Kelly Hodson Unkrich, MD

Get to Know Me

I grew up in the Florida panhandle and spent most of my early years of training in Florida. I did part of my training up north, but was eager to return home to Florida to practice. My husband and I enjoy spending time at the beach with our son and visiting family and friends. 

Why I Treat Children

It’s fun! I always knew I wanted to work in the medical field with children. I thought I would become a pediatrician, but also really enjoyed doing surgery. I did an elective in pediatric ophthalmology during medical school and realized it was the best of both worlds — I get to help children see, I perform their surgery if needed, and continue to follow them as they grow up. Helping improve a child’s vision is the most rewarding job, and for most exams, we have fun playing with toys and flashlights!

What I'm Passionate About

I am passionate about early intervention for visual problems. I serve on the board of Vision is Priceless here in Jacksonville, a non-profit who promotes vision screening to identify visual abnormalities as early as possible to start treatment. There is no greater reward than giving a child the gift of sight. International surgical mission work is very important to me. I have done international outreach in Tanzania, Kenya, Guatemala and Costa Rica.  My medical interests include: amblyopia eyelid surgery (blocked tear duct, dermoid cyst, chalazion) pediatric cataracts ptosis (droopy eyelid) strabismus

Make A Difference

I try to put parents and patients at ease in the exam room and make the exam fun. No child enjoys eye drops, but aside from that necessary aspect of the visit, we try to make the exam fun and engaging for children and their parents. I try to spend as much time as possible answering questions and fully explaining my exam findings to parents, so they leave with an understanding of what is going on with their child. I find that communicating with parents is much easier now that I have a child and can understand the parent perspective.