Meet Our Doctors

Dr. Michael Aguilera was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He earned his Doctor of Optometry from the University of Houston College of Optometry, where he was trained in providing primary eye care, specialty contact lens fitting, dry eye management, as well as treatment and management of various ocular diseases.

As an undergraduate, he attended the University of Texas at San Antonio where he received his Bachelor of Science in Biology. He is currently a licensed Therapeutic Optometrist and Optometric Glaucoma Specialist. Aside from work, Dr. Aguilera enjoys attending sporting events, concerts, and exercising.

Farshid Amir, O.D. received his Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in 1993 and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana.  To further develop his strong interest in contact lenses, Dr. Amir proceeded to complete his Contact Lens residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1994.

Dr. Amir’s interest in optometry was sparked by his desire to see the world through someone else’s eyes and being able to provide his patients with their best vision possible.  Dr. Amir particularly likes being able to help people improve their overall eye health and become more comfortable with their vision.

In his spare time away from the office, Dr. Amir enjoys spending time playing golf.

Dr Bell was born in Wichita, Kansas. He graduated from Monterey High School in Lubbock and is a graduate of Texas Tech University where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation, Dr Bell moved to Houston and worked as a NASA Engineer at the Johnson Space Center. He was a member of the engineering team responsible for the operation of the Space Shuttle Simulators used for Astronaut crew training. Dr. Bell is a member of the Bexar County Optometric Association, Texas Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association. In his spare time Dr. Bell enjoys spending time with his family and boating at lake LBJ.

Edward Carl Elder, OD is from San Antonio and is a 1977 graduate of Oliver Wendell Holmes High School. He participated in several sports and was an All-City Defensive Back. He has been inducted into the Oliver Wendell Holmes Hall of Honor. He received a BS degree from the University of Houston in 1981 in Biology. He received his Doctor of Optometry degree in 1985 from the University Of Houston College Of Optometry. He is involved in the community and serves on several boards. Dr Elder is a member of the American Optometric Association, The Texas Optometric Association, and the Bexar County District Optometric Society. Dr. Elder is married to Bonnie Prosser Elder, who is chief counsel at Via Metropolitan Transit Authority. They have one daughter Marissa, who is a first year student at UT Austin. In his spare time Dr. Elder enjoys spending time with his family and friends. His hobbies include snow and water skiing, wake boarding, basketball and golf. We are very proud to announce that our own Dr. Edward Carl Elder will be receiving Pillar of Caring by the 20th Northside Education Foundation. Dr. Elder has continually exceeded all expectations in the realm of patient care and in the community. We are happy and proud to be a part of Dr. Elder’s private practice. Caring, compassionate, empathetic, unselfish.

Joyce Garza, O.D. received her Doctor of Optometry from the University of Houston’s College of Optometry in 1995 and earned her undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Garza was five years old when she had her first visit to the eye doctor.  She remembers that her visits were always very pleasant, and her eye doctor became her favorite doctor.  Her experiences also played a large part in her decision to become an optometrist and to strive to provide her patients with the highest quality eye care available. 

In practice since 1995, Dr. Garza says her greatest reward of being an optometrist is being able to help children see clearly for the first time and experiencing their happiness when they leave the office.

In her time away from the office, Dr. Garza loves watching movies with her husband and training/playing with their puppy.  She also enjoys reading and staying active by running and working out in her spare time.

George Green, O.D. received his Doctor of Optometry from the University of Houston’s College of Optometry in 2016 and earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dr. Green’s special field of interest is specialty and scleral contact lenses.
The support and recommendation he received from his mentor, Dr. Anderson, had a strong influence on Dr. Green’s decision to pursue a career in optometry. It is a highly-specialized field that offers him the opportunity to have a direct and positive impact on his patients’ quality of life.

Dr. Green especially enjoys taking time to build strong, long-term relationships with his patients and loves being able to share his optical knowledge with them. As a result, Dr. Green can help his patients maintain their most valued sense – their eyesight.

In his free time away from the office, Dr. Green enjoys spending time outdoors and stays active by fishing, skiing, and cycling.

Dr. Christopher Prough, Therapeutic Optometrist Dr. Christopher Prough grew up in Pleasanton and is a Pleasanton High School graduate. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Texas State University in San Marcos with a minor in Chemistry. In May of 2014 he earned his Doctor of Optometry from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee. In June 2014 he received his Texas Optometry license and became a Therapeutic Glaucoma Specialist in August of 2014. Dr. Prough’s externships include training from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, The Eye Center in Memphis, Tennessee and with Draisin Vision Group in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Prough is a member of the American Optometric Association. He also served with the Student Volunteers for the Optometric Services to Humanity. Dr. Prough served with this organization in Belize City, Belize; Merida, Mexico and in May Pen, Jamaica. “I’ve always known that I wanted to be a health care provider. I worked as an ophthalmic technician just out of college and was blessed to work with some very caring optometrists that helped guide me into this field. I couldn’t be happier about this decision to become an eye doctor. I love that I can be part of the community and build lasting relationships with my patients. I enjoy seeing the smiles on children’s faces and helping those with eye health needs. I strive to provide each patient with high quality eye care and a lifetime of happy, healthy eyes.”

Dr. Valerie Winfrey completed her undergraduate schooling at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She furthered her education by obtaining a Doctorate of Optometry degree from the UIW Rosenberg School of Optometry. Dr. Winfrey has been practicing since 2013 and joined EyeTX in 2019. She became an optometrist because as a child, she loved going to the eye doctor. She knew that she wanted to be a doctor and having bad eyesight pointed her in the right direction. Dr. Winfrey enjoys meeting new people and helping them improve one of their most important senses – vision. When she’s not caring for her patients, she loves singing, hiking, being outdoors, and spending time with her family.

Wendy Lopez, O.D. received her Doctor of Optometry from the University of the Incarnate Word’s Rosenberg School of Optometry in 2019, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Dr. Lopez specializes in fitting specialty contact lenses, ocular disease and pediatrics. Dr. Lopez’s passion for helping others led her to become an optometrist, giving her the opportunity to help people in more ways than one.

To Dr. Lopez, being an optometrist is so much more than just providing a new pair of glasses or contacts. She loves being able to educate patients about their eye health and how it’s connected to the rest of the body.

Shriya Ruparel, O.D. received her Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in 2019 and earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the Ohio State University in 2015.

Dr. Ruparel grew up with both of her parents working in healthcare. Dr. Ruparel was inspired by them and always knew she wanted a career in healthcare for herself. Dr. Ruparel shadowed several different healthcare providers, but she specifically liked optometry because she enjoyed learning about eye health and helping people see clearly.

Moreover, Dr. Ruparel also enjoys meeting new patients and forming personal relationships with her patients.