Barry Kissack recently announced that he is retiring. File photo
BY DEB AND TIM SMITH
Forty years is a nice run any way you look at it. That would describe the local tenure of optometrist Barry Kissack who first opened his office on North Main Street in Honeoye Falls in 1991, and who has recently announced his retirement.
“I came to Rochester to work for Bausch & Lomb as the Director of the Contact Lens Dept for Research from New Mexico in 1977,” Barry told us. “I went to work for Coopervision in 1986. Originally we came from California and moved to Pittsford. We lived in a cul-de-sac off of Parker Drive with our children Erika and Zach.”
If you’re familiar with Four Corners Optical, located in the Masonic Temple building at the southeast corner of Honeoye Falls’ four corners, please allow us to outline the historical evolution that has characterized that space. When Barry first opened, he occupied only the left-hand side, with a branch of CitiBank on the right side. When that adjacent space became available, the optometrist office expanded.
Barry’s expertise was in fitting contact lenses, and he had one particularly funny related story to share. “Years ago,” he told us, “we used to heat the lenses and put an enzyme tablet in for cleaning. One day, while I was checking a patient’s lenses, I found they were extremely dirty and asked her whether she had followed the instructions. She thought for a minute and said, ‘I heat them, and then I put the tablet in my mouth.’” Barry added that when lecturing about his practice in Europe, Canada, Japan and Australia, this story was always an audience favorite.
In addition to serving as the village’s eye doctor for four decades, Barry has also contributed to the community in other capacities. Over the years he has been very involved with Rotary and also made significant contributions to HFL-Mendon Youth Baseball. One of the fields in the baseball complex on Rush Mendon Road is actually named in his honor.
The Sentinel would like to congratulate Barry on his career and wish him a great next chapter in retirement.
