Meet INVISION’s America’s Finest Optical Retailer for 2026: Alternate View in Carmel, IN

This forward-thinking practice blends concierge hospitality, personalized styling and advanced eyecare into a destination designed to feel more like a luxury retailer than a traditional optical.

WOW! This doesn't even feel like an eye doctor’s office …” is a reaction Mollie Tavel Kaback says she hears time and again from first-time visitors to Alternate View in Carmel, IN, and it’s exactly the one she intended. Opened in 2024, the practice was conceived not simply as another optical, but as a concierge-style destination where hospitality, curated styling, and advanced eyecare exist under one roof. Her successful execution of the concept deeply impressed the judges of INVISION’s America’s Finest Optical Retailers contest, who crowned Alternate View our winner for 2026.

Tavel Kaback describes Alternate View as “the latest chapter of innovation” for her family’s business, founded by her grandfather, Dr. David Tavel, in Indianapolis in 1940. While Alternate View operates as its own independent brand with a distinct identity and clientele, it benefits from the operational infrastructure, technology and decades of expertise developed by the long-established Dr. Tavel organization. “We often describe Alternate View as … reimagining what the future of independent eyecare can look like,” she says.

That philosophy becomes apparent the moment patients arrive. Rather than a traditional medical office, they step into a boutique environment defined by natural wood finishes, modern furnishings, layered lighting, and carefully curated displays. A Client Care Ambassador welcomes them with a complimentary beverage menu featuring craft coffee, specialty drinks, wine, and beer before guiding them through the visit.

It’s an approach that extends throughout the practice. There are no fixed dispensing desks or computer stations; instead, staff move freely through the space with mobile technology, meeting clients wherever they’re most comfortable.

Even the sophisticated diagnostic equipment and other tech is “integrated rather than showcased,” as Tavel Kaback puts it, allowing advanced eyecare, dry eye treatment, bespoke styling and facial aesthetics to coexist naturally within one seamless environment.

The patient journey itself has been carefully re-engineered. Rather than browsing rows of frames, clients are presented with a personalized lineup selected in advance by stylists who consider everything from facial features and prescription to wardrobe, career, and lifestyle. The goal, Tavel Kaback says, is to “remove decision fatigue” while helping patients build an eyewear wardrobe rather than simply purchase a single pair. “Patients don’t feel sold to — they feel understood.”

Every comprehensive exam includes an advanced dry eye evaluation — whether patients report symptoms or not — using technology such as the Bruder BOSA, while treatments including IPL and radiofrequency are integrated into routine care, not offered as specialty add-ons. Similarly, facial aesthetics operate not as a separate business, but as a natural extension of eye health. “We didn’t add aesthetics to diversify … we added it to complete the patient experience,” says Tavel Kaback. To deliver this “coordinated care for the entire face, not just the eyes,” the team includes a licensed nurse practitioner and a medical director.

Alternate View intentionally limits choice in favor of curation, pairing premium independent collections like Thema’s iGreen, Giorgio Valmassoi, and O-Six lines, alongside l.a.Eyeworks, Ørgreen, Woodys, and Bottega Veneta with a single “best” lens option in each category. Horizons Optical’s Mimesys custom progressive, which uses VR technology to craft a custom map for each client, has become the practice’s signature lens, while Alcon and CooperVision are the go-tos in contact lenses. To achieve a seamless clinical and styling experience, the practice relies on a fully integrated Topcon Harmony platform and Topology digital try-on fitting system.

Supporting Tavel Kaback is a highly cross-trained team. The traditional distinction between technicians and opticians has been replaced by Client Care Ambassadors and stylists who understand clinical flow, lens technology, facial geometry and retail styling. Rather than a series of handoffs, staff strive for continuity, allowing each patient to feel guided by one cohesive team instead of shuffled between departments.

Located within Carmel City Center, Alternate View regularly opens its reconfigurable retail floor to nonprofit organizations, professional groups and community events, while partnering with neighboring businesses through initiatives like its Partner Perks program. “We do not simply sponsor events — we create environments for connection.”

For Tavel Kaback, every aspect of the business points back to the same idea: eyecare shouldn’t feel like an obligation — it should be personal and memorable. “Alternate View is not incremental improvement,” she says. “It is a recalibration of expectations and a signal of where independent optical can go next.”