PUEBLO — When Rocky Mountain Eye Center officially decided to close its doors in Pueblo, News5 heard from viewers wanting to know why the decision was made.
The company stated that it was because of financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many people in southern Colorado used the company for eyecare, serving more than 25,000 patients in the Pueblo area in the year prior to its closure.
That's why Dr. Cory Smith, who used to work for the eye care center, decided to open his own clinic called Clear View Vision Center in the same location he worked for 21 years.
News5 talked to him about the affect the sudden closure had on the community.
"Panic, because there's so many people calling other places trying to find a place to get their eye care," said Dr. Smith. "I didn't want to leave this place. It was a good practice and it stays really busy here, and so I decided just to start my own. A lot of people have contacted me and want to come back and and... keep coming here for their eye care."
Dr. Smith hopes to serve the customers that lost their eye care when Rocky Mountain Eye Center closed.
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Pueblo community honors 13-year-old Joeylin McDonald with lantern ceremony
Family and friends gathered at the Riverwalk in Pueblo to celebrate the life of 13-year-old Joeylin McDonald, who passed away last week in a tragic accident at a youth program.
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