Dedicated, empathetic and warm-hearted, Dr. Jigna Patel is a difference maker in the eyecare industry. Her passion and her love of helping others are innate characteristics which have been embedded in her personality since childhood. From a young age, Dr. Patel was known to offer her services whenever possible whether it was by helping a friend out with a school assignment or giving back to her local community.

Dr. Patel has served her community on both a local and global scale for decades. She has been known to put the needs of others before her own. Throughout her undergraduate years, Dr. Patel volunteered at assisted living facilities for the elderly providing a support system for those who did not have family. While in optometry school, she served as an active member of the National Optometric Student Association through which she provided vision services to the inner city of Philadelphia.

Following graduation, Dr. Patel continued to serve her local community and began her global mission to eradicate impaired vision. Dr. Patel has participated in several mission trips with One Sight. She participated in the Vietnam (December 2016), China (December 2017), and Charlotte (Oct 2017) trips. Dr. Patel’s next mission is in India which is her parent’s native country.

Dr. Patel is truly one of a kind. Her commitment and love of eyecare is unmatched. This can be witnessed in all areas from the exam room to the rural areas of a developing country. She always provides exceptional eyecare regardless of one’s socioeconomic status and goes beyond what she is called for. Over nearly the last two decades, I have had the honor of being a friend and colleague to Dr. Patel. She has exemplified what it takes to improve lives by improving sight.

I strongly nominate Dr. Jigna Patel to be a difference maker.

-Submitted by Darryl Glover