From occ to doc

Portland native Dr. Abby (Broering) Small has always had her eye on healthcare.

The daughter of local dairy farmers Greg and Brenda Broering, Small, 25, has studied vision care for almost 8 years. Now she’s working as a full-time doctor at Fullenkamp Optometry.

In high school, Small took a health occupations class. She shadowed local professionals in the field, including those at Fullenkamp Optometry. Eventually she began solely focusing on optometry.

“I liked that there was that option to be able to help people look good, feel good, see good,” she said.

Small, who graduated from Jay County High School in 2013, attended Indiana University in Bloomington for both her undergraduate and graduate studies. After finishing at IU School of Optometry in May, she started full-time at the Portland clinic.

In addition to her time as a high schooler, she also worked part time at Fullenkamp Optometry during school breaks from her undergraduate studies.

Dr. David Fullenkamp said on Small’s last day at work before going to optometry school, they had lunch together.

“I mentioned that it would be great if she would want to come back to the area when she was finished,” he said. “I’m more than happy it has worked out for us in that way.”

Small wanted to be in a profession in which she could help people, and it’s easy to see instant gratification on a face after giving someone a new pair of glasses, she explained.

But also there’s a lot more that optometrists do, she added, like viewing the back of patients’ eyes and checking for medical conditions. On a day-to-day basis, she’ll perform eye exams for all ages, fit contact lenses and help with disease treatment and management.

She specializes in treating dry eye disease. After having several patients with symptoms, the clinic is now equipped and ready to treat the condition as needed.

Sometimes, a regular check-up can turn into discovering a serious health issue. Once, Small found plaque in a blood vessel behind a patient’s eye which, if left untreated, could have eventually caused a stroke.

“There are multiple instances like that in optometry where people come in for just an eye exam, and you find something bigger,” she added.

Practice manager Ashley Retz described Small as a passionate doctor.

She also commends her for taking time to explain medical information to patients.

“Sometimes when you go to a doctor’s office, doctors will just rush through and maybe not necessarily explain things how you can understand it,” Retz said.

Small job-shadowed at Grand Lake Eyecare in Fort Recovery, Lehman and Bixler: Professional Eye Care in Berne, LensCrafters and Cunningham Optical One in Muncie.

She also trained at vision centers in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Richmond and Bowling Green, Kentucky. While training, she wanted to get experience from all types of offices — corporate and private — to see which fit her best. She decided she preferred locally owned and operated businesses.

“I like being in a rural area,” she said. “I didn’t like being in any type of big town … living close to my family was also a big thing, too.”

She married Matthew Small of Fort Wayne in 2018, and they moved to Jay County last year. Abby Small plans to be at the clinic for a long time.

She chose Fullenkamp’s business for the location as well as relationships she’s made.

“I really loved the setup they had, I really loved the staff, and Dr. Fullenkamp’s really been a great mentor to me — I was very lucky to be able to work alongside him,” she said.

Fullenkamp, who has been an optometrist more than 35 years, said it’s refreshing to have a younger professional at the office who can provide to him a new perspective. He said Small puts a lot of time and care into her work.

“You can really tell she loves what she does,” Fullenkamp said. “She takes the extra time and goes the extra mile to see (her patients) are taken care of.”