Dr. Michael Purdy is the Director of Eye Care Services. He joined us in September, 2010 to open the optometry suite located at the Huntington Health Center.
He has been in practice for over seven years, including a residence in Family Practice Optometry, Director of Eye Care Services for a Community Health Center in New Orleans, Louisiana and Chief of Optometry for the Colorado River Service Unit in Arizona.
Welcome to the
Eye Care Department
Michael Purdy, OD
Director of Eye Care Services
Our optometry services cover the full spectrum of eye care. Services include:
Complete eye exams for adults & children (6 months and older)
Diabetic eye exams
Urgent eye care
Contact lens fittings
Services Offered
Hours
Optical Shop
The full service optical shop located on the premises offers a wide variety of frames to choose from. The optical shop is open Monday - Friday.
Appointments are available:
Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 1pm
Saturday morning appointments are available one Saturday per month.
Call 413-667-3009 Ext. 267
to schedule an appointment today.
Many insurances are accepted.
HUNTINGTON HEALTH CENTER
73 Russell Rd.
Huntington MA 01050
P: 413-667-3009
F: 413-667-8746
E-fax: 413-923-9355
WORTHINGTON HEALTH CENTER
58 Old North Rd.
Worthington, MA 01098
P: 413-238-5511
F: 413-238-5358
E-fax: 413-923-9355
GATEWAY FAMILY CENTER /
SOCIAL SERVICES
9 Russell Road, Route 20 Huntington MA 01050
P: 413-667-2203
F: 413-667-2225
GATEWAY SCHOOL-BASED
HEALTH CENTER
Gateway Regional Middle/High School
12 Littleville Road
Huntington, MA 01050
P: 413-667-0142
F: 413-667-0145
Children Reading and Writing, Oh My
By Michael Purdy, OD
Every year thousands of dollars are spent on educational tools to give children an academic edge and often time the money is well spent. However, it is easy to get caught up in newest and latest learning technique and forget about the importance of clear comfortable vision. According to Prevent Blindness America as many as one in twenty preschool aged children suffer from visual problems that may affect their ability to learn and this number jumps significantly to one in four for school age children. Some of these visual issues included: congenital cataracts, amblyopia, nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
Articles
It is common for many people to wonder about the importance of routine eye exams for child that express no visual complaints and passed school or pediatric screenings. While these screenings can be a great tool, they are only a screening. Children with 20/20 vision at distance may still have pronounced difficulty with their vision at near and it is nearly impossible for a child to verbally complain about a problem that they are unaware of.
Some of the ways a school aged child will physically express visual difficulty are as follows: inability to read for long periods of time, reversing letters and or words, distracted easily or fall asleep while reading. Preschool children may express their issues by closing one eye, tilting their head or squint. If you notice any of the above signs it is recommended that the child receive a complete exam since the longer a visual issue remains untreated the more sever the consequences can become. Children not exhibiting any of the above symptom should receive an eye exam at six months of age, 3 years of age, 5 years of age and routine exam according to the child’s needs.
