LEWISTON – A lot has changed in eye care over the past 10 years.

That’s why optometrists Pauline Beale and Douglas Henry, partners in Optometric Associates, decided to expand their practice at the corner of East Avenue and Webster Street.

“There’s a lot more high-tech equipment now and we were simply running out of space,” said Henry.

Work is under way to build an additional 1,600 square feet of space for the practice. Henry said the plan is to expand patient care areas, while creating space for specialized exams and treatments.

Only one of the original interior walls will remain after the renovation, which Henry hopes to see completed by the end of February. A Portland architect who specializes in medical offices was hired to design the practice area so that space matched the work flow.

“When this building was built 30 years ago, it was state of the art,” said Henry. “Now it could use a little updating.”

The renovation will make the practice handicap accessible and the entire front desk area will be redesigned so it conforms to new privacy requirements. Many of the old exam rooms will be converted into specialized treatment rooms.

One of the new rooms will hold imaging equipment such as machine that uses laser technology to scan the optic nerve and print three-dimensional images of it. The device is used in the detection and treatment of glaucoma. Other imaging machines provide computer mapping of the front and back of a patient’s eye.

Another room will be set aside for equipment to diagnose and treat patients with low-vision problems. Beale specializes in working with patients who have vision problems resulting from diabetes or macular degeneration, while Henry specializes in working with patients who suffer vision impairment from brain injuries such as strokes.

The practice, which employs 14 people, also handles more routine eye care services such as exams and fitting glasses and contact lenses. Both Beale and Henry also consult in managing eye surgeries and diagnose ocular diseases.

Henry said he and Beale realized the time was right for the expansion when the property next door became available. They purchased the adjacent vacant lot, allowing them to expand the building and create new parking.

“Now we’ll have more patient parking near the building,” he said.

He and Beale are partners in the practice founded by optometrist George Bournakel, who retired in March. Bournakel had been practicing locally since 1962.