Dr. Helen Fure first came to Lexington in the 1990s as a Washington and Lee undergraduate. In addition to pre-med studies she pursued active interest in athletics and music. Dr. Fure graduated magna cum laude and also earned honors as an Academic All-American tennis player. Following the completion of her optometry studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, she moved to North Carolina and began practice at the Duke Eye Center. Dr. Fure was one of the first optometrists employed at this distinguished department of ophthalmology. Her practice at Duke included a wide range of critical eye problems. Because of the frequency of eye emergencies referred to the Duke Eye Center, the “walk-in” urgent eye care clinic became Dr. Fure’s specialty. She was one of four eye doctors who handled all urgent eye care referrals from throughout the Duke Medical system. 

In 2005, Dr. Fure opened her practice in Lexington by purchasing a small office then located in the old K-Mart shopping center. The small, part-time practice had been owned by a group based in Roanoke, Virginia, but it needed a local touch. Within just one year of acquisition, Lexington Eye Care had doubled its patient load. Dr. Fure was soon able to invest in new technology and expand the practice further by moving it to its current location.

Dr. Fure has chosen Lexington and Rockbridge County as her permanent home. With her husband and two children, she appreciates the beauty and history of the region, the educational resources and the friendliness and diversity of the community.