Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Elliott Caine.
Hi Dr. Caine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I have worked as an optometrist and musician in LA, starting from the mid-late ’70s. I am from Indianapolis, Indiana, and spent 7 years as an undergraduate and graduate student at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana. In LA, my optometry career began by working in a private office in Huntington Park, as well as a health center in East LA. Over the next 15 or so years, I worked for several different doctors and then spent about 18 years working at a health center, oriented primarily to the Spanish-speaking/Latino community, in Highland Park. In 2009, I started my own practice on York Blvd., in Highland Park, starting from scratch in what had been a dental office for many years. It was quite a challenge, especially considering that I had no business background. In any case, currently, my practice is very busy. Concurrently, I have also pursued a music career, primarily as a trumpet player, and later, also as a composer and bandleader. I have played in a wide variety of groups, beginning with “garage bands”, and later with many different Latin groups, and in the ’90s with the Latin-ska group, Jump with Joey, and, in that decade, various swing, “acid jazz”, and Afro-Cuban groups, also recording with The Beastie Boys, Beck, Filter, and many other groups, and eventually forming my own jazz/Latin jazz group. We have performed at many local and international festivals, as well as having put out 4 CDs, receiving much radio play. Quite a few of my compositions have been used for television and film and online commercials.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Some smooth spots as well as bumpy ones: growing pains as a young eye doctor; then, starting my own business, with no business experience, and dealing with the adverse situations (most people are very pleasant, but there are a few who are “interesting”). Owning a business, having employees, dealing with ups and downs has been a learning experience, and continues to be one!
Music also has its challenges: Improving my musicianship/skills as a trumpeter is an ongoing issue. No matter how improved I have gotten, there is always room for improvement, though I do enjoy the challenge. I have gone through highest highs, as well as disappointments throughout my music career.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I have a small optometry office in Highland Park, open 6 days a week. I am bilingual in English and Spanish. I see patients who are from all different backgrounds and ethnicities; low, moderate, and high income…it doesn’t matter to me. I treat everyone as if they were a long, lost cousin. I try to be very affordable, particularly to people who are struggling financially. I have imparted to my staff that very same philosophy. My eye exam includes a very precise determination of a patient’s eyeglass/contact lens prescription, as well as treatment for any ocular discomfort or possible disease, such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, glaucoma, foreign body penetration, dry eye, etc. More recently, I have been treating younger patients using “‘myopia control”; i.e., to prevent or minimize increases in the amount of near-sightedness. We, of course, are serious, though with a casual vibe. Even the music in my office fits my point of view: My favorite artists, from Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Tito Puente, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ella Fitzgerald, Brian Wilson, et al have their music played in my office. I am constantly studying and improving my skills as an optometric eye doctor, trying to keep up with the latest developments and skill sets.
What does success mean to you?
Success, for me, is knowing that I have done something positive for people: my patients, family, fellow workers, friends and acquaintances, strangers, and myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drecaine.com
- Instagram: Trompeta1
- Other: www.elliottcaine.com
Image Credits
Joan Fuller
