Exam Room Naming Ceremony at The Eye Institute

It was supposed to be a surprise. But Fredda Weisbond needed her husband, Dr. Steven Weisbond who is a member of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) Class of 1981 without him knowing why, to make an appearance at its clinical facility, The Eye Institute (TEI).

Here was the plan: The Weisbonds were scheduled to fly from Tampa to Newark to see their son in Harrison, New Jersey. Mrs. Weisbond knew they could easily drive to Philadelphia - the Oak Lane section specifically - from there but she didn’t have a cover story for why they needed to be in Philly.

So the night before they left Tampa she had to spill the beans that for his milestone birthday, Mrs. Weisbond had arranged for a pediatric exam room to be named in Dr. Weisbond’s honor at TEI.

“Once we were packed for our trip, I had to tell him because I had no other way to get him there,” said Mrs. Weisbond. “This is something he’s always wanted to do, to give back to The Eye Institute.” The Eye Institute originally opened in 1978 and was where Dr. Weisbond completed his clinical rotations as a Doctor of Optometry student at PCO, which is now part of Drexel University.

And, even though he was given an advance heads-up, Dr. Weisbond said he was totally surprised the trip north included the dedication of Room 601 at TEI as the “Dr. Steven Weisbond examination room.”

“I was in a state of shock when my wife put our son and daughter on FaceTime and told me,” said Dr. Weisbond. “I had no idea. She kept it a very good secret.”

After optometry school, Dr. Weisbond completed an internship in Florida and decided he liked the warm weather too much to go back up north.  He settled in Tampa and along with three partners, brought Optical Outlets to the largest optometrist-owned chain on the west coast of Florida with more than 55 locations. Two years ago, they sold the business but he continues to work there today.   

Dr. Weisbond handles the majority of his exams in Spanish and loves interacting with his patients. He has always said he wanted to do something to give back to his school who he credits with his success. 

In addition to his wife, Dr. Weisbond was joined at the room dedication by his son Jay, who works for a nonprofit environmental organization in New Jersey while his daughter, Erin, also works for Optical Outlets and recently finished opticianry school.

Dr. David Meltzer, interim vice president of Clinical Operations and professional staff in the Primary Care Service at TEI, and Beth Moy, associate vice provost for Drexel University’s Elkins Park Campus, hosted the dedication ceremony and conducted a tour of TEI for the Weisbond family.

“This is amazing. It warms my heart to see that exam room and be able to help TEI, the students and patients,” said Dr. Weisbond.