Doctors & Staff
Meet the experienced and friendly doctors and staff who make Armstrong Eye Care Associates a proud provider of vision care products and services in Kittanning.
Kara J. Shirley, O.D.
Dr. Shirley graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Saint Vincent College. She then went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in the Visual Sciences and a Doctorate in Optometry at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia. Dr. Shirley graduated with Highest Honors and was a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa optometric honor society. Currently, Dr. Shirley is involved in the Kittanning Rotary and serves as a board member on the Progressive Workshop of Armstrong County. In her free time Dr. Shirley enjoys running and spending time with her husband and daughter Lena.
Paul J. Lobby, O.D.
Dr. Paul Lobby is a native of Ford City, a graduate of Ford City High School and Indiana University of PA. After teaching high school mathematics for three years, he decided to pursue a career in Optometry. Upon graduation he returned to his home town and has been providing eye care to the residents of Armstrong County ever since.
In addition to practicing optometry his community service has included serving on the boards of the YMCA, the Progressive Workshop and Armstrong School District. He has also donated annual eye exams to the Head Start children for the past 35 years. Professionally Dr. Lobby has served on the board of directors of the Western Pennsylvania Optometric Society(WPOS) and the Pennsylvania Optometric Association(POA). He is a member of the American Optometric Association(AOA), a Fellow of the American Board of Optometry, a member of Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric Honor Society and a staff member of ACMH Hospital. In 2007 he was awarded Optometrist of the Year by the WPOS and in 2014 was awarded the George Gottschalk award by the POA for outstanding service by a committee chairman. Dr. Lobby also served as President of the Board of Directors of Allsight Laser Vision Center, the first laser vision center to open in the Pittsburgh area.
Dr. Lobby and his wife, Colleen, enjoy spending time with their two daughters families and their nine grandchildren.
Dr. Lobby has always prided himself in providing the most current vision care technology, services and products available to his patients and is grateful for the patronage of the community to his practice. Despite having been in practice for many years, Dr. Lobby has not yet set his sights on full retirement and plans to continue seeing patients as long as he is capable. He is confident that his partner, Dr. Kara Shirley, and associate, Dr. Nathan Steinhafel, will continue to deliver the same standard of care for which Armstrong Eye Care has been known.
Nathan W. Steinhafel, M.S., O.D., F.A.A.O.
Doctor Nathan Steinhafel received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Science degree in Physiology from Brigham Young University. He obtained his Doctor of Optometry from the Southern California College of Optometry and received his clinical training from the Moran Eye Center, the Southwestern Eye Center, and Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital. He completed his residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in pediatric optometry, binocular vision, and vision rehabilitation, where he also served as a clinical instructor. He served as clinical masked examiner for the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry with affiliation to the Neuro Optometry Section. He has been invited to lecture locally and nationally on the topic of visual and ocular outcomes following mild and traumatic brain injury. He is a clinician in private practice and specializes in the treatment of amblyopia, strabismus, visual dysfunction related to traumatic brain injury, vision therapy and rehabilitation.