Hi, my name is Vu Nguyen. My first experience of getting glasses for the 1st time was quite remarkable. Being able to see and concentrate better in school without the distraction of “what’s the teacher writing on the board” gave me confidence and focus to excel in all my classes. In my junior year in high school, I decided that eye care can be a career that would be rewarding.
Hi, my name is Vu Nguyen. My first experience of getting glasses for the 1st time was quite remarkable. Being able to see and concentrate better in school without the distraction of “what’s the teacher writing on the board” gave me confidence and focus to excel in all my classes. In my junior year in high school, I decided that eye care can be a career that would be rewarding. I attended the University of CA, Riverside. During my years in undergrad, I decided that I would try to get experience in all facets of eye care. So the adventure begins, I shadow an optometrist that specialized in vision therapy and fitting of contact lenses for challenging prescriptions. I worked in a lab, generating glasses for over 2 years, gaining insight on what it takes to make a pair of glasses that can change a person’s outlook on life. It was important for me to jump in, experience the field of optometry and make sure that this was something I can see myself doing for the foreseeable future. It was in undergrad that I met the love of my life, Tracy, who had the same aspiration to also become an optometrist.
Illinois College of Optometry, in the beautiful city of Chicago! Being that I grew up in California all my life, I wanted to explore and experience something new. The education was great, but it was the patients that I had an opportunity to care for was what has stayed in my mind. It’s more than just glasses! Treating medical eye condition and seeing how the medical condition can affect one’s vision. To be able to fit someone for contact lenses that were told “you are not a contact lens candidate” for years was amazing. The genuine gratitude from these patients is priceless. After practicing for over a decade, I can say with certainty that I love being an optometrist! To have the possibility to help someone be better is what drives me. I look forward to giving the best eye care to all the patients that I encounter.
I am so blessed to have a wonderful wife in Tracy, and two beautiful kids, Chloe and Oliver. They are the joy of my life. I enjoy playing and watching basketball, listening to audiobooks, I never say no to coffee, and have a sweet tooth. One of my favorite quotes is “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work” –Aristotle.
