Our team of dedicated eye health professionals are here to serve you. We combine extensive knowledge in the field of optometry with a passion for helping people solve their vision problems. It is our goal to create a friendly and professional atmosphere that you can rely on for all of your eye health needs.
Meet the Optometrists
Dr. Eileen Cheng
Dr. Cheng has been a Bay Area native for over thirty years. She received her undergraduate degree from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and received her optometry training from Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, California in 1997.
Dr. Cheng has been practicing optometry for over ten years and is passionate about preventive eye care. She always stresses to her patients the importance of an annual eye exam as a means of detecting eye disease as well as systemic illnesses, such as Diabetes and Hypertension.
Dr. Cheng enjoys being an optometrist because it fits her out-going personality and her desire to assist others. Creating a personalized eye care experience is very important to Dr. Cheng because she feels that everyone’s visual demands are unique. As a result, Dr. Cheng tries to customize her prescription to fit the individual lifestyle and visual needs of each patient. With a background as a frame stylist, Dr. Cheng can often be found in the frame room helping patients, because she believes it is her job to “help patients have both fabulous vision and style!”
In her spare time, Dr. Cheng stays active by going to the gym and swimming daily. She also enjoys entertaining her friends and family and often creates original and unique recipes to surprise her guests.
Dr. Cheng is a member of American Optometric Association and the Alameda Contra Costa County Optometric Society. Dr. Cheng is bilingual, speaking both English and Mandarin Chinese fluently.
Dr. Kevin Dong
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Dong graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Architecture in 1993. Dr. Dong later went on to complete a BS in Vision Science as well as his Doctorate in Optometry from UC Berkeley’s School of Optometry in 2002. As part of his optometric education, Dr. Dong received extensive training in the management of ocular disease and use of ocular therapeutics.
Dr. Dong has practiced in the Bay Area in both small neighborhood settings as well as fast paced multi-doctor offices. While ensuring the health of his patients eyes is at the heart of Dr. Dong’s eye examination, he also believes it is equally important to get to know how his patient’s use their eyes at work and at play. Understanding this lifestyle information allows Dr. Dong to tailor the prescription and eyewear to meet each patients unique visual and performance needs. When asked what he enjoys most about Optometry, Dr. Dong answers with a smile, “Building the Doctor-Patient relationship.”
Dr. Dong and his wife have two young children. He enjoys a hobby of photography, recalling that his first experiment into photography was with a 35mm manual Nikormat and a black and white darkroom. When time permits Dr. Dong’s favorite past time is sneaking out for the morning to a local reservoir and fishing in his kayak (wearing polarized sunglasses of course!).
Dr. Dong is a member of both the American Optometric Association and the Alameda Contra Costa County Optometric Society
Meet the Staff
Laly Sterling
Licensed Optician/Office Manager
Laly has been with Looking Glass Optometry since we opened our office in 2005. Besides making sure our office runs smoothly, she is also our vision insurance expert. She meticulously submit insurance claim on behalf of our patients to ensure proper reimbursement for covered services and products. Laly is also an ABO-certified optician so she has an in-depth knowledge of the various lens designs and options available. Along with her keen eye for fashion, she helps our patients select eye wear that compliment their features coupled with advanced lens design to maximize their vision. In her spare time, Laly enjoys spending time with her three children. Laly is also fluent in Spanish and English.
Kathreen Zaballa
Optician
Kathreen has been in the optical field since 2011. Her experience includes both patient care as an optician as well as lens fabrication in a busy optical lab. As a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Kathreen brings a unique eye for eyewear aesthetics that compliments her technical experience in lens fabrication. As a new mom, Kathreen’s son keeps her on her toes when she is not working. She also enjoys cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Yanina Lopez
Apprentice Optician
Yanina has been in the optical field since 2014 and is currently training to be an ABO certified optician. She enjoys interacting with patients and learning about their visual needs. Yanina’s goal when helping her patients is to help them choose solutions that address their visual requirements and at the same time offer styles that let them express their personality in a way that makes the trip to the eye doctor’s office enjoyable.
Kimberly Carpenter
Optometric Technician
Originally from the Sierras, Kim now calls the Bay Area home. Coming from a customer service background ranging from small boutiques to banking, Kim’s main goal is to help her patients to see and look great in their new eyewear. Thinking about each patient’s individual style and personality comes naturally to Kim. When not working, she enjoys spending her free time with family and friends, coaching softball, and traveling.
Tracy Priebe
Optometric Technician
Tracy joined Looking Glass Optometry in 2013 and brought 18 years of medical office experience to our office. Tracy enjoys patient care and now she transfers that passion into helping patients find that perfect frame, with the best style and fit, to improve and optimize vision. Tracy and her husband, Robert, have been married for 37 years. They have three children and have made Pleasant Hill their home for 32 years. Tracy loves being a new Grandma. When she is not working, she is either spending time with her family, friends, hiking or walking on the various trails in our community.
Veronica Vargas
Apprentice Optician
Veronica joined our Looking Glass Optometry family in 2015. Veronica has been in the healthcare field since 2002. Veronica enjoys being able to combine her love of patient care and style in one career. Veronica likes to go hiking in her spare time and making new friends. Veronica is also bilingual and she is fluent in English and Spanish.