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Our Mission.

Dr. Brandon Nelms and the staff of Advanced Eyecare Optical of Oconee are committed to:

  • Enhancing our patients’ quality of life by providing excellent eye care to all who seek our help.
  • Educating our patients on the newest and best technologies available for their individual eyecare and eyewear needs.
  • Making our patients feel like “one of our family” by providing a warm, enjoyable atmosphere.
  • Meeting and exceeding patient expectations by delivering quality service that puts the desires of our patients above our own.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. – Philippians 2:3-4

At Butler's Crossing, in the heart of Oconee County and minutes from Athens.

​Monday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
Friday: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm

Meet Dr. Nelms.

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​Dr. Brandon Nelms received his undergraduate degree from Union University in Jackson, TN. He received his Doctorate of Optometry from The Southern College of Optometry in 2010.

Dr. Nelms is a licensed Optometrist in the State of Georgia and is DEA registered. Dr. Nelms is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Georgia Optometric Association, and is certified to practice therapeutic optometry. Dr. Nelms sees patients with eye infections or injuries. He participates in the Infant SEE Program, which is a comprehensive infant eye health evaluation and vision assessment within the first year of age, free of charge. He also performs Visual Perceptual Evaluations for children with vision-related learning disorders. Dr. Nelms enjoys fitting hard to fit contact lenses such as lenses for keratoconus and post corneal transplant.

Additionally, Dr. Nelms is an active member of our community. He is a member of the Oconee County Chamber of Commerce, a volunteer youth soccer and baseball coach, and an avid fan of Atlanta United and the Georgia Bulldogs. During his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Audrey, and their three boys, Jack, Peter, and Charlie.

Offering optomap ultra-widefield retinal imaging for early detection!

Click here for information on optomap imaging.

Our Services.

​Our complete vision analysis & eye health examinations are more than just vision correction!
Did you know that your eyes reveal insights regarding your overall health? In fact, your eyes provide early detection for many different diseases that can affect more than just your vision! That’s why we routinely perform tests that look for signs and symptoms of many different diseases, not just eye diseases, during your regularly scheduled eye health evaluation.

Illnesses that may be discovered early on through signs in your eyes include high blood pressure, diabetes, and even heart disease. That’s why it’s so important to leave your total eyecare to professionals. We feel it’s important to review your family history then monitor and watch for signs of possibly inherited diseases or illnesses as another precaution. Here’s what we are checking during your routine eye health evaluation:

Of course we are always checking your eyesight to ensure proper vision. Your total eye health is extremely important to us and we do everything we can to make sure you receive the best personalized care possible. Did you know that the curve of your cornea determines how the light reflects into your retina and the type of image produced?

We measure your cornea, record your vision then consult and recommend the best options available to you with all the latest technology! We check for glaucoma, a disease where high levels of pressure inside of your eye are present when your eyes fail to regulate internal pressure. Early detection of glaucoma is crucial to prevent the loss of sight. We watch for cataracts, when the internal lens of your eye becomes cloudy and necessitates replacement.

We also conduct a series of tests to assess the ability of your eye muscles to make sure that both eyes are working as a team! Few things affect the quality of your life more than your eyes. Please don’t put them at risk! Start off right by seeing an eyecare professional who provides full-service care in assessing your medical needs, your lifestyle, and the highest quality contact lenses available to meet your needs, and proper training to ensure great vision.

​​With advancing technology in contact lenses, most everyone is a candidate for some form of contact lens, and with our exclusive ‘Buy ‘Em Back’ policy, there’s no risk involved either! Contact lens options include gas permeable and soft hydrogel lenses. Depending on your prescription, visual requirements and desires, contact lens options consist of single vision lenses to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia, or multi-focal lenses to provide distance, intermediate and near vision while maintaining depth perception. Wearing schedules consist of daily wear disposable lenses to be replaced each day, every two weeks, monthly or quarterly.

It is important to remember that contact lenses are prescription medical devices. Various brands are designed and manufactured differently. The selection of a particular contact lens needs to be based on your vision problems, prescription, eye health, comfort requirements, lifestyle, age and physiological factors like tear flow. We’ll discuss the different lens types and brands with you and advise you about the lens choices that are best for your eyes.

