Meet The 2018 Eyes on our Heroes Winner!

Every year, in honor of September 11th, The Rochester Eye & Laser Center honors those who work and sacrifice to protect us each day, by awarding free LASIK Laser Vision Correction Surgery to a deserving, local first responder.

Mirriam-Webster defines a hero as: a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.

We would like to introduce a true Rochester hero who exemplifies this definition, Rochester Firefighter Shane Mandel

Please join us in both congratulating and thanking Shane Mandel for his service! Stay tuned for more information on how his surgery turns out! 

Shane started as a firefighter when he was 19 years old and has now worked four years for the busiest engine company in the city of Rochester, Engine 2, serving his community by running over 3,400 calls a year.

Shane has a passion for serving his community and is always going above and beyond. Calls to the department received can be anything from a residential water problem to house fires.

Shane is currently working toward higher education to become a larger asset to his department and the community he serves. He is dedicated to his career and trains consistently to be in a constant state of readiness. Being a firefighter is a special line of work, helping people on what is likely the worst day of their life and be there for another human being in their time of need. This is a feeling Shane shares that makes it all worth it to him. He takes immense pride in serving the 14621 Neighborhood as well as several others, when his brothers call on him to step in.

Shane has struggled with glasses since his adolescent years, and now more than ever as a career firefighter. Haven broken a pair for every year he’s been on the job, tossing them into the chief’s car, on roofs, in yards or crushing them in his pocket in the wake of a tragedy. It’s now become the running joke among his crew of who will help him find his glasses after a call.

Being a fireman is a hazardous job but even more hazardous for someone who can’t see, Shane’s biggest struggle has always been using contacts so for him his glasses have been glued to him since he was a child. Getting LASIK for someone like Shane would be not only life changing but career changing.

If you are a local first responder, we would like to offer 10% off your LASIK procedure. Just sign up and pay in the month of September and we will honor the discount whenever your procedure is complete. 

Thank you all for what you do.