Your Local Eye Doctors in Houston and Pasadena, Texas

Dr. Mita Vala is a Houston native and received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology at the University of Houston. While in college, she served as event co-chair for Prevent Blindness of Texas, a non-profit organization that provides vision screenings all over Texas. She then earned her Doctor of Optometry degree at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts.

She is now a licensed therapeutic optometrist and optometric glaucoma specialist and a key member of the Optical Illusionz team. Her externship experiences include Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas where she worked with ocular disease and glaucoma patients as well as special needs patients in Boston, Massachusetts where she provided specialty eye care exams such as low vision, contact lenses, and pediatric eye care.

She also has experience with pre and post-operative cataracts and LASIK management. She loved the northeastern U.S. but is excited to be back in Texas where the weather is warmer. Dr. Vala enjoys staying active, traveling, creating modern calligraphy art and playing with her nephews in her spare time.

Dr. Alina Ishtiaq is a licensed therapeutic optometrist/optometric glaucoma specialist, who grew up in Houston, TX. Dr. Ishtiaq received a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Psychology from the University of Houston. She received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) in Chicago, IL.

Dr. Ishtiaq always had an interest in science and wanted to practice medicine growing up. She believes her dad’s compassion and devotion towards his career as an ER doctor has played a huge role in shaping my decision to become an optometrist. As she watched and shadowed him over the years, she noticed that he was always compassionate towards his patients and gained their trust and friendship very easily.

Over the years, he has inspired her to hope to serve her prospective patients in a way that builds that kind of connection. After graduation, she starts working at Kingwood medical center and exploring different options in the medical field, she starts shadowing optometrists and ended up loving the field of optometry. Where she still gets to practice medicine, help people, and enjoy work.

Dr. Ishtiaq completed her clinical training with honors at Woolfson Eye Institute, The Illinois Eye Institute, and the Tallahassee VA, where she diagnosed and managed glaucoma, and various other retinal pathologies as well as developed expertise in the selection, evaluation, and management of patients who desire refractive surgery with an emphasis on providing pre-and post-operative refractive surgical care.

Dr. Ishtiaq also got trained at a private practice in Austin- McCormick Vision Source, where she was able to fit specialty contact lenses and manage patients with anterior segment disease. Throughout her rotations, Dr. Ishtiaq received clinical experience with emphasis on primary eye care, ocular disease, contact lenses, dry eye treatment, and pediatrics. In her spare time, Dr. Ishtiaq loves spending time with her family especially her nieces and nephews, and exploring new places and restaurants, and traveling.

Dr. Mavis Dao O.D. was born in Houston, Texas and is a graduate of the University of Houston. She obtained her Degree of Optometry at the University of Houston College of Optometry. She completed her residency in Primary Care and Ocular Disease at the Eye Care Center of New Jersey.

Dr. Dao loves to challenge herself with management of multiple different ocular conditions, including myopia, dry eye syndrome, keratoconus, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, conjunctivitis and many more. She enjoys working with patients of all ages. She is also fluent in Spanish and Chinese Cantonese and wants to continue to master those languages.

In Dr. Dao’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, trying different cuisines with friends and family, weightlifting and practicing martial arts. She has volunteered to provide eye care to the underserved communities in a Fijian mission trip and hopes to continue to participate in more mission trips in the future.