Because everyone’s eyes and vision needs are different, contact lenses are available with varying schedules for removal and replacement. We’ll teach you how to properly clean and wear your new contact lenses to maximize vision and minimize potential risks.
We make sure that vision correction not only helps you see better, but also helps you feel better. That’s why we offer contact lens evaluations. Contact lenses aren’t right for everyone, but they may be right for you. Even if you have astigmatism or need bifocal lenses, we may have a solution. Your evaluation will include:

  • A thorough review of your vision history.
  • A thorough examination of your corneal tissue.
  • A consultation session with your doctor, including recommendations and options.

Enjoy the freedom that contact lenses provide!

Though some vision problems can be treated using corrective lenses, many require a different kind of treatment. Vision therapy is a series of activities or exercises prescribed and monitored by an optometrist to treat problems with visual skill and processing. After a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor may determine that vision therapy is the best option for treatment. Vision therapy programs are based on the results of standardized tests, and the needs of the patient. Vision therapy is administered in our office under the guidance of your doctor. Sometimes a number of office visits are required over a period ranging from several weeks to several months. Usually the patient performs several exercises, then the doctor teaches the patient techniques to be practiced at home to reinforce the developing visual skills.
Vision therapy can effectively treat eye movement disorders, inefficient eye teaming, misaligned eyes, poorly developed vision, focusing problems, and other visual information processing disorders.

Enjoy the freedom that contact lenses provide!

​”Keep your eye on the ball!” “Focus on the finish line!” “Don’t lose sight of the green!” If there’s one thing that seems to be a key to success in sports, it’s vision. But did you know you can improve your performance by improving some aspects of your vision? It’s easy to recognize problems, and even easier to solve them. The following are some aspects of vision which can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Dynamic visual acuity is your ability to see objects when they are moving fast. This is important in sports like hockey, racquetball, and tennis.
Visual concentration is your ability to ignore distractions happening around you. Your eyes naturally react to movement in the field of vision from spectators, other participants or the playing environment.

Eye tracking is following an object with your eyes without much head motion. It is important with any sport that involves a fast-moving ball. Good eye tracking will improve balance and reaction time.

Eye-hand-body coordination is how your muscles and limbs react to the information gathered by your eyes. It affects timing and body control.
Visual memory is the ability to process and remember a fast moving, complex picture of people and things. It is very important in basketball, hockey, and soccer, where the game quickly moves up the field. Visual memory helps you know where your teammates and opponents are positioned.

Peripheral vision is the ability to see what is not directly in front of you, out of the corner of your eye. This allows you to see your teammate to your left or right while focusing on the goal in front of you.

Visual reaction time is what allows a batter to hit the ball, or a tennis player to return a serve. It is the speed with which your brain interprets and reacts.

Focus flexibility allows a quarterback to quickly focus on his receivers even though they are at varying distances.

Depth perception lets you judge distance. This is especially important in basketball, golf, and other sports involving distance to the goal.

​1. What is Paragon CRT®?
Paragon CRT is a specially designed oxygen permeable therapeutic contact lens used in Corneal Refractive Therapy.  Corneal Refractive Therapy is a sophisticated, non-surgical process, which reshapes the cornea while you sleep.  You remove the lenses when you awake and are able to go throughout the day without any other correction.

​2. How new is Paragon CRT?
Contact lens corneal reshaping is not a new concept.  Previous corneal reshaping designs were only as successful as technology allowed.  Paragon Vision Sciences has taken the recent advancements in computerized corneal mapping, computerized manufacturing, and oxygen permeable contact lens materials and produced a therapeutic contact lens design that is like no other.  This has allowed Paragon CRT to become the one corneal reshaping modality that truly stands out and the first to earn FDA approval for nighttime Corneal Refractive Therapy.

3. Is Corneal Refractive Therapy Permanent?
No. It’s temporary.  If you stop wearing the lenses regularly while you sleep, your vision will return to its original state in as little as 72 hours.

