Q. What is your name and role at Providence Eye & Laser Specialists?
A. My name is Vanessa Mills and I’m an optometrist at Providence Eye.
Q. Is Charlotte your hometown?
A. No, I am originally from a very small town in north central Pennsylvania called Turbotville. My hometown didn’t (and still doesn’t!) have a traffic light. I graduated high school with 117 classmates and it isn’t uncommon to see horses and buggies while visiting my hometown area.
Q. Are you married and/or do you have children?
A. I married my high school sweetheart, even though technically I was a senior in high school and he was a freshman in college when we started dating. We have been married almost 15 years, but have been together for almost 20 years! We have two wonderful children: Isaac is 4 and Avis is 2.
Q. When did you join Providence Eye and why did you decide it was the right place for you?
A. I joined Providence Eye on August 11, 2004, right after I graduated from Optometry school. It was a perfect match finding this practice, as I always desired to be part of a practice that enabled me to build relationships not only with my patients but with their family members as well. Personal attention and the desire for quality versus quantity are not only my philosophy but what also makes Providence Eye special. This practice has also been very gracious in giving me the flexibility and work/life balance that is important while raising my young children.
Q. What do you like best about your position at Providence Eye?
A. As one of the eye care doctors, I love that I can follow a patient through their journey of first deciding on LASIK, going through with surgery and seeing how much they enjoy life without glasses or contacts, following them through their post-op visits, then seeing them annually for ocular health examinations. I also like helping patients solve their eye-related problems and feel privileged to provide my skills and services to patients of the greater Charlotte area.
Q. What do you like most about living in Charlotte?
A. Easy, the weather! Moving from PA, the occasional snowfall (or dusting) we get here is a welcomed change. My favorite time of year here is the fall, as it actually stays fall through most of December; much unlike getting snow on Halloween as we used to in PA. I also love that Charlotte is only 2 hours from the mountains and 3 hours from the beach.
Q. What do you like least about Charlotte?
A. I would say the traffic. Although it could be worse and there are definitely more congested areas in the country, over the past 12+ years, I have definitely seen traffic increasing, which prolongs commute times.
Q. What is something no one may know about you?
A. I went to states in high school girls’ basketball (I was definitely a “jock” growing up). At my first job through high school and college, I was a car-hop waitress at a drive-in restaurant…and no, I didn’t wear roller skates!
Q. What do you like to do in your spare time?
A. Aside from spending time with my family and friends, I love spending time outdoors, running and playing golf. I’m somewhat of a “foodie” and enjoy trying new good restaurants. I also love watching college football…go PSU!!!
