Introducing Our Austin Eye Care Professional Team

The Visionaries

We couldn’t be the Austin eye care visionary practice we are today without an extremely skilled team whose passion is to improve the lives of others through visual success. Featuring big thinkers, do-gooders, and life changers, the primary aim of every individual on board is maximizing the potential of every patient.

Dr. Denise Smith – Founder and Clinical Director

I am an optometrist by trade and an optimist at heart. I believe that no matter how difficult or complex things are, there is always a solution. At Austin Vision Therapy Center, my main duty is to diagnose and treat visual disorders that negatively affect people’s lives. I give people options that they didn’t have before; that they didn’t even know existed.

I lead my team to think outside the box we strive to provide the most comprehensive approach to care in Austin, even when it goes against the norm. And I am not afraid to grow as a physician to provide my patients with the most resources for success.

I value my team and encourage them to come up with innovative methods to improve our services. And I foster a warm and caring environment where patients of all ages feel welcome and inspired to do more and be more.

How I see it: “Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible.” -Anonymous

Patrick Lauren – Business Operations and Right Hand Man

My job is to ensure Austin Vision Therapy Center has what it needs to maintain efficient operations. My main duty is to keep everyone on board satisfied and happy whether they are patients, referring doctors, or our valuable team members. In a nutshell, I do whatever it takes to support our reputation, striving to provide the best vision therapy in Austin.

How I see it:  “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” -Steve Jobs

Tracie Lynn Strange – Office Manager

My job is to help guide patients through their vision therapy journey in an educational and administrative capacity, as well as to provide support to the staff so that they may in turn provide stellar service to our patients. I strive each day to do whatever is necessary to ensure a smooth flow in the practice as well as patient and team member satisfaction.

How I see it: “Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow is only a vision. But today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”― Kālidāsa

Marcella Brown – Optometric Vision Therapist

My job is to help patients learn about their visual system in order to use it in a more effective and efficient way. I believe that vision therapy does not just happen to a person, but that they are an active part of their growth and development. This is why I not only strive to connect with my patients on a personal level, but help them connect the skills they develop in therapy to tasks they struggle with in every day life.

How I See it: ” To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Annie Jordan – Optometric Vision Therapist

After receiving a Bachelor of Science from The University of Texas at Austin, my passion for helping others and working with children led me to vision therapy. My main duty is to provide the highest quality vision therapy care to our patients. I ensure each program is individualized and uniquely matched to every patient. I thrive on helping others achieve their goals, whether it is vision, athletic, work-related or in daily life. I am a Certified Optometric Vision Therapist (COVT) through The College of Optometrists in Vision Development.

How I see it: “The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.” ― Mack R. Douglas

Silence Smith – Optometric Vision Therapist

My career in vision therapy allows me to apply my passion for helping others every day. I enjoy making sure each encounter is distinctive and valuable. My goal is to help improve the patient’s visual comprehension in a way that can be applied to his every day life. Knowing that I can make a difference is what encourages me to make connections and individualize each patient’s care to help him overcome his visual obstacles. I aim to spread positive health, encouragement, improvement and happiness with each visit.

How I see it: “There is no greater joy nor a greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life” – Mary Rose Mcgeady