By Pat Lawrence
Dr. Jones |
Dr. Brenda Jones finds it easy to see things from other people’s
point of view. She is an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor specializing
in the treatment and surgery of eyes. Calm and conscientious, Dr.
Jones has spent the last ten years constructing a practice based on
her ability and professionalism. It wasn’t as easy as she makes
it look.
Raised on a farm in Durham North Carolina, she says, “I grew
up with seven older brothers. After that, the male dominated medical
profession wasn’t intimidating to me!” She says she has
always been focused in her work. “My mother would give me a
task, and she expected me to get it done. I learned to do what I am
supposed to do, including the details and the clean up. I still do
things that way.”
Although she has been in Marietta since 1991, Brenda got her degree
from Brown University in Providence Rhode Island and attended Medical
School at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. She
interned at York Hospital in Pennsylvania and spent her three-year
residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. “I was
young and it was a great time to see some of the world while I got
my education.”
Unsure about where she wanted to practice but absolutely certain
she didn’t want to start out in debt, Dr. Jones joined the Navy
for a three-year tour. She was stationed at Portsmouth Virginia. As
Lieutenant Commander Jones, she “spent three years getting good
trauma experience and doing a lot of cataract surgery” at the
US Naval Hospital.
“After the Navy, the mid west had the best choices. I chose
a clinic in Marion Ohio. Three years later, I took the opportunity
to buy this practice by working out the purchase price, with no debt.
By 1996, the practice was mine.”
About half of her business is cataract surgery, but cosmetic surgery
and the LASIK procedures have steadily increased. With an all female
staff of five, “We do a lot of cosmetic surgery, like upper
and lower eyelids, here in the office. For the LASIK procedures, the
patients and I go to Charleston –I drive since they can’t!
We use a staffed, completely equipped mobile laser facility there.
It is more efficient than bringing the unit here, as we did for a
while.”
Her corneal transplants are performed in local hospitals, but she
still does routine eye exams for glasses and eye care. “We have
an optical shop, too. This is a business as well as a practice and
I like both.”
Running a successful practice hasn’t changed her focus. “I
don’t have any interest in the politics of the medical profession.
I am here for my patients. Being a good physician and being a good
person is what is important to me.”
Sometimes it is tougher than she expected. “The hardest part
has always been having to deal with prejudice. No matter how many
times you deal with it, it is always awful. And, it takes so much
extra energy. Not every day is a great day, and that can make it much
worse.”
After ten years in Marietta, she says “I’m not an oddity
anymore.” But, she worries about her daughter in a community
with such little diversity. “It can make you feel so conspicuous.
So, my husband and I travel with her to other cities, like Columbus,
where there’s a greater mix of people.”
Mostly, though, Dr. Jones is with patients, helping them see clearly
and look good. From glasses to glaucoma, she is making their world
visible. “My life has been hectic and I don’t want to
work forever. But now I spend the time I need to spend with my patients.
If they need to talk, I listen. I am always on call for my patients.”
Her vision is just what one would hope for in an ophthalmologist.
She sees people quite clearly as a doctor.
Send an Email About This Article