Irving J. Peiser, 73, of Oak Park thrived in the field of pediatric optometry because it combined his interest in math and physics with his passion for helping people, said his son, Daniel Peiser. Dr. Peiser was an early proponent of the field of vision development, studying the visual motor system to learn how vision affects skills such as hand-eye coordination and learning, particularly in children. Dr. Peiser died Monday, June 19, at his home in Oak Park after a three-year battle against leukemia, his son said. Born and raised in New York City, Dr. Peiser served in the Navy from 1944 to 1946. He was stationed in the Philippines during World War II. In 1950, he graduated from Columbia University in New York with bachelor’s degrees in math and physics. In 1954, he graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago and remained in the Chicago area. He married Chicago native Natalie Diamond in 1957, and they moved to Oak Park six years later. First practicing in Berwyn, Dr. Peiser worked the bulk of his career in Riverside and spent his last nine years in Lyons. He retired in 1997. In the 1970s he spent several years as Midwest regional director for the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. Dr. Peiser was also a student of language, with fluency in Yiddish and German and a working knowledge of Spanish, Latin and Greek, his son said. Other survivors include his wife; another son, Mark; a sister, Sondra Wolk; and one grandson. Services were held Friday in Chicago.
