During his sophomore year of high school, Mel MacPhee already knew he wanted to pursue something in the health field, but something that wasn't as heavy as surgery.

'Optometry was nice and clean,' MacPhee says.

A Sacramento native, MacPhee moved up to Oregon to study optometry at Pacific University and has been here ever since, calling himself a 'born-again Oregonian.'

At Pacific, MacPhee was awarded honors in clinical procedures and received specialized training in infant and pediatric care. He began practicing optometry in 1983.

Last January, MacPhee transitioned the Wy'east Optiik Eye Center to Cascade Vision Center after the previous optometrist closed her doors and retired, adding a second practice to his office in Gresham.

'We like to tailor our practice to what people need and not run them through a machine,' MacPhee says. 'We don't want to have a corporate feel. The small-town practice is just what we were looking to offer.'

MacPhee says the personal service of Cascade Vision sets it apart as a business. 'I like to explain what's going on with patients' eyes in simple terms,' MacPhee says. 'I'll often hear, 'Wow, no one has ever explained this in a way I understood.' Doctors often use big medical words to tell you what's wrong, and you still don't have a clue what they've said.'

Along with general optometry - exams, treating infections such as pink eye, consulting about potential surgeries and fitting glasses and contacts - MacPhee says he enjoys fitting bifocal contacts, which are a newer product.

'It's fun to do these difficult fits and make them work well,' MacPhee says.

He also specializes in scuba masks called Dive Sight that include prescription lenses. As a diver himself, MacPhee says he understands the visual challenges divers can face without the proper contacts or mask.

Cascade Vision carries a variety of glasses, including Coach Eyewear, Ray-Bans, Vera Wang and Columbia Eyewear that can be bought as they are, or made up into prescription sunglasses.

Besides MacPhee, the Cascade Vision Center is staffed by Pami Kinn, an optician and office manager, and Dr. Catherine Saul, an optometrist, both of whom live in Sandy and divvy their time between the Gresham and Sandy practices.

MacPhee and his wife, Tammy, live on the edge of Gresham with two of their six children (the other four are grown), and they eventually plan to move to Sandy. Outside of his practice, MacPhee enjoys church activities, watersports and camping.

Cascade Vision Center is at 36745 Highway 26, Sandy. For more information, call 503-668-7931 or visit cascadevisioncenter.com.