Hauser-Ross Eye Institute breaks ground on new facility

SYCAMORE – Dr. Ahmed Abdelsalam envisions patients from the entire northern Illinois region and beyond coming to Sycamore to have eye surgery.

Abdelsalam, a retina surgeon at Hauser-Ross Eye Institute, was involved in getting the facility to move operations from 2240 Gateway Drive to 1630 Gateway Drive in Sycamore. The new 36,500-square-foot building is expected to open in October 2015 and will include state-of-the-art technology such as blade-free advanced laser cataract surgery and blade-free LASIK vision correction surgery.

“It’s an incredible, unique situation,” Abdelsalam said. “The area here, the boundaries are Wisconsin to the north, Iowa to the west and Route 80 and Ottawa to the south. There’s 2 million people that don’t have this. It’s going to be the corridor.”

To celebrate, Hauser-Ross held a groundbreaking Wednesday for the new building. The business currently has 64 employees, including 14 physicians, but will hire more physicians to work in the new building, said Hauser-Ross Administrative Assistant Sindy Edwards.

In May 2013, Abdelsalam bought the DeKalb practice from Kishwaukee Hospital so the facility could become a privately owned company instead of being under the umbrella of a nonprofit organization, Edwards said.

With the change, Edwards said Hauser-Ross was able to accept more patients with its insurance this year.

According to its website, Hauser-Ross opened in 1980 and treats eye conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, eyelid abnormalities, pediatric eye problems and vitreoretinal conditions.

In December, Hauser-Ross purchased equipment to provide blade-free advanced laser cataract surgery. It also is one of the few facilities in the state to offer blade-free LASIK surgery, Edwards said.

The facility will include an Ambulatory Surgical Center with four operating rooms, according to a news release.

“It’s been a whirlwind of change,” Edwards said. “We continue to keep the patients foremost in our mind and work toward making this a better place for them.”

Perhaps most importantly, Abdelsalam said, is that when the new facility opens, it no longer will have to turn away patients. Last year, 157 patients were referred to Chicago because Hauser-Ross did not have the equipment to treat them, Abdelsalam said.

“Relief is coming soon,” he said.