Even from a young age, optometrist Dora Pepo always knew she wanted to be involved in the medical field. Her father is an optician and he helped her understand what being an optometrist would be like. “I also wear contacts and have been seeing eye doctors since I was nine, so I’ve long had an interest in optometry as a career.”

In addition to giving vision exams, Dr. Pepo treats and diagnoses all manner of eye problems including dry eye, foreign bodies, retinal diseases, and glaucoma. “I kind of see myself as a primary care doctor of the eye,” she explains. “Working with our specialists, we can address just about any need concerning the eyes. We can do a lot of the same testing that you would do at a specialist office, including OCTs and ultrasounds of the eye. As an optometrist, I can interpret those tests as well. You see a little bit of everything when you are an optometrist. I have even detected diabetes in the eye.”

Dr. Pepo is very knowledgeable in prescribing specialty glasses and contacts that solve difficult vision problems. “Sometimes if you have had a stroke or other medical issue the eyes can get out of balance and prism lenses can align your vision a little better. We also have rigid contacts now that can be used for myopia control which work very well. The technology we use to help patients keeps improving.”

At Reliant, Dr. Pepo enjoys working closely with her patients as part of team when providing care. “It’s important that the patient is on board with the care that you provide. I don’t want to prescribe a medicine that they don’t want to take or suggest a treatment that doesn’t really suit them. I want to have a dialogue with the patient and present some options for them and have some back and forth on what is the best approach. That’s the way I like to work.”

In her spare time Dr. Pepo enjoys rock climbing, drawing, as well as cooking and baking.