Dr. Lyons is a Professor and the Chair of Specialty and Advanced Care Department. She has been a faculty member at the College since 1989. She lectures and teaches lab sections in the Binocular and Accommodative Anomalies and Pediatric Optometry courses and in Principles and Practices of Optometry I, where she lectures on communicating with children. Dr. Lyons is also the director of the Framingham Public School Vision Center, the first ever public school-based comprehensive vision clinic in Massachusetts, and is the chief of pediatric services for the New England Eye Institute. As chief of pediatric services, Dr. Lyons is responsible for all pediatric outreach initiatives, including both the overall provision of eye care at NEEI-affiliated school-based vision clinics (the Framingham Public School Vision Center and the clinic at the Boston’s Renaissance School) and the Pediatric Outreach Screening Program. The Pediatric Outreach Screening Program, which Dr. Lyons began in 1989, provides vision screening to 5,000 children annually from Boston-area Head Start programs and the Boston public school system. The primary areas of focus for Dr. Lyons’ research are in public health, vision and learning and alternate models for delivering care to children. She is an investigator in the Vision in Preschoolers Study-Hyperopia in Preschoolers which is funded by the National Eye Institute. She has also been an investigator in a number of multicenter studies and is currently working on a number of local and state-wide community initiatives to advance the state of children's vision care. While serving as director of the Framingham Public School Vision Center, Dr. Lyons received a Letter of Commendation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives recognizing the institution. The Vision Center continues to be awarded monies from the Metrowest Community Healthcare Foundation. This grant is being used to provide eyeglasses to children in Framingham who would otherwise not be able to afford them. Dr. Lyons has been the director of the Special Olympics program Opening Eyes at the Massachusetts State Games since 2000. As part of the Healthy Athlete Initiative, she provides vision screenings to participating athletes. She actively involves the college community in her work with the Special Olympics, with hopes of increasing the number of eye care practitioners in Massachusetts and throughout the nation who are comfortable with and have sufficient levels of relevant clinical competency to provide care to individuals with disabilities. Dr. Lyons was appointed to the Expert Panel for the National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health. She was also appointed to the Publication Board of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Lyons is a member of the Advisory Board of ABCD Head Start (serving the Boston community), and Tri-Cap Head Start (serving communities north of Boston). She is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a member of the American Optometric Association and the American Public Health Association. Dr. Lyons earned her doctor of optometry degree from the college in 1988 and completed a residency in pediatric optometry at the college in 1989. As an alumna, she is currently a delegate to the alumni association.

vision screenings,eye care