Print
E-mail
Comment
Doctors Romano: 50 years of caring for eyes of Houston
  
|
By RUSTY GRAHAM
Spend a few minutes with Drs. Albert and Gerald Romano of Westheimer Vision Associates, and its easy to see how they’ve been successfully practicing optometry for 50 years.
The septuagenarian brothers are celebrating 50 years as optometrists — optometrists who have practiced as a family.
Talking to the Romano brothers is like watching a tennis match — back and forth, the conversation bouncing between the two, with one often finishing the other’s thoughts.
Is that the secret to their success — how not only as brothers but business partners they remain close?
“People ask us that all the time,” says Albert, 78. “We’ve never had any problems.”
“Our personalities are so different,” says Gerald, 74. “We really complement one another. And we can go all day long and not see each other.”
“Business-wise, there’s been no real problems,” says Albert.
Which begs the question — what about outside of business?
“We just got back from a cruise last week,” says Albert.
“With 12 other family members,” says Gerald.
And indeed, the brothers were just returning to work after their cruise, sitting down with a reporter one morning before seeing patients.
“It’s a reality check,” says Gerald.
The brothers came by their careers honestly — they followed in the footsteps of their father, Anthony “Tony” Romano Sr., an optician who opened Texas Optical in downtown Houston in the 1940s.
“We all worked in our father’s shop growing up -- grinding lenses, whatever,” says Albert.
“I was a junior in high school and thought ‘I’ll give (being an optomestrict) a shot’,” says Gerald. “It just kind of stuck. I didn’t plan it.”
Both are graduates of the University of Houston College of Optometry, class of 1958. Gerald, the younger brother, was able to catch up with Albert during Albert’s tour in the Air Force.
The brothers opened a practice soon after graduation. They were joined by their father and their brother Buck, an optician like his father, in the early 1970s, in their former offices near Fondren and Westheimer. Buck Romano died last year at age 75.
(They’ve been at their current location, 10260 Westheimer, just inside Beltway 8, since 1985.)
Gerald laughs and says that most of his patients now are on Medicare.
“I’m seeing a lot of cataracts,” he says.
He’s also seeing generations of patients.
“I’m seeing a mother, her daughter, (then) her daughter, (then) her daughter,” says Gerald. That’s four generations.
The brothers themselves are second-generation Houstonians, growing up on Houston’s north side and graduating from St. Thomas High School.
The pair laughs when asked how the practice of optometry has changed since 1958.
“It’s like “Star Trek” now,” says Gerald. “(The technology) has changed so much.”
“The laws have changed too,” Albert says. “(Optometrists) are now allowed to do what we’re trained to do.”
What they’re trained to do is evaluate, diagnose and treat eye problems, including lens prescriptions.
Optometrists don’t do surgery, but can refer patients to neurologists and other specialists.
They’re seeing more eye strain related to video screens — not so much damage, Albert says, as much as much as fatigue.
They’ve seen trends come and go through their own optical shop, including the recent spike in “Sarah Palin” glasses.
Both doctors have long been active in professional and community organizations, and Mayor Bill White proclaimed Nov. 19 as Dr. Albert Romano and Dr. Gerald Romano Day in Houston.
They provide free exams for charitable organizations such as Eye Care for Kids. Westheimer Vision Associates participates in the national InfantSEE Program, providing free exams for infants between 6-months and one-year of age.
Gerald travels to Guatemala every year as part of the Sending Our Servants program, which provides visual, medical and surgical assistance to those in need there
Albert taught at the University of Houston College of Optometry for 20 years, and both Albert and Gerald pioneered clinical investigations for several large contact lens manufacturers.
They say they have no plans of stopping now, although they only work three days a week.
“As long as we’re healthy we’ll keep going,” says Albert, 78.
“Especially with the economy the way it is now,” adds Gerald, 74.
“I’ll guess we’ll know when (it’s time to retire),” says Albert.
The septuagenarian brothers are celebrating 50 years as optometrists — optometrists who have practiced as a family.
