Today we’d like to introduce you to Esther Chiu.
Hi Esther, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
While attending undergrad at Texas A&M University, my career path was unclear to me at the time. I was always passionate about helping others growing up and I would spend my time volunteering at my church, food banks, animal shelters, boys & girls club, and going on mission trips. Knowing I wanted a fulfilling career in helping others, I applied to an ad seeking an optometric technician position during my junior year in undergrad. As I started working at the optometry clinic, I was inspired and motivated by the owner of the practice, Dr. Le, who had become like a role model and mentor to me. Once graduating with my bachelor’s at Texas A&M, Dr. Le referred me to her colleague in Houston so I could start working there to build up my resume for optometry school. That’s when I first started working as a tech at Optical Edge under Dr. Nguyen’s guidance and care. Once I graduated from optometry school, I was offered a full-time position to work at Optical Edge. It was a very full circle moment for me as I am now working at Optical Edge as an optometrist instead of as a tech, providing eye care alongside one of my mentors, Dr. Nguyen. I am blessed and grateful that I had two great mentors that guided me onto this career path that I love.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The hardest part for me was figuring out what I wanted to do as a career during my time in undergrad. I had changed my path from pre-vet to nutrition and then to optometry during the middle of my academic year. Working at the optometry clinic made me realize how much I valued and loved interacting with the patients, creating meaningful connections, and impacting other peoples’ lives. Once my mother had gotten diagnosed with a medical eye condition, it furthermore solidified that this was the career path I was meant to take. Being in a field where I can provide for my family and friends’ eye care needs makes the job even more worthwhile.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a licensed therapeutic optometrist, glaucoma specialist, and Misight certified. I received my Doctor of Optometry degree at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences where I was the previous historian for National Optometric Student Association and a member of Beta Sigma Kappa. I am a current member of the American Optometric Association. At Optical Edge, we provide refraction for glasses and contact lens prescription, manage eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy, provide myopia control, Lasik and cataract co-management, and treat dry eyes and eye infections or emergencies. I believe what sets us apart from others is our goal to give the best customer service and high quality eye care individualized for each patient.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a mixed-culture household where my mother is Korean and my father is Taiwanese, but I was born in Brazil. There were three languages always spoken in our household as I would speak to my mother in Korean, my dad in English, and I would listen to my parents speak Portuguese with each other. As a child, I would often resent the fact that I was a human translator for my parents wherever we went. However, I am grateful now that I was given the opportunity to learn several languages so I can communicate and relate to other people of different cultures. Since I had spent most of my adolescent summers visiting either Korea or Brazil, it gave me an appreciation and love for traveling and experiencing different cultures through food, music, and interactions with other people.
Being a child of immigrant parents, I watched my father work hard as a furniture mover in the US so he could have the means to support us as he studied to become a dentist in the US, all the while trying to learn English. Watching my parents’ hard work grow into fruition has inspired me to always strive for what I want with dedication and perseverance and to take every hardship as a lesson to grow.
Contact Info:
- Email: staff@opticaledgehouston.com
- Website: https://www.opticaledgehouston.com/
- Instagram: optical.edge.eyecare
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/optical-edge-houston-2
- Tiktok: @optical_edge
