Coshocton optometrist joins Erwin Family Eye Care

Dr. Griffin Mason started seeing Dr. Danielle Erwin when he was in sixth grade — not realizing one day he would join the Erwin Family Eye Care practice.

“I graduated in May from the Ohio State University College of Optometry. My schedule for Erwin’s is open beginning July 6, due to the amount of time it takes to become an insurance provider,” Mason said.

Mason said he has wanted to be an eye doctor since he was in junior high.

“I had established care at the Erwin’s shortly before I started reading a book on the anatomy of the body, and I found wonder in how the eye worked. I had an interest in science at school, with the medical field being a vague goal of mine,” Mason said. “I always knew the optometrist was a much more enjoyable appointment to attend as a kid, compared to my dentist or pediatrician.”

After junior high he was able to experience what working in an optometrist office would be like by shadowing at Erwin Family Eye Care. He then worked at Optics Plus Vision Center during summers and at Emerald Eye Care in Dublin while completing undergraduate studies at Ohio State.

“I was also part of the preoptometry club at OSU, and throughout all of these experiences, I never had a bad one," Mason said. "The personal care that optometrists are able to provide patients in a private practice setting is what drew me in and has kept me coming back.

“I want to practice all areas of optometry — beyond just glasses and contact lenses. Areas of optometry that I am particularly interested in include binocular vision disorders and ocular disease including glaucoma, macular degeneration and myopia management.”

Mason and his wife Kindall are both graduates of Coshocton High School. During their free time, they enjoy spending time with their families eating dinner or playing games.

“I also include strength training, cardio and/or stretching in my daily routine because of how important it is to our entire body’s health including our eyes,” he said.

He also enjoys cooking and is looking forward to using a smoker his brother-in-law got him. During a summer off from optometry school, he spent 35 days traveling to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, San Antonio, Memphis and a stop at an uncle’s cabin in Kentucky.

“Obviously, there’s a lot I left out from this trip, but I bring it up to say I was able to try barbecue in Kansas City, Texas — the best in my opinion — and Tennessee. My favorite part of that trip was Grand Teton National Park.”

During optometry school Mason was able to serve on three international mission trips and was a co-leader in planning and executing two of them.

“I have been to Jamaica, Peru and Honduras to serve the underserved and to provide eye examinations and glasses to all three populations, with Jamaica including cataract surgery and post-op visits.”

He also has helped at clinics in Ashtabula, Columbus and Byrdstown, Tennessee through an organization called Remote Area Medical.

This summer Mason wants to focus on youth in Coshocton.

“There is a condition called amblyopia where one or both eyes cannot see clearly, even with excellent eye health, and it is because the brain never learned to see clearly since a clear image was never given to the brain,” Mason said.

Throughout the month of June, Mason would like to provide free access to eye care for kids age 5-12 whose parents have not been able to take their kids to an optometrist due to any financial barrier.

“A failed school screening is an especially great indicator as to whether your child needs to be seen as soon as possible. While each brain is different, it is approximately age 12 that the window to correct amblyopia closes,” Mason said.

If you need help getting eye care for your child, call Erwin Family Eye Care and give them your information. Mason will reach out to you.

“Depending on how far this takes off, I will see each patient on a day-to-day basis, or we will schedule one to three days of service where this will be our focus,” Mason said.

Dr. Danielle Erwin said their practice is so grateful to have Mason join them.

“We have been praying for this for a couple years now and feel so blessed to have him join our practice and move back to our community. What a treasure to have a hometown fellow return to invest in the community he grew up in,” Erwin said. “Griffin has such a high level of knowledge in our field with his training at OSU, and we believe he will elevate our practice to another level. He has new ideas and a fresh perspective. I am very excited to collaborate with him. We give glory to God for giving us this opportunity.”

Mason will be available for appointments from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday; 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday; and a few Thursdays per month until he and his wife start a family. Call Erwin Family Eye Care at 740-622-2270.