"I come in early and try and see patients when the need arises," Tessman said. "On the average day, I'm at my desk by 6:30 a.m. to do any administrative work and possibly follow up on any patients who might have come into the ER needing optometry services. A typical day means my schedule has about 20 scheduled patients instead of the normal 12 to 15."

"I'm a religious man, so basically I work for God and treat each patient as if Jesus was sitting in my exam chair," he said. "I give them the time and care they deserve as I've always done."

"Being chosen as the top doc in DHA has kept me humble. I realize that it's my patients who are recommending me for this honor and there have been times when there were not enough responses through JOE"S (Joint Operations Experience Survey) to even be considered." Tessman commented.

"I care for my patients to the best of my ability, but I am not working solo," he stressed. "It's a total team effort, I have an excellent team and together, we provide the best possible care we can to the patients we see."

"Fortunately, we now have another Optometrist on staff now -- CPT Timoteo Flores-Bayer. He's been credentialed and should begin seeing patients this month. This will help greatly and allow the EENT clinic to take care of more beneficiaries," said Tessman, getting our backlog back to a more manageable level."

"Being able to see all eligible beneficiaries can present some challenges too," said Tessman. "Protecting your eyes by getting annual eye exams is important. The eyes are like windows," he said. "We can catch signs of diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure and glaucoma before it's actually diagnosed. There are new treatments, procedures and medications especially for glaucoma. "

"We are even doing exams for new contact lenses patients as well as those who already wear contacts. Youth playing sports need to protect their eyes, especially those who play high speed sports -- basketball with elbows to eye and baseball which has the highest incidents for eye injuries," stressed Tessman. "Eye injuries can be serious, so wearing protection is a good idea, even when doing odd jobs around the house and especially with power tools and lawn care equipment."

Eligible beneficiaries needing eye exams do not need a referral, just call 337-531-3276 or 531-3277 to make an appointment.