Red Eye Eyewear has been in existence since February of 2002 while Dr. Matthew W. Gifford took ownership in January of 2005. We are committed to providing thorough eye care as well as unique and contemporary eyewear with the latest lens technology in a decidedly non-clinical setting. Please do some research so you will see that our pricing is as competitve as any "chain" and without the conveyor belt feel. We stand behind all of our work and offer warranties on everything we provide.
Dr. Gifford grew up in the Chicagoland area and graduated from Chicago's Illinois College of Optometry in 1997. He did externship training at The Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. He is Board Certified in the the treatment and managenment of ocular disease and has special interest in corneal disease. He is a member of the American Optometric Associaction. Dr. Gifford co-manages Lasik vision correction with The Kraff Eye Institute. He also works on staff in a private practice in Oak Park, IL.
Dr. Gifford travels annually and is on the Board of Directors with a medical group called IHS (International Health Service) giving eye exams to the less fortunate people of Honduras. His experiences there are nothing short of "amazing and inspiring." In 2009 Dr. Gifford and the team examined 980 patients, referred 75 to surgery for no cost, and IHS donated over 1100 pairs of eye glasses and sun glasses in a two week period.
On December 1, 2009 Dr. Gifford traveled to Haiti where he gave eye exams at an orphanage/school named Lamardelle Creche. He learned about the facility through a friend named Margaret Fleming of Adoption-Link. Please visit their website to see what amazing things Gina, Luceine, "Mama" Duncan, and the rest of the amazing staff are doing for their community. There were 507 patients from the school and community screened for disease and 107 pairs of glasses were donated by Red Eye. The lenses were paid for by donations from patients in the office and a generous portion from Caitlin, Emmett, Wyatt, and Ada Mae Donelley Power-THANK YOU! The frames were donated by Continental Optical whose line of glasses can be seen in our office. Another thank you goes out to Jane Hackenberg who traveled with Dr. Gifford and assisted greatly in the mission.
Haiti 2009:
Honduras 2008/2009:
Colleen Clarke has been with the Red Eye family since January of 2006. She grew up in Evergreen Park, IL and recently graduated Columbia College with a degree in arts and entertainment with concentration in fashion retail management. She has a passion for design and fashion as well as family. Colleen can usually be found at Red Eye running the day to day operations. She does an excellent job helping you find the correct glasses and determining just what lens material you need as well as answering the numerous insurance questions you may have. When not working she can be found excercising, reading, listening to music and hanging out with friends around town.
Delilah "Lolly" Ruiz has been filling in at Red Eye for several years. For the past year she has taken a more steady role in the office. Lolly grew up in Chicago and is very active in her church where her father is the Pastor. She enjoys singing and loves animals especially her cat.
Daisy Diaz has been with Red Eye since its inception. She grew up in Chicago's Logan Square and has four kids with her husband Joel and another on the way! She is in partial "retirement" and will occaisionally do some fill in work at the office.
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