OD, MPH
Vision Therapy, Neuro‑Optometric Rehabilitation, Myopia Management, Pediatric & Binocular Vision
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
University of California,
Riverside
Pediatrics & Vision Therapy,
Pacific University
Vision Therapy, Neuro‑Optometric
Rehabilitation, Myopia Management
Dr. Stephanie Hwang's path into optometry started with a single afternoon of shadowing during undergrad, spent watching a doctor use prism lenses and targeted exercises to help stroke and brain injury patients recover visual function they had assumed was gone for good.
She had always thought optometry began and ended with glasses and contacts. Watching that transformation up close convinced her otherwise, and she knew almost immediately that she wanted to do work that changed lives the same way. Vision therapy and neuro‑optometric rehabilitation turned out to be exactly where that instinct led her, and the rehabilitative work she watched that afternoon is part of her own practice today.
Nothing quite compares, in Dr. Hwang's telling, to the child who arrives too shy to make eye contact and leaves therapy months later walking taller, chattering about the book in their hand and the fun fact they picked up at school that morning.
Watching a kid's real personality emerge as their visual world comes into focus is, to her, endlessly moving: the kind of quiet transformation she says she will never get tired of witnessing.
Dr. Hwang earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside in 2011, then went on to complete a dual Doctor of Optometry and Master of Public Health degree at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2020.
Her passion for pediatric care led her to IN‑SIGHT Vision Rehabilitation in Warwick, Rhode Island, where she provided specialized care for children navigating significant visual impairment, low vision, and legal blindness. She continued that training at Pauline Buck Behavioral Developmental Neuro‑Rehabilitation Vision Therapy in Miami, Florida. She completed her residency in Pediatrics and Vision Therapy at Pacific University in 2021.
Dr. Hwang's clinical focus is binocular vision dysfunction and the ways it quietly derails a child's ability to learn, read, and focus. Through vision therapy she treats convergence insufficiency, tracking difficulties, amblyopia, double vision, and strabismus.
That same work extends into neuro‑optometric rehabilitation for patients whose vision changed after a concussion, brain injury, or stroke, and into myopia management, where the aim is to slow a child's progression rather than keep strengthening the prescription. She is devoted to making that care accessible, welcoming neurodivergent patients, those with cortical visual impairment or cerebral palsy, and non‑speaking patients who communicate through AAC devices.
Dr. Hwang was recognized by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development with its Student of Excellence in Vision Therapy Award, an honor tied to her work in developmental and rehabilitative vision care.
Her training placed her alongside the communities she now serves: Special Olympics programming in Miami, pediatric low vision and legal blindness care in Rhode Island, and ongoing work with neurodivergent patients and families who communicate through AAC devices.
College of Optometrists in Vision Development Student of Excellence in Vision Therapy Award, earned for her dedication during training at Pauline Buck Behavioral Developmental Neuro‑Rehabilitation Vision Therapy in Miami, Florida.
IN‑SIGHT Vision Rehabilitation, Warwick, Rhode Island: pediatric care for children navigating significant visual impairment, low vision, and legal blindness. Residency in Pediatrics and Vision Therapy, Pacific University, 2021.
Special Olympics programming in Miami, Florida, and close work with the neurodivergent community, including patients with cortical visual impairment, cerebral palsy, and those who communicate through AAC devices.
After a decade away, Dr. Hwang is thrilled to be back home in California, close to family and, most importantly, her seven nieces and nephews. Mornings usually start with a Lagree class, and the rest of her time off is shared with her goldendoodle, Phoebe, who follows her everywhere like a very furry shadow.
Schedule your visit with Dr. Hwang and take the first step toward clearer vision.
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