For many residents, a visit to the eye doctor is a familiar part of growing up. For Dr. E. Connor Smallwood, it helped shape the future he would one day return home to build. Today, the lifelong Gahanna resident is not only caring for patients in the same community where he was raised – he’s doing so from the very practice where he once sat as a young patient himself.
Raised in Gahanna and a graduate of Gahanna Lincoln High School, Smallwood returned home after earning his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 2019. He joined Tencza Eye Associates, working alongside Dr. Peter Tencza, the optometrist he had visited since childhood.
In 2024, after more than three decades of serving the community, Tencza retired and entrusted the practice to Smallwood, beginning a new chapter under the name Smallwood Eye Associates.
Still located in the Creekside District at 78 Mill Street, the practice continues its longstanding tradition of personalized care while introducing new technology and expanded services for patients of all ages.
Smallwood Eye Associates
Dr. E. Connor Smallwood
A Full-Circle Journey
Smallwood still remembers how comfortable Tencza made him feel during appointments as a child – an experience that left a lasting impression.
“He took the time to get to know me and really made me feel comfortable as a young boy in a doctor’s office,” Smallwood said. “That’s a hard thing to do sometimes. I remember always loving to go get my eyes checked with him.”
That early connection helped inspire Smallwood’s future career path. For his undergraduate studies, Smallwood attended Vanderbilt University and studied neuroscience, fascinated by the brain and vision. During his time at Vanderbilt, he had the opportunity to shadow Tencza and saw firsthand how meaningful community-based healthcare could be.
“I was like, ‘Hey, this is a really cool career field where it can directly impact people. I can operate a business, I can be in healthcare, and I can be close to my family, my community,’” Smallwood said. “It was a perfect fit.”
Today, Smallwood Eye Associates maintains the same expert eye care, with services including pediatric eye exams, contact lens evaluations, care for eye infections and injuries, and more.
Carrying on a Trusted Legacy
For many long-time patients, the transition from Tencza to Smallwood felt natural. The two doctors worked side-by-side for five years before the ownership transition, giving patients time to build trust and relationships with Smallwood before he took over the practice – something Smallwood believes has played a major role in retaining a high number of the previous patient base.
Some patients even continue traveling more than an hour for appointments.
“I always tell those patients, ‘You probably drove past 10 optometry offices to get here today, so we appreciate your loyalty,’” Smallwood said. “And they usually respond by saying, ‘Well, if you were good enough for Dr. Tencza to hire, then you’re good enough to be taking care of my eyes.’ They really do know that Dr. Tencza wanted the best for his patients. And now, I think the thing that I’m most honored by is being able to continue his legacy of great care.”
Smallwood Eye Associates
Looking Ahead While Staying Rooted
While preserving the personalized approach patients have come to expect, Smallwood is also focused on modernizing the practice with updated equipment, expanded treatment options, and more advanced diagnostic capabilities. Some of these tools include multifocal contact lenses that can reduce the need for reading glasses, and specialized glasses that can help slow nearsightedness progression in children.
Smallwood also brings a unique ability to connect with a diverse range of patients. Fluent in Spanish, he spent a year living in Nicaragua while volunteering at an ophthalmology hospital.
“I can give fluent Spanish during eye exams in my office,” Smallwood said. “I think that it helps people feel a lot more comfortable when you speak their primary language. My experience in Nicaragua definitely helped to reinforce my ability to use Spanish and language as a connecting tool for a population of patients that otherwise I might not have been able to support.”
Investing in the Community That Raised Him
Beyond caring for patients, Smallwood values being actively involved in the community he has always called home. The practice is a member of the Gahanna Area Chamber of Commerce, and Smallwood enjoys supporting neighboring Creekside businesses and building relationships with other local professionals.
“I think that being integrated and utilizing the community has been a very good way to market but also support the neighboring businesses as well,” Smallwood said. “I think that’s what makes the community go around – when we all lean in and support one another.”
Smallwood additionally hopes to integrate himself more with surrounding health care practitioners, with the goal of establishing a referral network.
Most importantly, Smallwood and his wife are now raising their own three young children in Gahanna, continuing the same sense of community and connection that shaped his own upbringing.
“I’m happy that I get to continue Dr. Tencza’s legacy of good care in our community, and now I am able to see patients that are people who I’ve grown up with and families of people who I’ve grown up with,” Smallwood said. “It makes it feel a lot less like work when you get to take care of your family and your friends.”
Amanda Stevens is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
