Tampa-based eye care practice cutting 116 jobs in Florida

An optometric company with a corporate headquarters in Tampa is cutting 116 jobs across Florida, including at least more than a dozen locations in the region.

Global Care Optometry — which has offices in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa and Ohio — announced the layoffs at 43 locations in the Sunshine State in a July 1 letter to the Florida Department of Commerce required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

“These job losses are due to a contract loss,” Angela Dodge, human resource and compliance manager for Global Care Optometry, says in the WARN letter.

Global Care Optometry operates independent optometric offices inside select Eyeglass World stores, according to the Tampa company’s website. The job cuts are located at Eyeglass World locations across the region, including Bradenton, Brandon, Cape Coral, Carrollwood, Clearwater, Estero, Fort Myers, Lakeland, Largo, Naples, New Port Richey, Port Charlotte, Riverview, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Venice and Wesley Chapel.

Nearly 90 of the positions being eliminated are optometric technicians, while the others include billing specialists, regional operations managers, optometrists, human resources, IT and public relations, among others.

Terminations will begin July 30 and continue on Aug. 30 and Sept. 5, according to the WARN letter.

Eyeglass World, based in Georgia, has 44 locations in Florida, according to its website, which says its stores offer eyeglasses and contact lens exams through independent optometrists.

National Vision Holdings Inc. (NYSE: EYE) owns Eyeglass World and also operates America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses and Vista Opticals inside select Fred Meyer stores and on select military bases plus the website DiscountContacts.com. The company posted $1.8 billion in revenue in 2024.

Representatives from Global Care Optometry and National Vision Holdings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.