DOWAGIAC — While the former AK Montgomery optometry practice may now be under new management, old patients can expect to see some familiar faces — including the “new” eye doctor — during their next visit to the Dowagiac clinic.

The local optometry business, Southwest Vision Center, has taken over ownership of the former offices of Dr. Alan Montgomery, located at 55021 M-51 N. Taking over the chair from the longtime eye doctor is Dr. Katherine Marshall, who has worked the last several years out of Southwest Vision Center’s Three Rivers office.

Former patients of the clinic will likely recognize the Decatur eye doctor — she worked alongside Montgomery at the practice several years ago shortly after graduating from optometry school in 2014.

“It’s exciting,” Marshall said about her return to the Dowagiac practice. “I feel like I’ve come home.”

The old Dowagiac practice is more than just the place that launched Marshall’s career in vision — it was also the place that inspired her to begin pursuing a career in optometry.

Montgomery was Marshall’s eye doctor growing up, and was the first to give her a set of glasses back in fifth-grade, a moment that changed her life forever, she said.

“When I first received my glasses, it was amazing,” Marshall said. “I couldn’t see the blackboard at school before, and then, magically, I could. I knew then that I wanted to someday to the same thing for others.”

While in high school, Marshall began job shadowing Montgomery at his office, which only deepened her interest in vision, she said.

After graduating from Decatur High School in 2006, Marshall attended Ferris State University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in applied biology in 2010. She then attended optometry school at Indiana University, where she graduated with honors in 2014.

Marshall worked at Montgomery’s office for more than year before deciding to join the Southwest Vision Center team, where she has worked ever since.

Earlier this year, Montgomery decided to sell his practice to Southwest Vision Center, retiring after 40 years of service to the community. When the owners of the chain of practices — which, in addition to its Three Rivers office, also has locations in Edwardsburg and Buchanan — asked Marshall if she would take over patient care at the Dowagiac office, she leapt at the opportunity to come back to the Dowagiac, she said.

Marshall is not the only familiar face working at the practice, as three of Montgomery’s old staff have stayed on to work with the returning doctor.

Patients can expect to receive the level of care and attention they received under the former eye doctor’s watch, Marshall said. Marshall said that she is committed to not only enhancing the vision of her patients, but caring for the overall health of their eyes, monitoring for signs of conditions such as dry eyes or macular degeneration.

Marshall also continues to the practice’s tradition of caring for the entire family, from young children to the elderly.

“It keeps the days interesting,” she said. “You can go from working with a 5-year-old to an 85-year-old, all in the same morning. You definitely never get bored.”

Marshall and her staff are also looking forward to continuing Montgomery’s legacy of community involvement, she said.

“We’re hoping to welcome back some of his old patients as well as any new patients — anyone who wants to come,” she said.

The Dowagiac Southwest Vision Center office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday. For appointments or more information, call (269) 782-3476.