WB_052319

8 | May 23, 2019 | The wilmette beacon NEWS
wilmettebeacon.com
Sophia Ekaterina Valentina
Tereshkova and Katya
Lubov Catinova
Bridget Gongol, of Wilmette
Sophia Ekaterina Valentina
Tereshkova and Katya Lubov Catinova are a
mother-daughter duo presumed to be Russian
Blues. They have been charged with the important
task of continuing the feline modeling and human
training work of their predecessor, Macy. Katya
enjoys making biscuits and playing fetch, while
Sophie prefers guarding all available laps and
brooding on poems by Pushkin. Together they
can usually be found chattering at the squirrels
outside or valiantly defeating the puffy balls
known to lurk in the corners of their domain.
To see your pet as Pet of the Week, send information to
eric@wilmettebeacon.com or 60 Revere Drive, Suite 888,
Northbrook, IL 60062.
Posted to WilmetteBeaconDaily.com 6 days ago
Newly opened Wilmette Eye Care treats patients like family
Hilary Anderson
Freelance Reporter
The eyes have a new
friend.
It is Wilmette’s Eye
Care, operated by optometrist
Dr. Andrew Kohn O.D.
He recently opened an office
in downtown Wilmette
at 1125 Greenleaf Ave.
“I was in practice for
about 10 years and decided
to open my own office,”
Kohn said. “I grew up in
Wauwatosa, Wis. and was
looking for an established
community in the Chicago
area that while urban still
had a strong community
feeling. Building a good
practice was important to
me but finding one where
I could grow it with family
loyalty from the residents
was important. After looking
around, I found Wilmette
to be such a place.”
Kohn is the first in his
immediate family to select
eye care as his profession.
“My dad is a criminal
defense attorney and my
mother is a teacher,” he
said. “I was drawn to this
profession where I could
help people and make a
positive impact. Eye care
over the years has not had
the best history and yet we
are so reliant on our eyes
and vision. I want to make
a positive difference in
people’s lives.”
Kohn continued that his
optometric practice has the
“human” component and
patients are not just a chart
number.
“My patients are pleasantly
surprised to find they
are not faceless individuals
who are pushed through
the office like a cog in a
machine,” he said. “When
people come here, they
feel like family. They are
excited to tell us what is
going on in their lives and
we enjoy hearing about
their activities. I think they
also will be amazed to see
all the high-tech equipment
we have in the office. One
of them is a retinal camera,
which can take photos
of the inside of a patient’s
eyes and that will help detect
eye diseases and others
[diseases].”
Yet another reason he
chose Wilmette to establish
his practice is because of its
emphasis on recycling and
going green.
“I frequently looked at
the Go Green Wilmette
website before making
my decision and was impressed
with all the things
residents were doing to
recycle and help the environment,”
Kohn said. “I
still am amazed at all the
sustainable activities to reduce
carbon footprints in
the community.”
His office has a recycling
program for contact lenses.
“I want to keep contact
lenses out of the trash,”
Kohn said. “People not
only can throw out their old
contact lenses but also the
blister packs and cardboard
packaging in which they
come. This can be especially
good for those who
daily wear disposable contact
lenses. We send them
to One by One, a recycling
company.”
Giving back to the community
is important to Dr.
Kohn. He serves as president
of the Illinois chapter
of VOSH — Volunteer
Optometric Services to Humanity.
“I am passionate about
volunteering and giving
back to the community,”
he said. “The organization,
VOSH, provides eye care
to underserved populations
in Honduras, Mexico and
Haiti among others. Domestically
we work with
Dr. Andrew Kohn, owner of Wilmette Eye Care, points
out a supply of frames for regular eyeglasses and
sunglasses at his 1125 Greenleaf Ave. location. Photos
by Hilary Anderson/22nd Century Media
Kohn (left) watches as Nick Bell, office staff member,
empties bags of old contact lenses into a box that will
be sent to a recycling company.
homeless shelters.”
Both Kohn and his wife,
Jennifer who also is an optometrist,
volunteer time
visiting, fitting and providing
glasses for those living
in countries like Honduras
and Haiti where the poverty
is great.
“People barely have the
wherewithal to buy food
let alone get glasses so they
can see better,” he said.
“Frame and glass companies
sometimes donate
glasses. We also accept
donations of old glasses
from patients and the public.
They can drop them off
here at our office any time.”
Kohn also volunteers
with the Blind Service Association,
which provides
reading and writing services
for those living in the
Chicago area. Dr. Kohn has
served as a board member
since 2015.
Kohn graduated from the
University of Wisconsin at
Madison with a bachelor’s
degree in biology and later
attended Indiana University
School of Optometry, where
he obtained his doctorate
and met his wife, Jennifer.
“I think you will find it to
be a good experience coming
to our office,” he said.
“You can make an appointment
online or call us.”
For more information
about Wilmette Eye Care,
visit wilmetteeyecare.com.