Who is buying optometry practices?
13 named consolidator platforms are actively acquiring US optometry businesses; 10 of them are private-equity-backed. Typical optometry acquisitions price at 4.5x-8x EBITDA (2x-4.5x SDE for smaller owner-operated businesses), per published ranges from John M. Salony, ODs on Finance Brokerage and others. The most recent named acquisition tracked on this page closed in September 2026.
Why optometry practices are consolidating
- •There are around 23,000 optometry practices in the US, according to Vision Monday.
- •Since 2019, private equity has completed 313 optometry-sector deals worldwide with a combined value of $17.0 billion, according to Preqin data cited by Vision Monday.
- •There were 24 eye care transactions announced in 2024, down from 47 in 2023, according to LevinPro HC from Irving Levin Associates.
- •Eyecare economist Richard Edlow, OD, recorded 13 transactions in Q1 2026 covering 16 optometrists and 48 ophthalmologists. He expects true private equity consolidation to cap out at about 20 percent of optometry and ophthalmology providers, according to Vision Monday.
- •A 2026 Jobson Research survey asked former owners who sold an optometry practice in the past five years who bought it: 37 percent sold to private equity and 37 percent to a private optometrist, according to Vision Monday.
The platforms consolidating optometry practices
The named groups acquiring US optometry businesses, with their current owner and a source for each. Most grow through individual partnerships that are not separately disclosed; where a platform publishes named deals, recent ones are listed.
| Acquirer | Owner / backer | Type | Headquarters | Latest named deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyEyeDr. | Goldman Sachs Asset Management (lead investor since 2019); Charlesbank Capital Partners (minority) | Private equity | Vienna, VA | Sep 2026 |
| AEG Vision | Riata Capital Group | Private equity | Dallas, TX | — |
| VSP Ventures | VSP Vision | Strategic / family-owned | Rancho Cordova, CA | Jul 2026 |
| InFocus Eyecare | Regal Healthcare Capital Partners | Private equity | Jacksonville, FL | Jul 2026 |
| Shopko Optical | Fielmann Group AG (via Fielmann USA) | Strategic / public | Green Bay, WI | Jul 2025 |
| TeamVision | EssilorLuxottica | Strategic / public | Not disclosed | — |
| Elevate Eyecare | Bison Capital (growth capital investment, Aug 2025) | Private equity | Not disclosed | — |
| Vision Innovation Partners | Gryphon Investors | Private equity | Annapolis, MD | Mar 2026 |
| Eye Health America | LLR Partners | Private equity | Greenville, SC | Jun 2025 |
| Ascend Vision Partners | Chicago Pacific Founders | Private equity | Orlando, FL | Jan 2026 |
| Simon Eye | Brightstar Capital Partners (May 2026); management retains a meaningful stake | Private equity | Wilmington, DE | Jan 2026 |
| US VisionMed Partners | Kian Capital Partners, RF Investment Partners and Lakewood Healthcare Capital | Private equity | Dallas, TX | — |
| Sight360 | Spanos Barber Jesse & Co. (SBJ Capital) | Private equity | Oldsmar, FL | Jan 2024 |
MyEyeDr.
Private equity- Owner
- Goldman Sachs Asset Management (lead investor since 2019); Charlesbank Capital Partners (minority)
- Headquarters
- Vienna, VA
- Scale
- 1,000 offices in 29 states (June 2026)
The EyeCare Partners deal is expected to close in Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. Vision Monday (Apr 2026) reports 952 locations at the end of 2025 after 79 acquisitions that year. It says Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division has backed MyEyeDr. since 2019 'and there have been no recent changes'.
AEG Vision
Private equity- Owner
- Riata Capital Group
- Headquarters
- Dallas, TX
- Scale
- 575 optometry offices across 35 states (Vision Monday, Apr 2026)
Vision Monday says AEG added 90 practices in 2025 and plans the same pace in 2026, but AEG publishes no named, dated deals for 2024-2026. Vision Monday says Riata has wholly owned AEG since its founding in 2017. Riata announced a secondary transaction for AEG in July 2021.
VSP Ventures
Strategic / family-owned- Owner
- VSP Vision
- Headquarters
- Rancho Cordova, CA
- Scale
- more than 100 practices (VSP, Jul 2026); 157 locations at end of 2025 (Vision Monday)
VSP Vision calls itself 'the first and only not-for-profit eye health company'. None of the allowed owner types fits, so it is classed here as a private strategic buyer. Vision Monday says VSP Vision has backed Ventures since 2019 with no change. VSP's practice count ('more than 100 practices') and Vision Monday's location count (157) conflict. VSP Vision also bought Eyemart Express, which closed in January 2025.
