Dr. Kymber Blaschke, OD (left) and Dr. Jennifer Blaschke, OD (right)
Even though they are sisters, Jennifer Blaschke, OD, and Kymber Blaschke, OD, came to optometry via distinctly different pathways. Dr. Jennifer Blaschke says, “I’m five years older, and I knew in high school that I wanted to be an optometrist. I did a research paper on it; I’m a very type A personality,” she says.
Dr. Kymber Blaschke is “more of a free spirit, more spontaneous,” both sisters agree. “I decided at the start of my final year in undergrad that optometry was for me,” the younger sister says. She knew she wanted a career in health care, so she shadowed different professionals—including her sister. “I liked understanding how the visual system was connected to the whole body,” she says.
In fact, Dr. Jennifer Blaschke, who graduated in 2012 from University of Houston College of Optometry, says that her complaints about the challenging optometry school curriculum almost dissuaded her younger sister. While the two talked about maybe working together some day, other plans intervened. The younger sister worked as an optometrist for a year after her 2017 graduation and then went to South Korea and taught English for a year, while the older sister’s family was growing – now with a second child.
“When Kymber came back from Korea, we started talking about it more seriously. We’re opposites, but we also have a lot of similarities,” says Dr. Jennifer Blaschke.
In December 2021, the two opened Elevated Eye Care in New Braunfels, Texas. The practice name resonated with them because they liked the idea of elevating care and the patient experience. Then, when they found a location on the second level of a building, it was like kismet.
The practice brings together the best of the experiences they’ve each had working in various other practices and a style that suits both sisters. “It’s very modern, with a five-ring chandelier and a large open space. The colors are white and gray, with a large quartz reception desk. It’s a clean, boutique style, and we sell mainly independent lines, where we can share the stories behind the frame lines,” says the older sister.
They have overlapping clinical interests. Dr. Jennifer Blaschke has been doing pediatrics, including myopia management and orthokeratology, as well as vision therapy for longer, but her sister is showing an interest in those areas.
“In management, we differ, and we divide and conquer. Jennifer handles the budget and the numbers, and I handle the staff-related areas or hiring, training and developing policies.
The two also share a passion for being community ODs in New Braunfels. They grew up in a small Texas town about an hour away, and as youngsters, a trip to New Braunfels was always special. “Our parents would bring us, and we’d go to the Gruene General Store for ice cream and float down the river. It was always a special destination.”
Dr. Jennifer Blaschke made her home here first, but her younger sister gladly joined her. “We are enjoying the connections we have been making,” Dr. Kymber Blaschke says. The two built the practice to be large enough to accommodate them both full time when they choose that schedule. Right now, they’re each there three days a week – Dr. Jennifer on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – and Dr. Kymber on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. They alternate who sees patients or does administrative work on Fridays. The younger sister also works part-time at another location, while the older sister is enjoying her time with her young children.
“Our hope is to continue to grow. We can see that we are providing specialty services to the community that have been missing – like seeing babies and very young children. So we want to help our patients and make it a great experience,” Dr. Jennifer Blaschke says.
