ATLANTA—EyeSouth Partners has completed affiliations with Arbor Centers for EyeCare and Chicago Eye Institute, leading ophthalmic practices in Chicagoland for decades, which are supported by the Ocular Partners (OPI) Management Services Organization. OPI features a team of world-renowned physicians, focused on outstanding patient care, who have pioneered life-changing surgeries and are passionate about educating the next generation of doctors. The affiliation represents EyeSouth’s first in the state of Illinois and 32nd and 33rd affiliation overall. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“We are excited to partner with EyeSouth to continue our decades-long legacy of providing outstanding clinical and surgical care focused on helping patients see the important and beautiful things in their worlds. Through this partnership, we will enhance our growth strategy in the Chicago area and beyond with EyeSouth’s proven expertise in management and administrative leadership, and track record of partnering with excellent physician groups focused on patient care,” said Chris Albanis, MD, managing partner of OPI, a group of more than 20 doctors serving greater Chicagoland across 10 clinical and surgical specialties in eight locations.

“A partnership with EyeSouth allows us to focus on growth while maintaining the strong brand and reputation Ocular Partners is known for. We are incredibly proud of what we have accomplished thus far at Ocular Partners and view this as an ideal opportunity to further our success,” said Osvaldo Lopez, MD, who leads Chicago Eye Institute’s management team.

EyeSouth is an eyecare-focused management services organization consisting of over 270 doctors providing medical and surgical eyecare services at over 155 locations throughout Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Alabama, North Carolina and Illinois. EyeSouth is backed by Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm.