Todd Gershenow, OD

Healthcare Comes First

Todd Gershenow, OD (Doctor of Optometry) has been practicing in Middletown since 1992.  Right out of optometry school, he started in the Middletown office of Eyes First.  Two years later, he bought the franchised office along with two other locations.  When a new company took over the company, Todd did not like the direction they were going.  You see, it is important to him to that eye healthcare comes first and the focus on product follow.  And then he thought, why not have a business that does both very well.  So in 2005, he broke away from that company and became independent.  At that point he had five offices around Monmouth County.   There are now ten Eyes First Vision Centers.

— “Everything starts with healthcare first because what good is a good pair of glasses if your eyes are not healthy?” —

An Inspirational Conversation

Todd always knew he wanted a career in healthcare.  But he did not want to go to Medical School.  As a boy, he had a paper route and one of his customers was a chiropractor and he thought, “That’s what I’ll do.”  After his Freshman year of college, he remembers sitting in his backyard talking with his uncle, an optometrist.  He admitted he was not a really good student that first year.  His uncle replied, “If you are not going to take school seriously, you better do something else!”  So in his second year, he made a complete transformation and did really well.  At that point, he choose Optometry and always thought of that as an inspirational conversation.  He needed that reality check!

— “It’s one thing to have a goal you want to achieve, but if you’re not going to put the time and effort that you need, you’re never going to get it.” —

Just for fun:

Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Middletown, and what do you love there?

A: ”I love Patricia’s. It’s really good. Frank Brusco owns it.   He just opened an Italian steak house Gabriella’s.  We recently went and loved it.”

Q: How long have you lived or worked in Middletown?

A: ”I’ve been in Middletown since 1992. So 27 years.“

Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met?

A: ”Wow, that’s a tough question. I would say, my uncle.”

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? And why?

A: ”I went to Italy once and that was unbelievable trip and that’s my favorite. We went to Sorrento, Rome, Florence and Venice. “

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: ”Believe it or not but I love the Rocky series. And I also love Cinderella Man, with Russell Crowe, — a really good movie, based in true story.  I guess I love boxing movies.”

Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?

A: “You can’t forget to set goals.  Realistic goals help you set direction. If you have dreams and desires, set your goals and go to achieve it.

Q: What is something on your bucket list?

A: “I want to travel more. A lot of places I want to go to and Israel is definitely one of them.   Spain, is a beautiful place and would love to go there.

Also I want another sports car, I had a Maserati convertible sports car, but a Ferrari is on my bucket list.

I want to go sky diving, my daughter wants to do that also.”

Q: What is your favorite music/ 3 bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?

A: “I am a product of the 80’s but there is new stuff I like as well.  As a kid growing up, I loved Police, Journey, Boston and Foreigner.  Now I enjoy some of my kids listen to — Taylor Swift, Maroon 5.  I saw Billy Joel in concert and he was great.”

Q: What current / former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Middletown?

A: “Middletown Pancake house, we used to go there a lot. I’ve got to get back there.”

Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about Middletown?

A: “For me, this whole area is so close to everywhere else you want to go.  I love that you could have everything you want right here — the food, the restaurants and shops.  And then if you want to go somewhere else, there are so many easy ways to get to where you want to get to.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

A: “Retired, but not fully retired.  I still love what I do.  I enjoy the patient aspect.  So I would love to do volunteer work and do free eye exams for people in need.”

Q: What 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?

A: “Crazy, Fun and Loving.”

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