Dr. Blake W. Tarr
About Dr. Tarr
From an early age, Dr. Tarr knew he wanted to be an eye doctor. Many in his extended family were in the medical field, including his great-grandfather, Dr. H.L. Tarr, who used to travel by horse and buggy to deliver babies during the early 1900’s; his grandmother, Helen, who was a World War II nurse in General Patton’s army; and his Uncle Jack who was a family practice doctor in Knoxville. However, it was the providential friendship with his optometrist, Dr. David L. Smith, that Dr. Tarr attributes starting him down the path of improving people’s lives by helping them see, look, and feel their best.
Dr. Tarr received his undergraduate degree with honors from Carson-Newman University, and earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. Upon completion of both his externships in Ocular Disease at the James H. Quillen Veterans Administration Hospital in Johnson City, TN, as well as in Pediatrics, Contact Lens, and Primary Eye Care in Athens, TN, he returned to Jefferson County and established Tarr Eye & Vision Center in 2003. His medical practice is focused on the treatment and management of eye diseases, specialized contact lenses, high-definition vision correction, dry eye and aesthetics.
Award Winning leadership
Dr. Tarr has lectured on various eye topics, and he has been involved with sports vision and contact lens research.
He holds membership in the American Optometric Association and the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians.
Dr. Blake Tarr has been voted Best of the Best Optometrist in Jefferson County, Tennessee, in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2014.
Tarr Eye & Vision Center also won the Best of the Best Vision Center in Dandridge, Jefferson City, New Market, Strawberry Plains, Talbott, and White Pine during those same years.
Giving back & Community Involvement
Dr. Blake Tarr has led humanitarian missions to Rancho 3M Orphanage in Guadalupe, Mexico and to Belize with Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH). He also serves locally with the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps.
Dr. Tarr attends True Life Church with his wife and their four children. He enjoys spending time with family, sports, pickleball, traveling and photography.
Blake William Photography Gallery
My photography teacher at Carson-Newman University, David Underwood, gave good advice.
He said, “Take as many pictures as you can and then you will probably get some good ones.”
These are some of my favorites. If you enjoy some of them, you can let me know at: blaketarrod@yahoo.com.
