Dr. Bourn earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Illinois College and a Doctorate of Optometry from the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry.

Internships at Washington University/Barnes Eye Clinic in St. Louis, a Missouri VA hospital, and several private practices allowed Dr. Bourn to gain additional expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease, pre- and post-operative care, emergency care, pediatrics, and vision training. She also had the privilege to mentor under the Pediatric Low Vision Consultant to the Missouri School for the Blind. Dr. Bourn has special interest in primary care including contact lenses, refractive surgery pre- and post-procedure care, dry eye management, and pediatrics. Dr. Bourn is fully licensed to prescribe therapeutic pharmacological medication and treat ocular disease and emergencies.

She is a member of the American Optometric Association, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) and the Illinois Optometric Association, serving as the local Mid-State Optometric president for two years. As well as serving as a volunteer optometrist at Springfield Catholic Charities, Dr. Bourn is also a board member of the Masonic Learning Center for Children, an organization working locally in Springfield to help children and their families overcome the obstacles of dyslexia.

Dr. Bourn can provide a full spectrum of optometric services including:

• Developmental Vision Exams
• Vision Therapy
• Learning-Related Visual Problems
• Specialty Contact Lenses
• Treatment and Management of Eye Diseases including Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, and Dry Eye Syndrome
• Digital Retinal Photography
• OCT
• Pascal Tonometry

A comprehensive eye exam will evaluate how well you see and identify potential eye diseases. Some eye diseases can result in serious vision loss if not detected and treated early.

Infants birth to 12 months are offered a free examination courtesy of the Johnson and Johnson InfantSEE program.

Children should be seen for routine eye examinations at 3 and before entering school.

If you are over 35, you should have a comprehensive eye exam every two years. Patients who wear contact lenses, are over 65, or have a family history of glaucoma or diabetes should have a yearly eye exam. Your doctor will most likely dilate the pupils of your eyes, in order to better see the retina at the back of your eye. You may want to consider making transportation arrangements, as your vision may be blurry for a few hours after dilating.

Your exam may include:

• A visual acuity and refraction test to determine the degree to which you may be nearsighted, farsighted, astigmatism and presbyopia
• Muscle function test to check the movement of your eyes in each direction and at specified angles
• Binocular vision skills assessment to ensure that your eyes work together properly as a team. This is important for proper depth perception, eye muscle coordination and the ability to change focus from near to far objects
• Visual field test to measure your peripheral vision, the width of the area you can see when you are looking straight ahead. This test may also detect diseases of the eyes or neurological disorders
• Eye pressure test. Your doctor may administer one or more tests to evaluate your intra-ocular pressure. High intra-ocular pressure may be a sign of glaucoma.
• Color vision screening to see if you perceive colors properly.
• Eye health assessment using an slit lamp biomicroscope and digital retinal photography. These tools allows the doctor to evaluate your pupil responses, optic nerve, retina, cornea and lens