WELCOME
Welcome
Meet Our Eye Care Team
Dr. Ngo Optometrist
Dr. Ngo is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and has over 20 years of experience in the field of eye care. He attended the University of California, at Davis where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science. Initially his interest in Food and Wine led him to pursue this career path. He imagined working at a tasting lab creating new Umami flavors for food or even at a winery in Napa or Sonoma refining Merlot or Cabernet vintages. Finally after several visits to the Eye Doctor peaked his interest in vision and the science that was used to correct it. This led him to pursue his doctorate degree at The Ohio State University School of Optometry in Columbus Ohio.
During his years in Columbus, he completed clinical rotations at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Dayton Ohio, where he specialized in ocular disease and pathology. Outside of academics, Dr. Ngo was also a member of the Epsilon Psi Epsilon (EYE) fraternity which focused on volunteer and community service. He began practicing in Palo Alto in 2007. Dr. Ngo enjoys his clinic days in Palo Alto because of the diverse population of patients often composed of leaders and innovators from all walks of life. Dr. Ngo loves to spend time outdoors hiking with his wife Betty and 4 year old son Tyson. The family also loves the beach and recently took up paddle boarding! In the winter they head to the mountains of Lake Tahoe for some fun in the snow for Tyson and hopefully some snowboarding for ONE of the parents. The family recently welcomed a new baby girl Abby to join in on their future adventures.
Dr. Santa Maria is a proud Bay Area native. She received her B.S. in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley. She returned to her college alma mater to obtain her Doctor of Optometry degree with clinical honors. She then completed her residency training at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto, where she specialized in ocular disease, low vision, and specialty contact lenses.
Dr. Santa Maria is dedicated to providing excellent, individualized patient care, and she is passionate about enhancing her patients’ quality of life through the best possible vision. In addition to working in private practice, Dr. Santa Maria also dedicates her time teaching and mentoring fourth year optometry students. Dr. Santa Maria’s personal interests include spending quality time with family and friends, traveling, and experimenting in the kitchen.
Dr. Janelle Santa Maria Optometrist
Dr. Teresa Nguyen
Optometrist
Dr Teresa Nguyen is a south bay native who's happy to be back in the bay. She attended UC Davis where she received her BS in Psychology with an emphasis in Biology. During her time in Davis, she did research in visual cognition and perception, which sparked her interest in optometry. She then traveled to Philadelphia to pursue her doctorate degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. She is a member of the American Optometric Association, California Optometric Association, and Santa Clara County Optometric Society.
Outside of clinic, Dr Nguyen enjoys reading, backpacking, and indoor bouldering. She also spends time working with children in the foster care system as she is passionate about reducing the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences. Her other hobbies include NBA/WNBA basketball and live comedy.