Melissa L. Rice, OD, FAAO

As a pediatric optometrist, I specialize in amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (misaligned eyes), convergence insufficiency (eyes tend to drift outward as a person looks at near objects) and cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI), which is a brain-based visual impairment.

At age four, I was diagnosed with an eye condition. I’ve worn glasses ever since, which could have resulted in poor vision. However, due to the excellent care I received as a child, I have great vision. My goal is to provide excellent care to each patient and give them the best possible visual outcome.

I’m residency-trained with more than 20 years’ experience in my field. Every month, I provide care in a specialty clinic for children with cerebral palsy and cerebral/cortical visual impairment. I’m driven to provide exceptional eye care to my patients.

As a faculty member of the Department of Ophthalmology, I strive to be a valuable mentor to our optometry resident by serving as the director of the Pediatric Optometry Residency Program.

I am passionate about research and innovation in the areas of amblyopia, convergence insufficiency, CVI and intermittent exotropia (one eye occasionally drifts outward). I’m an active investigator in the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator’s Group (PEDIG), which is a collaborative network of eye doctors doing multi-center research studies on pediatric eye conditions. In addition to PEDIG, I’m actively working on research projects on cerebral/cortical visual impairment and myopia.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, knitting, gardening, hiking and spending time with my husband and two daughters. As a child I participated in my hometown circus, which involved a low-flying trapeze.