sarson, of Laconia, the practice’s main optician; they opened the practice in September 2022, at Tanger Tilton, and outgrew the space in three years.

Last August, Apex moved to Belknap Marketplace, into space formerly occupied by Hong Kong Buffet.

Cullen said the new office is two and a half times larger, closer to the Lakes Region client base, and more family-friendly, with a gymnastics studio next door and children coming and going.

The practice provides eyecare for the whole family. “We really strive to educate our patients on everything from start to finish, so they feel they know more about their eyes when they leave,” Cullen said. “We try to take our time, and explain things and educate people.”

Key diagnoses for patients range from refractive errors requiring prescription lenses, to high eye pressures that lead to glaucoma, cataracts that develop after age 50, and macular degeneration, a deterioration of central vision.

Cullen said systemic health issues such as multiple sclerosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes can often be diagnosed first by an eye doctor through changes in the eyes.

“We’re trying to help the patient as a whole system, to understand what’s going on not only with their eyes, but with their whole body,” she said. “The eyes tell a lot about the body as a whole.”

Tremendous growth

Apex has grown so much, Cullen is booked solid for the next six months — hence the need for Olczak.

And in terms of services, the practice has grown from offering drops and warm compresses for dry eye treatment to a technology that rejuvenates the glands of the eyes to help with the condition.

The move to hire Boisvert for cosmetic treatment is another growth area.

With the addition of Boisvert and Olczak, Apex will soon have two optometrists, three opticians, an aesthetics nurse, two receptionists and a biller.

Welcoming new staff

Boisvert holds a doctorate in nursing practice from the University of New Hampshire, a master’s of business administration and bachelor’s degree in nursing from Southern New Hampshire University, and an associate's degree in nursing from Great Bay Community College.

She founded and owns Granite Glow Aesthetics, in Gilford, and, at Apex, she will run a Friday neurotoxins clinic, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Olczak holds a doctor of optometry degree from the Ohio State University College of Optometry, as well as a bachelor’s degree in gerontology and pre-medicine from Miami University.

She has an interest in vision therapy, which involves treating patients with eye muscle issues, so the eyes work properly together.

“It’s important for young kids struggling with reading and writing. They may just need vision therapy to get their eyes working together,” Cullen said.

“She’ll do vision therapy — like physical therapy for the eyes — and patient care."