Meet the Doctor

Catherine M. Chen, M.D.

Dr. Chen is a board-certified, fellowship trained pediatric ophthalmologist.  She has been in private practice since 1999.  Dr. Chen completed her fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles / University of Southern California.  She completed residency training in ophthalmology at Yale University Medical Center in New Haven, Connecticut.  She earned her medical degree at New York University School of Medicine and is a magna cum laude graduated of the University of Texas at Austin. 

Dr. Chen is a Diplomat of the American Board of Ophthalmology, and a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, and the Dallas Academy of Ophthalmology.

An Allen resident, Dr. Chen enjoys her career as a physician, wife, and mother of three. Her practice is devoted to the comprehensive evaluation and treatment of all conditions that affect the eyes of children, as well as the medical and surgical treatment of eye muscle disorders in adults.

What is a Pediatric Ophthalmologist?

If your child has an eye problem, difficulty with reading, learning, or fails a vision screen, your child's primary care doctor may recommend that your child see a pediatric ophthalmologist. Just as children are not little adults, your child's eyes are different from those of adults. When problems occur, a pediatric ophthalmologist has the subspecialty training and expertise to address the unique needs of children.

What kind of training does a pediatric ophthalmologist have?

A pediatric ophthalmologist is a physician who has completed:

  • 4 years of medical school
  • 1 year of a surgical or medical internship
  • 3 additional years of residency training in ophthalmology
  • An additional full year of subspecialty fellowship training in pediatric ophthalmology

What services do Pediatric Ophthalmologist provide?

Pediatric ophthalmologists diagnose, treat, and manage all aspects of children's eye problems. Pediatric ophthalmologists generally provide the following services:

  • Comprehensive eye exams with staffing and equipment designed with children in mind.
  • Perform surgery, microsurgery , and laser surgery when necessary for problems such as misalignment of eyes, blocked tear ducts, infections, eye injuries, and eye lid disorders.
  • Diagnose eye conditions caused by diseases of the body, such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other medical diseases.
  • Aid in diagnosing general medical, genetic, and neurological diseases in children by detecting abnormalities on an eye exam.
  • Diagnose visual processing disorders.
  • Treat and manage eye injuries.