burg, decided to open up her own optical store.
Most recently, Crull worked with DC. Carl Frankel in Harrisburg, but wasn't working with as many kids as she wanted.
Her store, A Child’s Eyes, will open May 18 at 6423 Carlisle Pike in Silver Spring Township Crull is not an eye doctor, nor will one work in her office. She is able to test eyes to see if a patient needs to be referred to a doctor, bet specializes in fitting glasses.
She is one of about 330 peo-ple in the country with a mas-ter’s certification from the
American Board of Opticianry and says she’s the only one in the Harrisburg area.
For the certifications, she wrote a thesis on the differ-ences in fitting glasses on chil-dren and adults.
Being supportive and positive is the trick to getting the kids to wear their glasses, Crull says.
And she has to make sure the frames are fitted perfectly on the child’s still-growing hear.
“I never second guess a child” when he or she com- plains about discomfort she says. “Nine times out of ten, they tell me the absolute truth.”
But there are some children who are too young to speak their minds or who cannot ver-bally communicate because of a disability.
Crull says that’s where her experience is tested.
She looks for non-verbal clues - is the child fussing with the frames or does he or she look uncomfortable? She may even allow the child to play in her office for a while
She has to be especially care- ful when working with chil-dren with Down’s Syndrome, since they are sensitive around their eyes and face.
And, “they’re going to take a little longer to appreciate the vision they have from the glasses.”
Family affair
Their three children, who are home-schooled, will be in the office during business hours. The Crulls hope they interact with the patients and help to create a home-like atmosphere. Located on the bottom floor of a converted residence, A Child’s Eyes is brightly decor- ated to help her patients become more comfortable.
Crull says parents need to be aware of the dangers of ambly- opia, a condition in which the vision in one eye is severely
To correct amblyopia, a child must wear a patch over the strong eye - a tough prospect for more stubborn patients.
Crull suggests children color their patch to match their clothes or, at least for the boys, play pirate. She hopes to have patch decorating workshops at her office.
Patients and their parents will be able to choose from about 550 different frames, 120 of which are designed for infants or toddlers.
Crull guarantees the accuracy of all of the glasses and offers 24-hour emergency repair ser-vice. She accepts some insurance plans.
A Child’s Eyes will be open Monday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon; and by appointment only on Wednesdays.
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