Rate My Professor Stacy Lyons

Stacy A. Lyons, OD, FAAO, serves as Professor of Optometry and Chair of the Specialty Care and Vision Sciences Department at the New England College of Optometry (NECO). She completed her Doctor of Optometry degree at NECO in 1988, followed by a residency in Pediatric Optometry and Binocular Vision at the same institution in 1989. Earlier, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1984. In addition to her academic role, Dr. Lyons is an attending pediatric optometrist at Charles River Community Health and directs the Pediatric Concentration within NECO's four-year Doctor of Optometry program, providing enhanced pediatric didactic and clinical training for students pursuing residencies or academic careers in pediatrics and binocular vision. Her leadership extends to chairing the department, fostering advanced care education and research.

Dr. Lyons' research specializations encompass pediatric optometry, vision screening, amblyopia, and keratoconus. She has authored or co-authored key publications, including "Recommended practices for vision screening in pre-school-age children: A 2025 update" in Optometry and Vision Science (2025), "Presumed Traumatic Partial Fourth Nerve Palsy: A Teaching Case Report" in Optometric Education (2024), "Cerebral Visual Impairment and the Association with Cerebral Palsy" in Optometry and Vision Performance (2022), and several articles on components of a strong vision health system of care in NASN School Nurse (2019-2020). Active in professional presentations, she has delivered posters at the American Academy of Optometry and ARVO annual meetings on topics such as corneal characteristics in children with astigmatism and cases of optic neuritis. Dr. Lyons has held influential committee roles as past chair of the National Advisory Committee to the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness and past chair of the Vision Care Section of the American Public Health Association. Her contributions have been recognized with awards including the 2019 Dupuis-Pellerin Award for Faculty Excellence, the 2016 Women in Optometry Theia Award for Excellence in Education, a 2005 Letter of Commendation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and the 2003 New England Eye Institute Distinguished Service Award from Cotting School. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, she continues to impact vision health policy and education.