Carrie Kearns, OD

Optometrist Carrie Kearns, OD has been servicing the Cedar Valley region with leading eye care since 2007. Her focus is on ocular disease such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, macular degeneration and choroidal nevus’. Over the years she noticed an underserved population: children with eye coordination and eye movement disorders interfering with their academic performance.  This facilitated the expansion of her practice interests from eye disease and primary care to include vision therapy.  She has spent over 200 hours of post-graduate training in vision development, rehabilitation and vision therapy from some of the biggest experts in the field. Some of her biggest successes have been through changing children’s lives. Vision therapy can dramatically improve a child’s behavior, grades and reading performance. Dr. Kearns is proud of her ability to serve patients to ensure healthy eyes and quality vision at all stages of life.

Dr. Kearns’ passion is to positively impact the lives of her patients. She finds it rewarding when she discovers the solution to a patient’s vision problem.  To do this she strives to spend time to connect with her patients, educate them, and include them in their personal treatment. With this philosophy she often helps people with issues they didn’t know an eye doctor could help with.

Dr. Kearns was born and raised in Ottumwa, IA. She graduated from Loras College in Dubuque with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and then went on to Indiana University School of Optometry where she graduated with a doctor of optometry degree.  She went on to further her education and completed a residency in primary eye care at the Danville, IL Veteran Affairs Medical Center.  While there, she served veterans from all branches of the service by treating glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, macular degeneration, and other retinal diseases.  During her residency she co-authored, “Two differing presentations, treatments, and outcomes of malignant choroidal melanoma” in Optometry: Journal of the American Optometric Association.

In 2007, she returned to Iowa and joined Dr. Espe at Advanced Family Eye Care in Independence.  She took over the practice after his passing in 2009 and has been serving the area ever since. In 2019, Dr. Kearns graciously passed the leadership onto Dr. Boyle in order to spend more time with her husband, Adam and three children: Kahlan, Noah and Gryffin. Besides being with her family, she enjoys reading, hot yoga and recently started taking piano lessons.

Dr. Kearns is a member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), American Optometric Association, and Iowa Optometric Association. She is also a member of InfantSEE and provides no-cost vision assessments for infants and toddlers 6-12 months of age.