Dr. Shira Kresch has been practicing optometry for over 10 years at some of the most prestigious medical centers in the country, including Columbia University’s Department of Ophthalmology and Kresge Eye Institute.
I am a primary care optometrist who is very passionate about helping people get their absolute maximum visual potential. My journey began when I did not know what I wanted to do when I “grew up” while at my first year of college. I shadowed every type of profession I was interested in and when I experienced optometry, I fell in love with it.
I completed my pre-med BS in Nutrition and Food Sciences on a full Presidential Scholarship and co-majored in University Honors Wayne State University’s Honors. I worked hard to get into my top choice, SUNY Optometry and even harder for acceptance into the dual OD/MS program where I was able to work in vision research in addition to my regular optometry studies.
Gaining additional experience in managing ocular disease and working with ophthalmology was important to me and I was lucky to match into an incredible Primary Care and Ocular Disease residency at the NY VA Harbor Health System in Brooklyn and Queens.
While I enjoyed my first job working in an ophthalmology/optometry private practice after that, I was extremely fortunate to join the glaucoma clinic of Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Department of Ophthalmology.
I served on the faculty of Columbia as an Instructor of Optometric Sciences in Ophthalmology and worked alongside world-renowned ophthalmologic innovators, researchers and clinicians for a little over 4 years. It was a dream job where I lectured regularly at Columbia and national meetings, worked in one of the most prestigious ophthalmology research labs in the world with Dr. Donald Hood, started a new myopia control clinic, and learned something new every day from the best of the best.
When COVID hit, my chairman charged me with leading the telemedicine initiative for the ophthalmology department and had me doing hundreds of telemedicine calls during the pandemic.
Together with my family, I decided to return home to Michigan where my husband and I both have our families. Kresge Eye Institute hired me as their Director of Optometry and I joined the faculty of Wayne State University School of Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology.
I created a niche of specialty contact lenses, the most rewarding thing I have ever done thus far in my career. This segued my dream of opening my own practice with a focus on “hard-to-fit” contact lenses. Just two weeks after opening our doors I received the surprise of a lifetime and was named the national Theia Award of Excellence Young OD by Women in Optometry.
My kids like to make fun of me that I always say “I helped people see today!” when I come home from work, and I just tell them what my dad told me – to make sure their job is always something they love to do and they’ll never work a day in their life.
If you have been told you can’t wear contacts, come and see me. If you have keratoconus, had a corneal transplant, have significant dry eye syndrome, come and see me! It is my honor to meet you and a greater honor to serve you while we work together to make sure you have your best vision!
During an optometric exam, an optometrist will usually check your vision, eye pressure, and the health of your eyes. They may also do tests such as a refraction test to measure your eyeglass prescription, color vision tests, slit lamp exam, and retinal imaging to check for any diseases or signs of damage. They might also review your medical history and ask questions about any eye-related symptoms or concerns you have. Finally, the optometrist may recommend new eyeglasses or contact lenses for you.
From keratoconus and scleral lens fitting to dry eye disease and pediatric myopia control, Dr. Kresch’s specialty practice handles the complex cases other doctors refer out.
Scleral lens fitting for keratoconus patients across Metro Detroit and Michigan. Dr. Kresch has fit hundreds of complex keratoconus cases.
Custom-designed scleral lenses for irregular corneas, severe dry eye, and complex prescriptions where standard contacts fail.
Advanced dry eye care including IPL therapy, prescription protocols, and scleral lenses for ocular surface disease.
Evidence-based programs to slow childhood myopia progression, drawing on Dr. Kresch’s work leading Columbia’s myopia clinic.
Vision restoration with scleral lenses after corneal transplant surgery — smoothing irregular post-graft corneas for clear, comfortable sight.
Medically reviewed by Dr Shira Kresch, MD – Ophthalmologist specializing in ocular surface disease and specialty contact lenses If you have Sjogren’s Syndrome, you already
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Toric contact lenses are designed for people with astigmatism. They have a special shape and orientation that corrects the irregular curvature of the cornea or
Toric contact lenses are a helpful option for people who have astigmatism. Astigmatism is a common eye condition. The curve of the cornea or lens
Dr. Kresch specializes in keratoconus, scleral contact lens fitting, dry eye disease, myopia control, post-corneal transplant vision correction, and other complex specialty contact lens cases that don’t respond to standard fittings.
Dr. Kresch holds a dual OD/MS degree from SUNY College of Optometry and completed her residency at the NY VA Harbor Health System. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO) and is NBEO-certified.
Dr. Kresch has fit scleral lenses for hundreds of keratoconus patients across the Detroit metro area. Before coming to Michigan Contact Lens, she served as Director of Optometry at Kresge Eye Institute and held a faculty role at Columbia University’s Department of Ophthalmology, where she helped lead the Myopia Control Clinic.
Yes. New patient consultations can be scheduled by calling (248) 545-2800 or booking online through our contact page.
Michigan Contact Lens is an out-of-network practice and does not accept any insurance plans directly. As a specialty practice focused on keratoconus, scleral lenses, and other complex contact lens cases, our doctors take the time needed to deliver the level of expert care these conditions require — time that standard insurance reimbursement schedules typically don’t support.
We’re happy to provide a detailed receipt (a “superbill”) that you can submit to your insurance carrier for any out-of-network reimbursement your plan may offer. Please call (248) 545-2800 with any questions about pricing or what to expect at your visit.
Initial keratoconus consultations typically run 60 to 90 minutes and include corneal topography, slit-lamp examination, a thorough discussion of your visual history, and a review of treatment options including scleral lens fitting.
Michigan Contact Lens is located at 17000 W 10 Mile Rd, Suite 150, Southfield, MI 48075. We serve patients throughout the Detroit metro area and across the state of Michigan.
Yes. Dr. Kresch is the 2023 Theia Award of Excellence winner in the Young OD category, awarded by Women In Optometry. She has been published in Optometry Times and featured in The Jewish News for her clinical work.
