Unifeye Vision Partners (“UVP” or “the Company”), a leading network of comprehensive eye care providers and a portfolio company of Waud Capital Partners (“Waud Capital”), today announced a strategic partnership with Colton, CA-based Inland Eye Institute (“IEI” or “Inland Eye”).
Inland Eye is a highly-respected specialty eye care provider in the Inland Empire region of Southern California offering the full range of ophthalmology services and the complete spectrum of surgical and non-surgical procedural care. IEI also offers a specialty line of service focused on aesthetics which includes ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery, eyelid, lacrimal, orbital, facial, and cosmetic surgery. Inland Eye’s practice is highly regarded in the field of refractive (LASIK) surgery. The practice operates out of two locations (one in Rancho Cucamonga, and the other in Colton, CA), and has a team of 6 ophthalmologists and 40 team members.
Dr. Christopher Blanton, a fellowship-trained cornea specialist who has performed over 30,000 refractive procedures, and Inland Eye’s president, commented, “We are so delighted to finalize this partnership with UVP. We’ve worked hard to build our reputation and practice within the Inland Empire and were very thoughtful about choosing a partner who was like-minded in terms of respecting our people, patients, legacy, and commitment to quality care.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Inland Eye to UVP,” said Sami Abbasi, President and CEO of Unifeye Vision Partners. “Their reputation is outstanding, and the practice maintains a leading position in high-quality LASIK, refractive, aesthetic, and surgical care that will significantly expand our ability to serve patients in the Inland Empire. We look forward to working with the entire team at Inland Eye to accelerate their growth, and our own, within the Southern California market.”
Inland Eye becomes UVP’s second significant partnership within the Inland Empire region. Upland-based Pacific Eye Institute joined UVP in February 2018. Both practices will retain their independent brands but will share best practices to better serve patients and the referring physician community.
Abbasi continued, “We’re building the leading, nationally-recognized integrated eye care community in the country and our goal is to become the preeminent vision care provider in each of the regions we serve over the next several years.”
About Unifeye Vision Partners
Unifeye Vision Partners was formed to partner with leading eye care providers in targeted markets throughout the United States. The company provides management and support services to ophthalmology and optometry practices, as well as single-specialty eye surgery centers. UVP operates through a network of 76 providers, 20 clinical locations, and six ambulatory surgery centers.
About Waud Capital Partners
Based in Chicago, Waud Capital Partners is a leading growth-oriented private equity firm with total capital commitments of approximately $2.1 billion since its founding in 1993. Waud Capital partners with exceptional management teams to build market-leading companies within two industries: healthcare services and business and technology services. Since its founding, Waud Capital has successfully completed more than 255 investments, including platform companies and follow-on opportunities.