InFocus Eyecare
Private equity- Owner
- Regal Healthcare Capital Partners
- Headquarters
- Jacksonville, FL
- Scale
- more than 30 full-scope optometry practices across seven states (Mar 2026)
Vision Monday (Apr 2026) confirms Regal is still the financial backer. The network is entirely OD-led optometry practices.
Shopko Optical
Strategic / public- Owner
- Fielmann Group AG (via Fielmann USA)
- Headquarters
- Green Bay, WI
- Scale
- more than 140 stores across 13 U.S. states (July 2024)
Fielmann calls itself a 'German family business' and is a listed company. It bought Shopko from a holding whose majority shareholders were funds advised by Monarch Alternative Capital, closing on July 1, 2024. The May 2024 Hibbing deal was therefore done under Monarch ownership.
TeamVision
Strategic / public- Owner
- EssilorLuxottica
- Headquarters
- Not disclosed
- Scale
- About 130 locations at end of 2024 (Vision Monday, 2025)
A management services organization inside EssilorLuxottica that 'does not rely on other financial backers'. It does not trade under its own name to patients. Vision Monday's 2026 story says the 2025 deals grew the network to 'nearly 40 optical locations', which conflicts with the roughly 130 locations it reported for end-2024.
Elevate Eyecare
Private equity- Owner
- Bison Capital (growth capital investment, Aug 2025)
- Headquarters
- Not disclosed
- Scale
- more than 80 company-owned locations across the U.S. (Aug 2025)
Bison describes this as a growth-capital investment and does not say whether it holds control. The company site lists locations in NC, SC, GA, IA, TN and AK. No named acquisitions were found.
Vision Innovation Partners
Private equity- Owner
- Gryphon Investors
- Headquarters
- Annapolis, MD
- Scale
- 69 locations in MD, DC, VA, PA and DE, including 12 surgery centers (Mar 2026)
An ophthalmology-led platform. Vision Monday says every one of its practices includes integrated optometry. Its 2026 add-ons were ophthalmology practices; Eye Care of Delaware has one ophthalmologist and two optometrists. Vision Monday says Gryphon has backed it since April 2022 with no change.
Eye Health America
Private equity- Owner
- LLR Partners
- Headquarters
- Greenville, SC
- Scale
- 63 clinic locations and 14 ambulatory surgery centers across SC, GA and FL (Vision Monday, 2026)
An integrated ophthalmology and optometry platform. Vision Monday (2026) confirms LLR has backed it since 2018, and EHA told the magazine it expects less M&A activity for the rest of 2026. The HQ comes from the careers page on EHA's own site.
Ascend Vision Partners
Private equity- Owner
- Chicago Pacific Founders
- Headquarters
- Orlando, FL
- Scale
- 14 brands, 32 clinical locations and 17 opticals in FL and TX (end of 2024)
A network of optometrists and ophthalmologists. Its January 2026 Oklahoma add-ons were ophthalmology practices. The scale figure comes from Vision Monday (Apr 2025).
Simon Eye
Private equity- Owner
- Brightstar Capital Partners (May 2026); management retains a meaningful stake
- Headquarters
- Wilmington, DE
- Scale
- 11 locations from southern PA through DE into MD (Jan 2026)
An integrated optometry, optical and ophthalmology platform. Brightstar calls its deal a 'strategic investment' and does not say whether it holds a majority. The Cecil Vision Care deal came before Brightstar invested.
US VisionMed Partners
Private equity- Owner
- Kian Capital Partners, RF Investment Partners and Lakewood Healthcare Capital
- Headquarters
- Dallas, TX
- Scale
- practices in six states (Vision Monday, 2026)
An optometry-only management services organization formed in 2024. Kian lists its own stake as growth capital with minority ownership. US VisionMed bought four Miami-area locations in May 2025 but did not name the practices. Its CEO told Vision Monday the 2026 pipeline is 'significantly more active'.
Sight360
Private equity- Owner
- Spanos Barber Jesse & Co. (SBJ Capital)
- Headquarters
- Oldsmar, FL
- Scale
- 26 practices and an ambulatory surgery center (Vision Monday, 2026)
Medium confidence: the HQ comes from a ZoomInfo listing only. Sight360 made no acquisitions in 2025, and it says it is still looking at ophthalmology and optical practices in greater Tampa Bay only. Its one listed deal was an ophthalmology practice.
