Barry S. Kran, OD, FAAO
Professor and Optometric Director, NECO Center for Eye Care at Perkins
About
Dr. Barry Kran earned his Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree from the State University of New York State College of Optometry in 1985 and subsequently completed a vision training residency there. He has practiced in Massachusetts since 1986. Aside from his current academic position at the New England College of Optometry (NECO), he ran a private practice, consulted at state developmental center and worked at a tertiary care pediatric ophthalmology practice. Dr. Kran has been on the faculty of NECO since 2001. He currently lectures in the following courses: Binocular and Accommodative Anomalies, Pediatric Optometry and Low Vision.
For the past 21 years, Dr. Kran, in his role as the Optometric Director of the NECO Center for Eye Care at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, has supervised students and residents from the College in their clinical care of patients with visual and other impairments. This clinic is also the base for his research and collaboration with Drs. Mayer and Ross at NECO and others in the Boston area performing cutting edge research on Cerebral Vision Impairments (CVIs).
As part of working with this population, Dr. Kran’s current research interests involve developing appropriate diagnostic vision tests for individuals with disabilities, understanding and developing a database of the vision-related outcomes of low incidence conditions, and better understanding and sharing the diversity of presentation of CVI. Most recently, after several years of research and collaboration primarily with Dr Mayer as well as several former residents, preferential looking contrast cards (Mayer-Kran Double Happy Contrast cards) were developed, results published and are now available through Precision Vision.
Dr. Kran has lectured extensively in North America as well as in Europe, the Middle East, India and China. He has also worked and consulted with eye clinics and schools for the blind in many of these same areas who care for individuals with visual and other impairments. His work has been recognized statewide, regionally and nationally by service providers, state agencies and professional organizations.
Dr. Kran is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and an associate member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.