Our Team

Dr. Azzrah Thobani is the founder of Eye Care By Design and leads with a preventative, patient-centered approach to eye care, with a clinical focus on dry eye and long-term ocular health.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, she earned her BSc. from McGill University and her Doctorate of Optometry with honors from the Illinois College of Optometry. She completed a fellowship in Hereditary Retinal Disease at the University of Illinois and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

Her approach is rooted in early detection, patient education, and individualized care—helping patients understand their eyes while proactively protecting their vision over time. She has a particular focus on dry eye and ocular surface disease, taking a root-cause, treatment-driven approach supported by advanced in-office therapies.

Her work extends beyond the clinic, leading international outreach initiatives in Kenya, Honduras, Thailand, and Rwanda to expand access to vision care and education.

At Eye Care By Design, she has created a space that feels elevated, personal, and community-driven—where care is thoughtful, unrushed, and tailored to each patient.

Outside the office, she enjoys traveling, staying active, and spending time with her family.

Vanessa brings a thoughtful blend of technical expertise and design-forward styling to the eyewear experience. She focuses on precision, fit, and function-guiding patients to frames that enhance both vision and personal style. Each fitting is personalized and detail-driven, ensuring every pair feels as good as it looks.

Outside the office, you’ll usually find Vanessa at the ranch with her horse and her puppy. She’s drawn to anything Western, and spends her downtime horseback riding, reading, and being outdoors. She’s equally at home cooking, experimenting with skincare, and picking out wallpaper-and she brings the same eye for detail to everyday life that she brings to fitting eyewear.

Rae brings more than 20 years of experience in eye care to the team. She began working in the field in 2005 and has been ABO certified since 2012, working across nearly every facet of the industry-optical and front desk, clinical assisting, lab work, billing, and management. Professionally opinionated and relentlessly organized, Rae has never met a pair of glasses, a piece of equipment, or a slightly inefficient system she didn’t want to fix.

Outside the office, Rae is usually learning a new language, in a dance or aerial silks class, tending her garden, or updating her beagle, Spumoni, on the latest developments in her knitting. Whether at home or at work, she brings the same meticulous attention to detail to everything she does.