Eye care professionals specialize in understanding how the human eye really works, as well as diseases and conditions that affect your vision – many of which do not have obvious symptoms. Eye doctors know how age and risk factors affect vision over time for young and old, and they understand the benefits and features of corrective lenses including eyeglasses and contacts.
Our optometrist takes the time to explain the results of your eye exam, describe your options and listen to your eye care needs. Because maintaining good eye health is an ongoing partnership, we encourage you to ask questions and share your health information, which could be vital to monitoring, diagnosing and treating potential vision problems.
Meet our doctor:
Erin Heckman, O.D.
Dr. Erin Heckman was born and raised in Mississippi but has called Birmingham home since 2003. She attended Mississippi College graduating in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She went on to earn her Doctor of Optometry Degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry in 2010. She is a proud member of the American Optometric Association, the Alabama Optometric Association and the Birmingham Area Optometric Association.
Dr. Heckman practices primary eye care for the entire family. She diagnoses and manages many ocular conditions in addition to providing routine eye care for adults and kids. She enjoys fitting soft and specialty contact lenses and working with dry eye patients. Because of her history of nursing home eye care, she holds a special place for the elderly population and is adept at working with them and their caretakers. She believes that the eyes can tell a lot about the body as a whole and works closely with other area doctors to ensure that her patients get the best care for themselves.
Dr. Heckman loves to be actively involved in her community and sponsors local schools, sports and events. She also regularly participates in health fairs for the local community. Most recently , she was able to work alongside her church to provide screenings to the Hispanic community. This has led her to offer translation services at her office to ensure Shelby Family Eye Care gives everyone the best care.
Dr. Heckman is married to her wonderful husband, Jeff. They have three children, Hunter (12), Sawyer (9) and Kinsey (6). They also have a few furry members of their family, a labradoodle named Bella and two guinea pigs, Jase and Jackson. If they are not at a ballfield watching their boys play ball, they enjoy spending time with family. They are actively involved in their local church, Christian Life Church in Birmingham where Dr. Heckman sings on the praise team and serves in the media ministry.