Talking to the Romano brothers is like watching a tennis match — back and forth, the conversation bouncing between the two, with one often finishing the other’s thoughts.
Is that the secret to their success — how not only as brothers but business partners they remain close?
“People ask us that all the time,” says Albert, 78. “We’ve never had any problems.”
“Our personalities are so different,” says Gerald, 74. “We really complement one another. And we can go all day long and not see each other.”
“Business-wise, there’s been no real problems,” says Albert.
Which begs the question — what about outside of business?
“We just got back from a cruise last week,” says Albert.
“With 12 other family members,” says Gerald.
And indeed, the brothers were just returning to work after their cruise, sitting down with a reporter one morning before seeing patients.
“It’s a reality check,” says Gerald.
The brothers came by their careers honestly — they followed in the footsteps of their father, Anthony “Tony” Romano Sr., an optician who opened Texas Optical in downtown Houston in the 1940s.
“We all worked in our father’s shop growing up -- grinding lenses, whatever,” says Albert.
“I was a junior in high school and thought ‘I’ll give (being an optomestrict) a shot’,” says Gerald. “It just kind of stuck. I didn’t plan it.”
Both are graduates of the University of Houston College of Optometry, class of 1958. Gerald, the younger brother, was able to catch up with Albert during Albert’s tour in the Air Force.
The brothers opened a practice soon after graduation. They were joined by their father and their brother Buck, an optician like his father, in the early 1970s, in their former offices near Fondren and Westheimer. Buck Romano died last year at age 75.
(They’ve been at their current location, 10260 Westheimer, just inside Beltway 8, since 1985.)
Gerald laughs and says that most of his patients now are on Medicare.
“I’m seeing a lot of cataracts,” he says.
He’s also seeing generations of patients.
“I’m seeing a mother, her daughter, (then) her daughter, (then) her daughter,” says Gerald. That’s four generations.
The brothers themselves are second-generation Houstonians, growing up on Houston’s north side and graduating from St. Thomas High School.
The pair laughs when asked how the practice of optometry has changed since 1958.
“It’s like “Star Trek” now,” says Gerald. “(The technology) has changed so much.”
“The laws have changed too,” Albert says. “(Optometrists) are now allowed to do what we’re trained to do.”
What they’re trained to do is evaluate, diagnose and treat eye problems, including lens prescriptions.
Optometrists don’t do surgery, but can refer patients to neurologists and other specialists.
They’re seeing more eye strain related to video screens — not so much damage, Albert says, as much as much as fatigue.
They’ve seen trends come and go through their own optical shop, including the recent spike in “Sarah Palin” glasses.
Both doctors have long been active in professional and community organizations, and Mayor Bill White proclaimed Nov. 19 as Dr. Albert Romano and Dr. Gerald Romano Day in Houston.
They provide free exams for charitable organizations such as Eye Care for Kids. Westheimer Vision Associates participates in the national InfantSEE Program, providing free exams for infants between 6-months and one-year of age.
Gerald travels to Guatemala every year as part of the Sending Our Servants program, which provides visual, medical and surgical assistance to those in need there
Albert taught at the University of Houston College of Optometry for 20 years, and both Albert and Gerald pioneered clinical investigations for several large contact lens manufacturers.
They say they have no plans of stopping now, although they only work three days a week.
“As long as we’re healthy we’ll keep going,” says Albert, 78.
“Especially with the economy the way it is now,” adds Gerald, 74.
“I’ll guess we’ll know when (it’s time to retire),” says Albert.
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. Comments to stories and articles on the Web site are not edited or pre-approved before appearing online. Readers posting comments are solely responsible for those comments. Comments must be germane to the story to which they apply. Online comments that are libelous, profane or personally attack another site participant can be reported as abuse using the link provided on each comment. Comments reported as abusive will be reviewed and may be removed from view, as will off-topic comments. BE CIVIL. Individuals continually posting abusive comments to the site may have their registrations revoked. |
