About Us

At Aboite Family Eyecare Center, we strive to provide the highest quality eye care in the Fort Wayne area.  Our practice was founded in 1985 by Dr. Thomas Zachman. Since the very beginning, Dr. Zachman has provided exceptional care to his patients, creating a large and loyal patient base. As of 2023 his daughter, Dr. Kathryn Zachman, and son in law, Dr. Michael Pavell succeeded Dr. Zachman in ownership of Aboite Family Eyecare Center. We aim to preserve the rich history of the practice and emulate the high standard of care Dr. Thomas Zachman always provided.

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Our Services

Comprehensive Eye Care

At Aboite Family Eyecare we provide a professional, personalized eye care experience. As we are an independent private practice and not an optical chain, we are able to take our time with our patients and not rush through our exams. We will be forthcoming with every patient, recommending new frames, lenses, or contacts only when needed and will never try to pressure a patient into purchasing something they do not want or need.

A comprehensive eye examination at Aboite Family Eyecare will not only accurately determine your correct glasses and contact prescription, but also include testing for ocular diseases and conditions. These include, but are not limited to glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and amblyopia (lazy eye).

Pediatric Vision Care

We specialize in working with children and strive to make them feel at ease during their eye exam. A child’s eye exam at our office is a painless, fun experience where we measure their tracking ability, ocular alignment, color vision, depth perception, and refractive error. Annual eye examinations are extremely important for children, 1 in 4 pediatric patients have undetected vision problems.

Children rarely complain about their vision because they believe the way they see is the way everyone else sees. Early detection and treatment in children with vision problems such as refractive error, turned eye, and lazy eye (amblyopia) results in the best outcome. For this reason, we recommend annual eye exams for all our pediatric patients.

Medical Eye Conditions

The connection between vision, the eye and the rest of the body is very important. Often symptoms such as blurry vision, double vision and/or headaches can be caused by systemic issues such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Catching these problems with an annual, comprehensive eye examination can often lead to earlier diagnosis and the treatment of such conditions before they become to difficult to manage.

At Aboite Family Eyecare, we use slit lamp biomicroscopy, dilated fundus exams, retinal imaging and diagnostic visual field testing to manage and diagnose many medical conditions related to the eye.

We detect and manage glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and dry eye syndrome.

Contact Lenses

We fit all types of contact lenses at Aboite Family Eyecare. We specialize in fitting soft spherical, toric (astigmatism) and multifocal lenses as well as rigid gas permeable lenses. We work with our patients to evaluate their visual needs to find a contact lens that is the best fit.

Eye Emergencies

At Aboite Family Eyecare, we offer immediate assistance for any eye injuries, infections, or any other ocular emergency a patient may experience. Please contact us immediately if you are experiencing eye redness, irritation, light sensitivity, have a foreign body in your eye, are experiencing flashes of light or have sudden decreased vision.

Examples of emergent eye conditions that we treat include:

  • Foreign bodies in the eye
  • Abrasions (cuts) to the eye
  • Extreme allergic reactions
  • Corneal ulcers (open wounds in the eye)
  • Keratitis (inflammation to the cornea)

Dry Eyes

Do you have dry eyes?  Dry eyes can cause a variety of symptoms, including: burning, stinging, tearing, sanding/gritty sensation, fluctuations in vision and contact lens intolerance.

Most dry eye symptoms are related to a condition called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. Meibomian glands secrete oil into our tear film with each blink; this oil stabilizes our tear film, keeping it from evaporating too quickly.  These glands can become clogged with age, decreased blinking and poor hygiene. To treat Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, LipiFlow is a FDA approved non-invasive 12-minute procedure that uses Thermal Pulsation technology to apply controlled heat to the inner eyelids, which melts the oil and with gentle massage clears any blockage from the Meibomian glands.

Our doctors are skilled in treating dry eye and will recommend the best treatment options to help alleviate your dry eye symptoms.

Meet Our Team

Dr. Michael Pavell

Dr. Michael Pavell received his bachelor’s degree in Biology and English Literature from DePauw University where he played varsity soccer and served on the executive board of his fraternity.

He then went on to receive his Doctor of Optometry degree from Indiana University School of Optometry and completed externships at WJB Dorn Veterans Hospital, Eye Institute of Utah, Truhlsen Eye Institute, and Atwater Eye Care Center.

Dr. Pavell has been practicing in Fort Wayne since his graduation and provides adult and pediatric eye care, treats ocular disease, co-manages refractive and cataract surgery patients and fits contact lenses.

Dr. Kathryn Zachman

Dr. Kathryn Zachman, a native of Fort Wayne, graduated from Indiana University where she earned her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science.

Dr. Zachman played varsity soccer for the Hoosiers and served as philanthropy chair of her sorority.  She then went on to receive her Doctor of Optometry degree from Indiana University School of Optometry and completed externships at Vision Care Specialists, Atwater Eye Care Center, Indianapolis Eye Care Center and WJB Dorn Veterans Hospital.

Dr. Zachman is excited to be back in her hometown providing  comprehensive eye exams for all ages, diagnoses and treats ocular disease, co-manages refractive and cataract surgery and fits contact lenses.

Dr. Thomas Zachman

Dr. Thomas Zachman earned both his bachelor’s degree and his Doctor of Optometry degree from Indiana University.

He completed externships at Ireland Army Hospital in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and at the I.U. Optometry School Walker Clinic in Indianapolis, Indiana. After graduating, Dr. Thomas Zachman started practicing in downtown Fort Wayne Indiana.

In 1985, he established Aboite Family Eyecare Center and has enjoyed being in private practice for over 40 years. Dr. Thomas Zachman practices full scope optometry including, pediatric and adult comprehensive exams, diagnoses and treats ocular disease, co-manages refractive and cataract surgeries and fits contact lenses.