To the Editor:

Recently, in the waiting room of Edwards Eye Care, I overheard someone refer to the “elder Dr. Edwards.” Knowing that Scott is younger than I, I found myself a bit discomforted hearing such an appellation for him, but then I began reflecting on the (many) years he has served my family and realized there is much to recommend such a title.

For more than thirty years, Edwards Eye Care (optometrist Scott, optician Tom, assistant Charlotte, assistant Kim, and—most recently—optometrist Matt) have met whatever needs my family has presented, whenever those needs have arisen.

That those needs came after normal business hours or even normal business days has never mattered. A call to one member of the family could always locate the appropriate one, and someone was meeting us at the office—or delivering eyeglasses or contact lenses to our door.

A quarter century ago, my husband walked into a pine branch, and part of it stayed in his eye. When he called the elder Dr. Edwards, he was told to come immediately to the office—in spite of the time. Years later, following cataract surgery in Virginia, my husband had a problem, and this time it was the younger Dr. Edwards meeting him at the office—well after hours and actually in an office (Murfreesboro) no longer in use. So, in the clichéd expression, “The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

Through all these years, any patient can observe that the business is, indeed, a family business, and the patients are made to feel as much a part of the family as the biological members.

In this area, admittedly somewhat rural and sometimes considered lacking in big-city amenities, we are very fortunate to have the medical facilities we do have here. Having visited the big city eye care office, I know that Edwards Eye Care is as up-to-date as any, but we have more; we have local folks who care about other local folks.

Dr. M. Scott Edwards is, indeed, the “elder,” in terms of his years but, more importantly, in terms of his service, his care for his patients, and his passing that same demeanor to his son, Dr. Matt Edwards.

It is easy to take such service for granted and not always offer the proper gratitude for it, but recently in the waiting room, I realized that Edwards Eye Care not only helps me to see clearly, but it also helps me to clearly see. Thanks to Edwards Eye Care and the many other R-C area services and businesses who so faithfully make our lives better.

Sarah W. Davis
Murfreesboro