4 .Can everyone wear Paragon CRT?
Not everyone can wear Paragon CRT.  This lens is designed for individuals with low to moderate myopia (nearsightedness up to –6.00 diopters) with or without astigmatism (up to –1.75 diopters).  Paragon CRT therapeutic lenses are not yet available in bifocal prescriptions for presbyopia (which requires reading glasses or bifocals).  At your doctor’s discretion you may be fitted in a monovision mode (one eye corrected for near vision and one corrected for distance vision).  You might still need reading glasses.  However, since there are variations in patient physiology and visual needs, the decision for CRT, at any age, can only be made after a thorough eye exam and the recommendations of the eye care professional.  At this time, hyperopia (farsightedness) is not correctable with CRT.

5. How long does it take to reach good vision?
Most patients have rapid improvement in the first few days of treatment and achieve nearly their optimum vision in 10 to 14 days.

6. What do I do to see adequately in the period of time between when I start Corneal Refractive Therapy with Paragon CRT and when I achieve full treatment?
It is important to understand that for a time after you have begun treatment, but before sufficient treatment is realized, your old glasses or contacts will no longer be the appropriate prescription.  It may involve insertion of your Paragon CRT lenses for part of the day or some use of temporary soft lenses in different prescriptions as an option. Your eye care practitioner will discuss your options for visual correction during that transitional period of time.

7. Are there any risks involved with wearing Paragon CRT?
There is a small risk involved when any contact lens is worn.  It is not expected that the Paragon CRT lenses for contact lens Corneal Refractive Therapy will provide a risk that is greater than other contact lenses.  There were no serious adverse events reported in the Paragon CRT FDA clinical study.

8. Can I see with my Paragon CRT lenses in?
Yes.  One of the great features of the Paragon CRT lens is that if you have to get up in the middle of the night, you will be able to see where you are going.  Or, if during the initial treatment phase, you find you need some form of vision correction, you can put in your Paragon CRT lenses and see clearly.

9. How often will I have to replace my Paragon CRT lenses?
Generally speaking, the Paragon CRT lenses will have to be replaced once a year.  However, depending on factors such as protein build-up, how well the lenses are taken care of, etc., the lenses may have to be replaced more frequently.

10. How do I care for my Paragon CRT lenses?
Your lenses should be chemically disinfected after every use (not heat).  Your eye care practitioner will instruct you about which care system is best for you.

11. How much does Corneal Refractive Therapy with Paragon CRT cost?
The cost for your initial fitting, professional care, follow-up and Paragon CRT therapeutic lenses varies.  After your first year, the annual cost of CRT is about the same as wearing contact lenses or glasses.  Many eye care Practitioners also offer optional payment plans, which they will be happy to review with you.  You should consult your Paragon CRT eye care practitioner for further specific information.

12. Is Corneal Refractive Therapy painful?
The therapy is not painful.  Initially, you may have a slight awareness of the therapeutic lens.  You will not feel the lenses when you sleep and there is no sense of physical corneal change…. just visual improvement when the lenses are removed.

13. Is Corneal Refractive Therapy or Paragon CRT FDA approved?
Paragon CRT is the first therapeutic lens design approved by the FDA for overnight contact lens Corneal Refractive Therapy for the temporary reduction of myopia.  Paragon Vision Sciences, the manufacturer of Paragon CRT, received the final written approval on June 13, 2002.  The issuance of this approval is the culmination of the most extensive clinical study to date to establish the safety and efficacy of contact lens corneal reshaping in overnight use.

14. What is the difference between Corneal Refractive Therapy and Paragon CRT?
Corneal Refractive Therapy is the process of using a therapeutic contact lens to reduce myopia by reshaping the corneal surface while you sleep.  Paragon CRT is the product for this therapy.
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15. Are there age restrictions for Corneal Refractive Therapy with Paragon CRT?
No.  The FDA placed no age restrictions on candidates for Corneal Refractive Therapy with Paragon CRT. CRT is being successfully performed on children 12 years old and younger.  It can be a great option for children and teens that are active in sports activities or any other extra curricular activities. Those who are older and presbyopic (requiring reading glasses or bifocals) may still be candidates for CRT.  They may correct their distance vision with CRT and wear near-vision reading glasses for close work.  At the doctor’s discretion you may be fitted in a monovision mode (one eye corrected for near vision and one corrected for distance vision). Visual requirements due to age or activities can only be assessed after a thorough eye exam.  Your Paragon CRT certified eye care professional will recommend what is best for you.

