Your Edwardsville Optometrist

Dr. Alice has earned a reputation for friendly professional eye care. She practices full-scope optometry including primary eye care of all ages. She is happy to take the time to help her patients understand their vision and eye health conditions and their choices of treatment, including glasses, contact lenses, corrective surgery, such as LASIK, and cataract surgery. Her clinical interests also include dry eye syndrome, ocular disease, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. She works closely with area specialists when her patients need surgery or advanced care. As the field of optometry has evolved and expanded over the last 20 to 30 years, Dr. Alice has actively maintained and progressed her optometric expertise. She finds it very rewarding when she is able to apply what she is learning to the care of her patients.

Originally from Prairie Village, Kansas, she received her undergraduate degree in Human Biology from the University of Kansas-Lawrence in 1987. She went on to earn her doctorate in Optometry from the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry in 1991. When she is not serving her patients, Dr. Alice enjoys spending time with her husband, Tom, her son Kurt and his wife, Caitlin, her son Drew and his wife Taylor, and her son Grant. They take pleasure in trying new restaurants, exploring the Missouri Botanical Garden, and attending art fairs together.

In 2003, Drs. Unger joined Vision Source, the largest network of independent optometrists in the country. Dr. Alice continues to be a supporting member of the Missouri Botanical Garden.

As an independent, private practitioner, Dr. Tom follows his passion to find the best solution for his patients’ vision challenges using the latest technology, innovative eye care products, and talented staff.

His special interest in vision therapy attracts patients from hours away. He experiences great satisfaction in being part of a team that helps students who struggle with learning related vision problems, works with patients with vision challenges due to stroke, or trains athletes to maximize their visual skills for their sport. Dr. Tom also enjoys the challenge of managing patients who have complex dry eye disease. By utilizing advanced technology to discover the underlying causes of dry eye disease, he finds successful outcomes that improve quality of life and limit potential damage to the eyes. Similarly, Dr. Tom has developed protocols to minimize the risk of macular degeneration, a major cause of vision loss. Since there is no current treatment to recover vision loss due to macular degeneration, he strives to educate his patients and proactively limit their potential loss of vision.

Dr. Tom graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. In 1988, he received his doctorate in Optometry from the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry where he met his future wife Dr. Alice Unger. Together they established Unger Eye Care in Dr. Tom’s hometown of Troy, Illinois in 1991. Outside the office, he enjoys any activities that involve his family. From a simple dinner conversation to a spontaneous trip across town to a local event, Dr. Tom enjoys his time with Alice and their three boys Grant, Drew and his wife Taylor, and Kurt and his wife Caitlin. He also looks forward to exploring architecture and history, the Missouri Botanical Garden, good healthy food, and specialty pour over coffee.

Currently, Dr. Tom is a member of the American Optometric Association, the Illinois Optometric Association, the Southwestern Illinois Optometric Association, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, Vision Source, COVD, and Edwardsville Chamber of Commerce. He is also currently an elder at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Over the years he has served on the St. Paul’s Lutheran School board, has been secretary for the Goshen Rotary, and has been president of the Troy Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Tom continues to be a supporting member of the Missouri Botanical Garden.