Selling in your state?
What optometry businesses sell for, who is buying, and how many there are, state by state.
Frequently asked
Who is buying optometry practices in 2026?
The largest buyer is MyEyeDr. Goldman Sachs has backed it since 2019, and Charlesbank Capital Partners holds a minority stake. It made 79 acquisitions in 2025 and opened its 1,000th office in June 2026. In September 2026 it agreed to buy EyeCare Partners' optometry division, which has more than 300 offices. Among other buyers, AEG Vision (Riata Capital Group) added 90 practices in 2025. VSP Ventures acquired 63 locations in 2025, including Total Vision, a 57-practice California group. Smaller active buyers include InFocus Eyecare (Regal Healthcare Capital Partners), Shopko Optical (Fielmann Group) and US VisionMed Partners.
What multiple will my optometry practice sell for?
Published broker guidance puts solo and owner-operated practices at roughly 2.0x to 4.5x seller's discretionary earnings (SDE). Multi-doctor groups priced on EBITDA sell for roughly 4.5x to 8x, and John M. Salony puts the national median at around 4.7x EBITDA. Valuations rise when associate ODs bring in revenue without the owner and when the books are clean. One optometrist quoted by Vision Monday said private equity will most likely pass on a solo practice generating $1 million or less.
Is private equity still buying optometry practices?
Yes, but buyers are more selective. Anne Kavanagh of Kavanagh Consulting told Vision Monday in 2026 that buyers want practices with strong profitability, a history of revenue growth and good systems, and are 'not looking for turnarounds'. Richard Edlow's Q1 2026 analysis recorded 13 optometry and ophthalmology transactions, a slower pace than in earlier years. MyEyeDr. said inflation, tariffs and interest rates were not currently affecting its acquisition activity.
What is happening to EyeCare Partners?
EyeCare Partners has been majority-owned by Partners Group since 2020. On September 28, 2026 it agreed to sell its optometry business to MyEyeDr. The sale covers Clarkson Eyecare, EyeCare Associates, EyeCare Center, Nationwide Vision and The Eye Doctors. It is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. ECP says it will sharpen its focus on ophthalmology and ambulatory surgery centers and use the proceeds to reduce debt. It pursued no acquisitions in 2025, and its CEO said its 2024 strategy also did not focus on acquisitions.
Will I have to keep working after I sell?
Usually, if the buyer is backed by private equity. Jason Preator of Kavanagh Consulting told Vision Monday that private equity buyers like sellers to stay on for at least 3 to 5 years. According to Palmstone Capital, MyEyeDr. discloses its deal structure publicly: a 100% asset purchase, deferred installments that depend on continued employment, and a minimum three-to-five-year work commitment.
Are there buyers other than private equity?
Yes. Strategic buyers include VSP Ventures (part of the not-for-profit VSP Vision), TeamVision (a management services organization inside EssilorLuxottica) and Shopko Optical (owned by Germany's Fielmann Group). Selling to another optometrist is just as common. A 2026 Jobson Research survey found recent sales split evenly, with 37 percent going to private equity and 37 percent to a private optometrist.
Methodology & sources
Compiled in October 2026, and every source was read during this run. Sources were sponsor portfolio pages and press releases, platform news pages, deal press releases, and Vision Monday's 2025 and 2026 private equity cover stories (full PDFs). Every owner was checked for a 2025-2026 sale, recap or merger, and one platform was dropped because its owner could not be confirmed. Deals are limited to named optometry or OD-led eye care targets with a sourced 2024-2026 date. Multiples come from four published broker, advisor and trade-press sources, and each quoted passage was checked word for word.
Multiple sources
- John M. Salony, What Is an Optometry Practice Worth in 2026? (Jun 2026) ↗
- ODs on Finance Brokerage, How To Sell a Practice: 8-Step Guide ↗
- Palmstone Capital, Optometry Practices for Sale ↗
- Vision Monday, Private Equity and Practice Transitions in 2026 (Vittorio Mena, OD) ↗
Market sources
- Vision Monday, Private Equity and Practice Transitions in 2026 (Apr/May 2026) ↗
- Vision Monday, Private Equity and Practice Transitions in 2025 (Apr 2025; Preqin data) ↗
- LevinPro Healthcare M&A, Eye Health America Acquires Quigley Eye Specialists (Feb 2025) ↗
Last updated October 6, 2026. Platform ownership last verified October 6, 2026. Ownership in this sector changes frequently; figures reflect the most recent public sources available and are not investment, legal, or tax advice.
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