Eye Guys deliver care to remote communities

In the Last Frontier, the Eye Guys was born from a bold vision: deliver excellent eye care to remote communities that are often worlds away from traditional clinics. Through innovative mobile units, the team works to bring expert services directly to those in need, right where they call home.

“It’s nice to bring vision to a location or be able to travel and give them that option,” Co-owner and Optician Oliver Godnig said.

The Godnig family moved from New England to Alaska in the early 2000s. Oliver explained that his father wanted to start something new and, looking for an adventure, decided to move to Alaska and start the Eye Guys. Oliver, a dispensing optician, along with his brother, Cedric Godnig and co-owner and partner Dr. Ashley O’Dwyer, operate the business together. Oliver explained they each wear many hats, from working on the technical side of building and fitting glasses, to making repairs and interacting with the patients and assisting their partnering optometrists.

Oliver’s father, Dr. Godnig, started the family business right away by visiting communities out of Bethel, the North Slope and in various places in the Southeast.

Oliver, while he hadn’t planned on working in the optical field, said he enjoys the ability to not be stuck in an office and the regular “9-5.”

“The adventure [lies in] helping people that don't have access and really just being off the beaten path,” Oliver said.

During their trips to remote areas, Oliver explained that they conduct eye exams and contact fittings, address possible eye health issues, make repairs on glasses and help patients choose new ones. Any final adjustments on glasses are done once an optician and optometrist return from the field and will be sent back out once complete. Further assessments or surgical work will be referred to Anchorage or Seattle. The team can sometimes visit with upwards of 60 patients per visit.

Their clinics frequently operate out of only six, 50 pound bags and a couple of backpacks. Their goal is to visit areas two to four times per year and generally spend one to three days. Their workspace may be a bingo hall, a school or similar shared community space.

“I like the freelancing of it,” Oliver said. ”I like being able to just show up and set up and just making it work, saying, ‘How are we going to get what we need to do complete, and then do it well?’”

Eye Guys Alaska will post on Facebook and their website when announcing which areas they will be attending next. They often reach out to their patients directly over email and send fliers to locations announcing their return.

“People really appreciate the service, considering that they know they can’t just go to their local optometrist,” Oliver said. “That’s nice when people really, genuinely, appreciate you being there.”

Technology is often the biggest hurdle for their mobile clinics, Oliver said. Some villages have Starlink available, which helps them with their instant charting and ability to input data in real time.

Eye Guys Alaska will visit with patients through scheduled appointments, but also welcome walk-ins to many of their mobile clinics. They operate one day per week out of their physical Wasilla location at 285 East Parks Highway.

Bringing vision to underserved communities throughout Alaska is of the utmost importance for the entire team at Eye Guys Alaska.