Growing eyes deserve more than a quick vision check. Dr. Emma Gurgel specializes in children’s vision, lazy eye treatment, eye turns, and how the eyes work together. She welcomes children from 6 months old.
Dr. Gurgel sees children from 6 months old in Marion and Anamosa. Dr. Somogy sees children ages 4 and older in Anamosa and Monticello. You do not need to wait until your child starts school or can read an eye chart. Bring your questions, previous records, and any glasses your child wears.
Amblyopia, often called lazy eye, means vision did not develop normally in one or sometimes both eyes. The brain may rely more on the clearer-seeing eye. A child can seem to see well and still have this problem. It is not a lack of effort, and the eye does not have to look different.
Dr. Gurgel checks what is causing the weaker vision and explains the appropriate options. Treatment may include glasses, a prescribed patching schedule, or prescription drops that temporarily blur the stronger eye. Follow-up visits measure progress and help adjust the plan. Early treatment matters; do not start patching on your own.
An eye that crosses inward or drifts outward, upward, or downward may have strabismus, the medical name for an eye turn. It may happen all the time or only sometimes. Dr. Gurgel checks the direction and size of the turn, vision in each eye, and whether the eyes can work together.
Depending on the type of turn, care may involve glasses, treatment for a weaker-seeing eye, or selected exercises for a diagnosed coordination problem. Some eye turns need evaluation by an eye surgeon. Dr. Gurgel explains when a referral makes sense and stays involved in the child’s ongoing eye care.
Tell us if your child closes one eye, sees double, or gets tired eyes when looking at books or screens. Dr. Gurgel’s detailed examination checks focusing, eye movements, and how the two eyes work as a pair. These symptoms deserve an explanation rather than an assumption that a child simply needs to try harder.
When vision therapy is appropriate, Dr. Gurgel creates the plan and personally works with your child throughout each in-office session. She tracks the response and adjusts the activities. Visit frequency, home practice, cost, and goals are explained before treatment begins. Explore Vision Therapy & Rehabilitation.
Both doctors offer care to slow worsening nearsightedness, including Stellest lens options. All myopia-control visits are in Anamosa so we can consistently measure how the eye is growing. Learn About Myopia Control.
No. Babies and young children can be examined using lights, pictures, and age-appropriate methods. Dr. Gurgel adapts the visit to your child’s development and comfort.
No. Lazy eye describes vision that has not developed normally. An eye turn describes eyes that do not line up. A child may have either condition or both, so an examination is important.
A screening can identify some concerns, but it does not replace a complete eye examination. Tell us about a turning eye, trouble seeing, headaches with close work, or a family history of childhood eye problems even if your child passed.
Learn More: National Eye Institute: Lazy Eye · AAPOS: Eye Turns
