FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KFSM) — Thousands of kids in the area can now get the eye care they need closer to home.
Northwest Arkansas recently welcomed its first pediatric ophthalmologist, Dr. Sharon Napier.
11-year-old Logan Flanagan and his mother made the drive from Van Buren to Fayetteville to see Dr. Napier after a referral from his regular eye doctor.
Logan has an eye that’s turning he hopes to get treated.
“I didn’t know this was an option even a year ago. To know that this can actually be fixed for him and it’ll just make it easier for him to be able to focus and stuff on the words on his papers at school and stuff will be fantastic," said Logan's mother, Larissa Flanagan.
Dr. Napier joined Vold Vision in Fayetteville from Lexington, Kentucky.
For more than 20 years she has treated a wide range of issues in children as young as premature babies to 18-year-olds.
“If you have concerns please bring your child in. Yes there are definitely treatments that can be done and if there’s not then we can still look into and investigate what the best way is to proceed because eye problem from childhood can still impact your life all the way through adulthood," Dr. Napier said.
For Logan, this is an opportunity to boost his self-confidence in school and in life.
“I think it’ll help him just being able to see better which is like a huge deal for him and I think it will be a lot easier for other kids to be able to just have a conversation with him instead of it being all about his eye," Flanagan said.
The nearest pediatric ophthalmologist is in Little Rock. So for Flanagan, having one close to home is worth the trip to Northwest Arkansas.
In addition to seeing children, Dr. Napier also treats wandering eyes in adults.