The 31 days of December are a time for family celebrations and holiday cheer. But for many in the Coulee Region, the holiday season also brings added work and responsibilities. Each day this month, the Tribune will profile an area person for whom this truly is the busiest time of the year.

College students return home for the holidays. Employees race to beat the Jan. 1 deadline to use money left in medical savings accounts.

Gundersen Lutheran optometrist Dr. John Sterling. PETER THOMSON photo

That keeps optometrists like John Sterling busy this time of year.

Sterling, a Gundersen Lutheran optometrist for 34 years, said his office typically sees the most traffic during the Christmas holiday period, when his average of 22 patients a day can go up by 10 percent to 20 percent.

“Kids from college show up because they’re out of contact lenses, or they have trouble with their contacts, or they have an eye infection often caused by an upper respiratory infection,” Sterling said.

“We don’t back off our schedule, and we try to see the walk-ins,” Sterling said.

Other people want an eye exam and glasses, or refractive surgery before the end of the year, he said.

“They have met their deductible, and they have to use the money or lose it,” Sterling said.

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