A lifetime of trust: Family follows eye specialist to Akron Children’s

Lily Perry

When Alexa “Lily” Perry was just a month old, her mom, Kristin, noticed something didn’t seem quite right with her daughter’s eyes.

“At her 1-month pediatrician appointment, I noticed her eyes were crossing,” Kristin said. “The doctor told us to wait a few months to see if it corrected itself.”

But after several months, nothing had changed.

Lily Perry was diagnosed with strabismus, a condition where the eyes are misaligned. Treatment began immediately with glasses and eye patching therapy. Then, when Lily was 3 years old, she underwent surgery on both eyes.

A mother’s instinct leads to answers

Eventually, the family was referred to pediatric ophthalmologist Faruk Örge, MD, who was practicing at University Hospitals at the time. Because of the wait for a specialist appointment, Lily was already 7 months old when they first met him.

That visit marked the beginning of a relationship that has now lasted nearly 15 years.

Dr. Örge diagnosed Lily with strabismus, a condition where the eyes are misaligned. Treatment began immediately with glasses and eye patching therapy. Then, when Lily was 3 years old, she underwent surgery on both eyes.

“We saw him every three months because her vision kept changing,” Kristin said. “He adjusted her prescription whenever she needed it.”

Lily is currently undergoing treatment for idiopathic intracranial hypertension, or IIH, a condition caused by increased fluid pressure around the brain that can affect the optic nerve and vision.

Growing up with confidence

Now 15 years old and a rising junior at St. John School in Ashtabula, Lily is active in tennis and currently taking driver’s education classes.

Over the years, Lily adjusted to life in glasses and later contacts. Despite having poor vision, her condition has never slowed her down.

“Her vision hasn’t held her back in any way,” Kristin said.

Following surgery, one of the biggest changes was immediately noticeable.

“Dr. Örge made her eyes straight,” Kristin said.

Lily has been a patient of pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Faru Örge since she was 7 months old.

A frightening diagnosis — and a trusted voice

Years later, an unexpected health scare reinforced just how much confidence Kristin, and her husband Bryon, had in Lily’s longtime physician.

When Lily wanted to switch to contact lenses, the family was referred to an optometrist. During the exam, the doctor noticed changes involving Lily’s optic nerve and recommended an MRI to rule out a brain tumor.

“I was so freaked out by that. I called Dr. Örge’s office immediately to discuss it with him because of the level of trust I had in him,” Kristin said.

She remembers receiving his call while sitting at one of Lily’s tennis matches.

“I was actually at a tennis match watching Lily play when Dr. Örge was able to call me back, and he calmed me down,” she said.

In August 2022, an MRI and spinal tap revealed Lily had idiopathic intracranial hypertension, or IIH, a condition caused by increased fluid pressure around the brain that can affect the optic nerve and vision.

Lily now takes Diamox daily to manage the condition while doctors monitor her progress closely.

“She takes three pills in the morning and two in the evening,” Kristin said. “We’re hoping at her next appointment we’ll be able to wean her off.”

Lily, pictured with her parents and Dr. Örge.

Following the physician who earned their trust

Through every diagnosis, treatment and follow-up visit, the family remained committed to staying with the physician they trusted.

So, when Dr. Örge left University Hospitals, Kristin immediately began searching for where he had gone next.

“When I got the notice that he was leaving, I was beside myself,” she said. “After some sleuthing, I found out he had gone to Akron Children’s, and I started calling regularly to find out when appointments would become available.”

The decision to continue Lily’s care at Akron Children’s was easy.

“Honestly, we would have followed him anywhere,” Kristin said. “Even if we had to get on a plane to get to him.”

Lily has been a patient of Dr. Örge’s for 15 years. When he left University Hospitals last year, she followed him to Akron Children’s to continue her care.

More than a doctor-patient relationship

Kristin credits much of Lily’s positive outcome not only to her physician, but also to Lily herself.

“She’s a good kid,” Kristin said. “She has always worn her glasses. She knows what she needs to do, and she does it in all aspects of her life.”

She also says the experience at Akron Children’s has exceeded her expectations.

“The scheduling team is very friendly on the phone, and I’m able to make her follow-up appointments while we are still in the office,” Kristin said. “For our first appointment at Akron Children’s, we were very impressed.

“Living in Northeast Ohio, we have access to exceptional pediatric specialty care close to home,” she added. “I don’t think people realize how good we have it here.”

After nearly 15 years of care, the family’s relationship with Dr. Örge and his team has become much more than appointments and prescriptions.

“I have not been to another doctor with as good of a bedside manner as Dr. Örge,” Kristin said. “He takes the time to explain things, and the staff who helped us were some of the kindest people too.”

At Lily’s last visit in June 2026, Dr. Örge was happy with her progress and will continue to monitor her IIH.

Looking ahead

The family is also grateful that Dr. Orge will be opening an office in Beachwood in August, which is closer to their Geneva home.

At Lily’s last visit in June 2026, Dr. Örge was happy with her progress and will continue to monitor her IIH.

“The medication is working and she’s not having any side effects, so there’s no reason to change it,” he said. “We don’t know what causes IIH, but the good news is that once it goes away, it typically doesn’t come back.”

Lily turns 16 in August and hopes her next milestone is passing her driver’s test.

“I like Dr. Örge a lot,” Lily said. “I trust him and know he’s going to do everything right for me.”