Ever wonder about the businesses in our community? What's the story behind them? What exactly do they do?

To help you better know your Ankeny business community, Ankeny Patch recently kicked off a new weekly feature. We're highlight one local business to allow community residents to become better acquainted with the business owners, how the business started and what exactly they offer.

Today, meet Dr. Erik Romsdahl, owner of Child and Family Vision Center. This business, located at 2525 N. Ankeny Blvd. Ste. 109, has been in Ankeny for one year.

Child and Family Vision Center is open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

Ankeny Patch: Tell us about your business. What do you specialize in?

Dr. Erik Romsdahl: I specialize in pediatric vision care and vision therapy and rehabilitation. I can work with children and adults that have issues related to lazy eyes, crossed eyes, double vision, struggles with maintaining clear vision, losing place when reading, and even people who have had head injuries, strokes or other issues.

In addition, we offer free initial eye exams for infants. I provide contact lens exams as well, and can treat and manage dry eye, diabetic eye disease, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, pink eye and other eye-related issues. We sell quality eye glasses and contact lenses for the whole family as well.

What inspired you to start this business?

Ankeny is a growing, young, vibrant community. I wanted to provide services geared toward that population. It's estimated that 1 in 4 children has a learning-related vision disorder. I am here to diagnose and treat those issues, which can be frustrating for parents and children if not taken care of. Often these kids are mislabled and even then may not get all the help they need, particularly visually.

Why Ankeny?

It is growing and continues to attract new people and families. It fits very well with what we do.

What makes your business unique and stand out above others?

Vision therapy is a unique specialty in optometry. Only a handful of eye doctors in the region offer vision therapy and I am the only one in Ankeny to offer the in-office treatment. We strive to offer quality vision care that goes beyond making sure someone has 20/20 vision.

What do you enjoy most about getting out of bed and doing this everyday?

Helping people – plain and simple. Nothing is more satisfying than helping people.

Anything else you'd like to add?

We look forward to growing along with Ankeny. Thank you to those who have already utilized our services and we hope to see more of you.