Penticton’s Dr. Stewart McLeod Celebrates 50 Years of Care and Four Generations of Optometry

Friday, October 31 2025 | 15 h 10 min | News

Dr. Stewart McLeod, a third-generation optometrist, celebrates 50 years in practice as his son Ben begins his own optometry studies – a fourth generation! For Dr. McLeod, optometry is about family, personal connection, and providing exceptional eye care for the people of Penticton. This remarkable milestone signifies a family’s commitment to the local community.

The family’s first foray into the field began with Dr. McLeod’s grandfather, Murdoch McLeod, who was one of the early optometrists in British Columbia. This included time in Penticton in 1920. Murdoch’s son and Dr. McLeod’s father, Clyde McLeod, then began his own optometric practice in Penticton.

Murdoch and Clyde each practised for over 50 years, and Dr. McLeod practised alongside his father for 15 years!

After Clyde retired, Dr. McLeod and his partners formed Waterfront Eye Care at the current clinic location. In 2008, recognizing the need for optometrists to join together to preserve doctor-owned and led practices, they partnered with other optometric clinics to found FYidoctors, which has grown into Canada’s largest eye care provider. Dr. McLeod is proud of the high level of care FYidoctors provides, and the increase in the scope of optometry, which has benefited both patients and the healthcare system.

Over the decades, Dr. McLeod has cared for countless families in the South Okanagan, often seeing successive generations. “It’s a privilege to be part of people’s lives in this way,” says Dr. McLeod. “Eye care is personal. You’re helping people see the world more clearly, and sometimes that means you get to be part of their world for a long time.”

Dr. McLeod still thoroughly enjoys working a couple of days a week, and the next chapter in the family story has already begun. His youngest child, Ben, spent the last five summers working in the clinic and began his first year of optometry studies at the University of Waterloo this fall.

“It’s quite something that Ben has also chosen a career in optometry,” Dr. McLeod reflects. “Four generations! I love every aspect of my work and it’s special to know that our family’s story in optometry won’t be ending when I eventually retire—it will just turn the page.”

Click HERE for the press release.

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