Ann LaCroix Fredal, O.D.

Meet Dr. Ann LaCroix Fredal

Dr. Ann LaCroix Fredal completed her undergraduate studies at Ferris State University and gained early admittance into the Michigan College of Optometry. She graduated with high distinction in 1984. Her interest in Optometry started in the 4th grade when she began to spend time with her father in his optometric practice.

“My dad was very passionate about improving the lives of his patients by getting to know them as individuals first and then treating their vision problems.”

Dr. LaCroix Fredal has adopted that same approach and feels that the rewards of practicing eye care go far beyond just helping people improve their eyesight. She has had the pleasure of being able to take care of four generations of patients and says how wonderful it is to get to know an entire family.

“Practicing is really about developing relationships with your patients which results in optimizing their eye care. Your eyes are a part of your nervous system and are affected by stress and lifestyle. If I don’t understand what may be occurring in my patient’s daily lives, I can’t fully understand what’s triggering their vision problems. It’s a bio-psycho-social model of healthcare with a more preventative approach. It is of great benefit to the patient and to myself to have continued care over many years. It’s much easier to detect early changes in a patient’s eye health when you’ve been able to follow them over a period of time.”

Dr. LaCroix Fredal enjoys all aspects of primary care optometry and seeing patients of all ages. She has a special interest in low vision rehabilitation, which consists of prescribing special lenses and magnifying devices for people with a partial loss of vision due to eye diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. She completed a three-year research grant in low vision rehabilitation at the Optometric Institute and Clinic of Detroit while serving as a clinical instructor for interns who were providing low vision care for those in need in the area.

Dr. LaCroix Fredal is passionate about helping her young patients maximize their performance in school and in sports by a thorough examination of their binocular and focusing systems with the subsequent prescribing of special lenses and techniques to ease visual stress and maximize concentration. She has been very successful with fitting young children with contact lenses with first hand experience with her own son who wore glasses at 1 year of age and contact lenses at 6 years.

“My son needed glasses as a baby and began playing hockey when he was 5. The contact lenses opened a whole new world for him in sports.”

Dr. LaCroix Fredal is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Michigan Optometric Association, the Low Vision Rehabilitation section of the AOA, the Ocular Nutrition Society and is a TLC Laser Surgery affiliate.