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Dr. James Minesinger has kept an eye on Keystone Heights for 48 years

By Natalie Gilstrap For Clay Today
Posted 7/20/22

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Dr. James Minesinger celebrates 48 years of providing Keystone Heights with eye care.

Although he doesn’t perform surgical procedures, he offers everything from complete eye …

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Dr. James Minesinger has kept an eye on Keystone Heights for 48 years


Posted

KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Dr. James Minesinger celebrates 48 years of providing Keystone Heights with eye care.

Although he doesn’t perform surgical procedures, he offers everything from complete eye examinations to eyeglasses and contact lenses. It was in high school that he realized his strengths and weakness and decided to become an optometrist.

“I liked the science. I liked the clinical setting. I kind of knew what was going on,” Minesinger said. “I liked the idea that I was going to be able to help people and help them right away.”

He grew up in Orlando and attended a liberal arts college for three years. Afterwards, he went to an optometry school in Memphis and graduated in 1971. In that same year, he joined an existing practice in Starke. After working in Starke for three years, he started his business in Keystone Heights in 1974.

“I always liked Keystone. In fact, I moved here because of the schools,” he said. “The people here are nice. It’s just been a wonderful community. Even though the lakes are down, it’s still very beautiful here.”

At the beginning of his career, optometrists faced state regulations that limited the type of service they could provide to their patients. “When I got out of school, we were told that we could do whatever we felt like we were licensed or capable of doing,” he said.

Minesinger said within a year or two, optometrists were being limited in certain areas of their field and not allowed to complete certain tasks like dilating the eyes.

“We fought for the ability to do more completed examinations and do some minor surgical things like removing foreign bodies and things like that,” he said.

Throughout the years, state regulations for optometrists have loosened since Minesinger began his practice. They can now provide more services to their patients than they used to in the past.