Dr. Christie Kim attended the University of Alberta and studied 3 years of biological sciences. She then completed her Doctor of Optometry with honors in 2006 at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry. She completed her primary care clinical externships at 2 private optometric practices in Calgary in 2005 and early 2006. Her scope of training included contact lenses, low vision, special needs, pediatric, and geriatric optometry.

Dr. Kim also completed an ocular therapeutic externship in Pinellas Park, Florida where she worked closely with ophthalmologists specializing in the treatment and management of glaucoma, corneal and retinal diseases. She also participated in a mission to Guatemala where she provided primary eye care to areas in need. Dr. Kim’s areas of interest include pediatric and geriatric optometry, contact lens fitting, and ocular disease treatment and management.

Dr. Kim is licensed by the Alberta College of Optometrists. She is a member of the Canadian Association of Optometrists, the Alberta Association of Optometrists, and the Calgary Society of Optometrists. She is a volunteer member of the Optometry Examining Board of Canada and participates in developing licensing board questions for future graduates and is a member of the Alberta College Competence Committee.

Outside of work, Dr. Kim likes to spend time with her husband, Dr. Michael Sy, and their 3 children.

Dr. Michael Sy attended the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry, completing his Doctor of Optometry in 2006. After graduating, Dr. Sy completed an externship in Pinellas Park, Florida. He provided care and treatment for glaucoma, retinal disease, and primary care.

The moment you step into Royal Vista Eyecare, you’ll notice the cheerful presence of Dr. Sy. He knows just how important vision is and enjoys making a difference in the quality of life of each patient. Dr. Sy’s main areas of interest include primary care and dry eye therapy.

When he isn’t at work, you can find Dr. Sy playing the ukulele, spending time with family, or tending to his goldfish and planted aquariums.

Dr. Mira Chen was born and raised in Edmonton. She earned both her Bachelor of Science and her Doctor of Optometry degrees at the University of Waterloo. During her training, she did a clinical externship in Mesa, Arizona and accompanied a team to Kingston, Jamaica for an eye mission. She is passionate about helping people and spent 6 years in West Africa doing development work with her husband and 2 kids. She speaks Korean and French fluently. Outside of work, she enjoys running and yoga.

Dr. Leyna Thraya is a native Calgarian and attended the University of Calgary, majoring in Cell, Molecular and Microbial Biology. She then attended the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, graduating with a Doctor of Optometry. In her final year, she completed her externships at the John D. Dingell Veteran Affairs Hospital and the Kresge Eye institute in Detroit and rotated through several clinics at the Illinois Eye Institute and the Diabetic Eye Clinic/Rosenbloom Center for Vision and Aging in Chicago.

Dr. Thraya is passionate about quality optometric care, educating patients on their eye conditions and aiding them with their visual needs. She is a member of the Calgary Society of Optometrist, Alberta College of Optometrist, Alberta Association of Optometrists and the Canadian Association of Optometrists.

Joanne is our front-line office manager here at Royal Vista Eyecare. Joanne has been with us over 6 years (just at our Marlborough location) but now mangess both locations. Her caring and compassionate attitude makes her an excellent addition to our team.

Joanne graduated from the University of Lethbridge in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science, where she became interested in the eye care industry.

Joanne works hard every day to make our patient’s lives better.

Outside of work, Joanne loves trying new restaurants around Calgary.

Partricia is our caring and creative front-line coordinator. Partricia has been with us at Royal Vista Eyecare for just under 2 years, and has made a huge impact on our practice.

Partricia graduated from the University of Calgary in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Chemistry.

Partricia is passionate about helping our patients through every step of their eye care experience. Her positive energy truly makes a difference in our patients and our team members’ lives.

In her spare time, Partricia enjoys boxing.

River is one of the optometric assistants here at Royal Vista Eyecare. She has been in the eye industry for 4 years but joined our team in 2021. 

River’s positivity and reliability shines through in everything they do, whether it be assisting our patients when they first walk through our doors, to helping them find the right pair of glasses. 

When River’s not at work, they enjoy volunteering and baking.

Sophia is our hardworking and caring Optical Dispenser. She has worked in the eye care industry for about 2 years. For the first year she worked only as an optometric assistant, doing the pretesting and front desk duties, but she has then transitioned to learning and doing optical.

Sophia is passionate about the connections that she is able to build with each of the patients she assists. She loves helping others, and she feels a lot of fulfillment with being able to help others find the best lenses and frames that fit their unique personalities and lens choices that best suits their daily lives.

In her spare time Sophia enjoys spending time with my family and friends, hiking outdoors, and sewing.