For ophthalmologist Dr. Eric Mann, medicine is a family affair. “My grandfather was a dentist, and three of my uncles are physicians,” he says. “I grew up wanting to follow that path.”

It was helping to care for his grandfather after cataract surgery that led him to pursue ophthalmology. “I was just 5 years old, and helping my grandfather put his eye drops in was a profound bonding experience,” Dr. Mann says. “Even at 5,I could feel how powerful and life-changing eye surgery was. That stayed with me.”

Dr. Mann eventually shadowed his Uncle Fred, an ophthalmologist in Miami. “After one of his patients had their sight restored, they looked at my uncle and said, ‘Las manos de Dios,’ the hands of God,” he remembers. “The power of giving someone their sight back, and what that means to a person’s life, is what made me certain this was my calling.”

Realizing His Passion

Dr. Mann earned his undergraduate degree at Duke University, attended medical school at the University of Rochester, and fulfilled an internship at Greenwich Hospital and an ophthalmology residency at New York Medical College.

“I joined my current practice—Eye Associates of North Jersey in Dover—in 2005, a practice with deep community roots, having been founded in 1974,” says Dr. Mann, who has been a proud resident of Short Hills since 2009. “I became a partner in 2007, and after a wonderful transition with the founding senior partner, I became the sole owner in 2012. Inheriting something with that kind of history and legacy is something I don’t take lightly.”

Visionary Care

The ophthalmologist is also passionate about helping fellow physicians. “After years in practice, I kept seeing brilliant physicians who sacrificed a decade of their lives to master medicine then found themselves completely unprepared for everything that surrounds it,” he says. “The contracts, overhead, staffing, financial decisions, and the burnout—nobody teaches you that.”

This inspired Dr. Mann to build Lucens, “a physician community and education platform dedicated to the business of medicine,” he says. Lucens members learn through articles, live webcasts, courses, and peer discussions with physicians experiencing similar obstacles.

“What makes it especially meaningful to me is our premium members earn accredited continuing medical education (CME) credits, the mandatory annual learning requirement every licensed physician must complete,” Dr. Mann says. “They’re not sitting through another checkbox compliance course. They’re finally learning what they were owed from the start and getting their CME credit doing it.”

Meeting Patients' Needs

In addition to receiving quality care, Dr. Mann’s patients have the ease of ordering their eyeglasses in-house. Matt Askinazy, a licensed optician and the head of the optical shop, is happy to help patients find the right frames and share what’s on trend.

“Matt has his finger on the pulse in a way I can only admire,” Dr. Mann says.

Askinazy notes that AI-integrated frames are very popular: think Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Oakley Meta AI glasses, where technology is built right into the frame. “It’s a fascinating convergence of eyewear and wearable tech that is only going to grow,” he says.

If fashion is your priority, large, chunky, and colorful frames are all the rage. “Bold shapes, rich colors, real personality,” Askinazy says. “It’s not just the luxury brands driving it. Patients are gravitating toward anything fun and expressive, regardless of the label. Eyewear is having a fashion moment again.”

Dr. Mann finds it rewarding that he and his team are able to provide excellent care, improve vision, and improve the quality of life for so many patients. What’s at the core is the love of his work. “I literally walk out of exam rooms saying to myself that I have the best job in the world,” he says. “I never have the Sunday gloom. I’m happy when Monday comes because it means I get to go back to doing what I love and helping people. That feeling never gets old.”

Life in Focus

In his spare time, Dr. Mann is all about family. “My wife, Jen, is the heart of our family,” he says. “She allows me to work and serve my patients while making sure the family is best served by her.”

The pair have two daughters, Olivia (Liv) and Emily, “the joy of everything we do outside of work,” Dr. Mann says. They enjoy traveling and exploring the world together. “Travel recharges me completely while grounding our kids in the fact that so many people live different lives and experiences,” he says.

The doctor enjoys playing tennis and prides himself in being a devoted Duke basketball fan—“for better or worse, depending on the season,” he jokes. He also enjoys taking walks with the family dogs, Teddy and Cameron, especially on the beach.

After a long day of work, he always looks forward to unwinding at home in Short Hills. “The town has given my family something I don’t take for granted: a safe, inclusive place to raise my kids and watch them grow and thrive,” he says. “There’s also something special about having the best of both worlds—the warmth and stability of suburban life with New York City right at your doorstep and everything it has to offer. It’s a genuinely special place to call home.”

Antonietta Henry is a wife, mother of four, and owner of Antonietta Henry Photography in Pompton Plains. She enjoys exploring and learning more about towns throughout her home state of New Jersey.

Photograph by Antonietta Henry