"Helping a patient with a difficult contact lens problem and seeing a smile at the end is the highlight of my day."

Dr. Hampel hails from Canada, and has been with EHNW since 2004. He loves working at EHNW because "It's like joining a team where everything just works. All the doctors are great physicians and they're also  nice people."

Dr. Hampel is the Eastside contact lens expert and practices comprehensive optometry with an emphasis on complex contact lens challenges.

After a rewarding eight-year career as a journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, he changed course to become an optometrist. His journalism experience is a perfect complement to his optometry practice. He has a knack for distilling complex information into simpler terms for his patients. And he learned to deepen his empathic skills and draw people out by using his natural curiosity and love of people.

"A really big part of my job is understanding the patient and his or her needs right at the beginning." Being aware of the patient's overall medical history and lifestyle ensures the best fit for each patient's visual needs in work and play. As a result, Dr. Hampel takes his time and pays close attention to detail in order to gain a complete and accurate patient history. Dr. Hampel's friendly and good-natured personality helps patients feel comfortable to speak openly.

Dr. Hampel has many patients with corneal disease or astigmatism. Those conditions require a higher level of expertise in contact lens fitting. Undaunted by the challenge, he will continue to work on adjustments through multiple appointments if it will help his patient achieve even a small improvement in vision. "I work hard for my patients, and in the end that makes all the difference."

Many EHNW doctors regularly donate time serving the medical needs of those locally and internationally. In 1999, Dr. Hampel traveled with Amigos Optometric Society to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. On his trip, he performed free vision examinations for hundreds of impoverished Palestinians. He hopes to travel abroad again to work with those in need of care in the poorer regions of the world.

Dr. Hampel met his wife, Clare, in optometry school. They have one son, Andreas. He also has two teenage children, Tristan and Eilish. Though he prefers to focus his free time on family activities, he has not given up his longtime passion for photography. "I am interested in the play between shadows, light and geometry." He has joined his two loves: family and photography to create wonderful photos. In fact, LEICA FOTOGRAFIE INTERNATIONAL recently published one of his black and white photographs. Dr. Hampel also enjoys cycling to work three days a week and going for long rides in the countryside around Portland. "Cycling is fun. It's like being a kid again."

DR. HAMPEL'S EDUCATION: