Doctors
Meet the experienced and friendly doctors who make Achord Eye Clinic the leading provider of vision care products and services in Baton Rouge.
Shonda D. Achord, O.D.
Dr. Shonda Doucet Achord is a Gonzales native. She graduated from St. Amant High School and is an alumna of Louisiana State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree.
After graduating from LSU, Dr. Achord attended the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO) in Houston, Texas, where she earned her Doctor of Optometry degree. While at UHCO, she was nominated to be a member of Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Fraternity and was the recipient of the Contact Lens Achievement Award for outstanding performance in the contact lens clinic. She was also recognized for clinical excellence with particular proficiency in the areas of allergic eye disease and pathology.
Dr. Achord has been in practice serving the greater Baton Rouge area since 1992, and she established the Achord Eye Clinic in February 2000. She currently specializes in difficult-to-fit contact lens cases and is a member of the American Optometric Association and the Optometry Association of Louisiana.
Joli Shepard, O.D.
Dr. Joli Shepard was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a degree in Organismal Biology. She went on to attend The University of Incarnate Word Rosenberg of Optometry in San Antonio, Texas where she obtained her Doctor of Optometry degree in 2013.
Dr. Shepard is a licensed therapeutic glaucoma specialist. She has experience in primary eye care, ocular disease diagnosis and management, contact lens, diabetic eye care, dry eye, as well as post-operative care and management.
Dr. Shepard takes pride in delivering exceptional care to the community.
Dr. Shepard enjoys spending time with friends and family. She and her husband are LSU and Saints fans and enjoy attending games to support their teams whenever possible.
Lea Hair, O.D. M.S.
Dr. Lea Hair grew up in Gueydan, Louisiana and attended Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport. She earned her doctoral degree from the University of Houston College of Optometry, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. While in Optometry school, Dr. Hair opted to start a dual-degree program and earned a Master’s in Optometric Research and Vision Science. Dr. Hair’s master’s thesis research centered on the soft multifocal contact lenses used in Myopia Management and Control. Her research was presented at national Optometry meetings and published in a peer-reviewed journal.
After graduating with her OD and MS degrees, Dr. Hair completed a one-year appointment as the Primary Care Optometry Resident at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans.
Dr. Hair’s clinical interests include primary eye care, pediatric eye care, dry eye care, the fitting of contact lenses, including hard-to-fit scleral contact lenses. Dr. Hair’s primary clinical passion is fighting the myopia pandemic. Fighting this myopia, or nearsightedness, pandemic is personal for Dr. Hair, as she is highly myopic herself and her father is blind in one eye due to complications from his nearsightedness.
When she isn’t examining and talking about eyes, Dr. Hair is playing board games, visiting museums, or playing with her dog.
Kennedy Achord, O.D.
Dr. Kennedy Achord is a Gonzales native. She attended St. Joseph’s Academy and received her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in Kinesiology. She was a member of Delta Gamma sorority while at LSU. After graduating from LSU, Dr. Achord attended University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio, Texas. While at UIWRSO, she was the recipient of the Denise Doyle Outstanding Ambassador Award, which recognizes one student that best represented the mission of UIWRSO, and was nominated to be a member of Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society.
She was also the recipient of the Clinical Excellence Award and the Faculty Clinical Award, which recognizes students who excel during their clinical rotations.
Dr. Achord’s clinical interests include primary eye care, diagnosis and management of ocular disease, dry eye care, soft and hard contact lens fitting, and post-operative care.
She will be joining our practice starting June of 2024.