16. Are the Paragon CRT lenses difficult to insert or remove?
These lenses are generally no more difficult to insert or remove than any other similar contact lens.  You may want to instill comfort or rewetting drops prior to insertion of the lenses and immediately upon waking.  The lenses must move freely prior to removal.  If you have difficulty removing the Paragon CRT lens, there are lens removal aids available to assist this process.

17. If I discontinue CRT, will my vision to return to normal?
There are no recorded permanent corneal changes post-treatment.  Generally, the more myopia being reduced, the longer it will take for the corneal curvature to return to normal.  For instance, if your pretreated correction was – 4.50D, it would take a few days longer to return to normal than if the pretreated correction was -1.50D.

18. My driver’s license is marked that I need corrective lenses to operate a motor vehicle.  What do I do about that?
Your eye care professional will supply you with a document that states you are participating in a visual therapy program that eliminates the need for corrective lenses during working hours.  The document should have an expiration date and you should have your driver’s license updated with a new vision screening through your local DMV office before that date to reflect this change.

19. What happens if I lose or damage a lens?
Corneal Refractive Therapy is different than wearing regular contact lenses.  If you discontinue wear for one night, your vision may be impaired the next day.  Previously worn glasses or contact lenses may not help.  Immediate replacement is necessary!  Having a spare pair of lenses is strongly recommended.

20. Do benefit programs cover Corneal Refractive Therapy?
This is an elective procedure, and to the best of our knowledge is not usually covered by benefit programs.  If regular contact lenses are covered under your vision care plan, Corneal Refractive Therapy may be partially covered.  You should check with your benefits plan administrator.

21. I suffer from “dry” eyes, am I a candidate for Corneal Refractive Therapy?
Only your eye care professional can determine if you are a CRT candidate.  Many patients with slightly dry eyes do well with CRT.  Since you are wearing the lenses only while sleeping, the closed eye state minimizes evaporative loss of tears and can give dry-eye patients suitable vision without compromising the ocular surface.

22. I used to wear contact lenses, but stopped due to discomfort.  Am I a candidate for Corneal Refractive Therapy?
Paragon CRT lenses are worn at night while you are sleeping.  This greatly reduces any discomfort normally experienced while wearing contact lenses during the day.

23. I have astigmatism.  Am I a candidate for Corneal Refractive Therapy?
Paragon CRT is designed to correct myopia with to 1.75 diopters of astigmatism.  Each individual should be evaluated by a certified eye care professional to determine if CRT is right for your visual requirements.

24. I wear glasses.  Am I a candidate for Corneal Refractive Therapy?
The transition from wearing only glasses to Paragon CRT should not be a concern.  About 18% of the patients in the FDA study were non-contact lens wearers.   The dropout rate related to discomfort was only 3.9%.

25. How can I tell if I have the original Paragon CRT lenses?
Each lens is laser marked to assure you and your eye care practitioner that you have the original Paragon CRT therapeutic contact lens.

More.

Patient Education

Learn about the following conditions and what we can do to help you resolve them:
​Dry Eye
Glaucoma
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Diabetic Eye Disease
Myopia:
Hyperopia
Astigmatism
Presbyopia

Frame Brands

We sell the following frame brands:

Caroline Herrera
Ray-Ban
Coach
Costa Del Mar
Jimmy Choo
Nike
Silhouette
…and many more!

Payment Information

We take cash, check, all major credit cards and Care Credit.

We accept the following forms of vision insurance:

Eyemed
VSP
Superior
Davis Vision*
Spectera

​*only accepted for exam and contact lens purchase.

We also accept the following medical insurance:

Medicare
BCBS
Cigna
United Healthcare
Aetna
UMR
Assurant Health

If your insurance or payment method is not listed, give us a call at ​(706) 310-5050 just to make sure.

Contact Me.

Make an Appointment!

Click here for patient forms. Fill out the form and submit it in a message or bring the filled out form to your appointment.

Address:

1011 Stonebridge Pkwy Suite 106
Watkinsville, GA. 30677
(706) 310-5050

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