Hidden Gems: Meet Marianna Petrosyan of California Optometry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marianna Petrosyan.

Hi Marianna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Yerevan, Armenia and immigrated to the United States when I was 8 years old. My parents (as so many other immigrants) sacrificed so much for a better future for my brother and I in America. I was one of the first people in my family to get a higher College Education and the first person in my family to graduate with a Doctorate degree. It has been a great accomplishment in life to make my family so proud.

I grew an interest in Optometry as I needed to wear glasses as a young child and had issues with my vision. It was fascinating that so much can been seen in such a small structure in the body. It would also be a field where I could interact with others and really make a great impact on their lives.

I graduated Optometry School in 2010 from the Southern California College of Optometry. I was uncertain of the practice setting I wanted to work in. In the beginning, I filled in several offices from Corporate Settings to Private Practice, until I was hired to work at a Refractive Surgery setting at Laser Eye Center. I was grateful to be practicing in an environment which gave me great training as I learned to manage so many surgical patients from consultations to their pre and post-op surgical care. I was later hired to work with Berg-Feinfield Vision Correction with whom I still practice with today. I have been with Dr. Alan Berg and Robert Feinfield for more than eight years. For me, they are the epitome of an outstanding surgeon…the Doctor’s doctor, a true perfectionist at their field. I have been grateful and blessed to have these amazing mentors and friends to work alongside and expose me to so many different types of patients.

We have managed thousands of patients in Lasik, PRK, Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL’s), Crosslinking for Keratoconus, Refractive Lens Exchange, and Cataract Surgery. You never get tired of seeing these life-changing results especially of the very complex cases!

During COVID times, the opportunity came to open up a private practice next to my husband’s dental practice. As much as I feared ownership of a business, I knew it would be a good opportunity for me to grow in my career. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone! I was grateful to design it the way I wanted to and make the small cozy space my own. This marks the one-year opening of California Optometry and we are fortunate as we have had great feedback from patients.

California Optometry is designed with a lot of love in a modern, cozy, bright environment with advanced technology and an Optical Boutique offering a great selection of eyewear. We have a Retinal Camera, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Anterior Segment imaging, Virtual Visual Field to name a few. It is located in the San Fernando Valley and next door is California Dental so patients can have the opportunity to have their dental and eye care needs taken care of on the same day. We offer examinations for everyone in the family, contact lens services, Myopia Control to help with the progression of nearsightedness, Lasik and Cataract surgical management, Diabetic and other retinal examinations.

I am looking forward to seeing the growth of California Optometry and where this new journey takes me.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?

As I was already married at the time of applying, I didn’t have the option of applying to multiple schools and moving. I was fortunate to get into the only school that was closest to me (still requiring a 100-mile daily commute). I spent at least 3 hours of my day driving in traffic, so I had to be creative in studying in a relatively rigorous program. On my third year, I became pregnant and commuted all the way until the end of my pregnancy. With my daughter, we gave two board exams and finished the most difficult year together. I took five weeks off after my pregnancy and was back for my last year of schooling and rotations. I still somehow managed to graduate with my classmates and with honors. When I look back, I really have no idea how I got through the program. At the time, I had so much determination and strength and believe a lot of it came from the guidance given to me by God. I also had great family support which was the greatest blessing. I would tell myself each day if I give this exam, I have one less to go.

I do encourage anyone, if you really want something please work very hard and don’t give up! I promise if you set your heart to it and work very hard, you can make it happen!

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
The easiest and most enjoyable part of owning your practice is seeing the patients and experiencing so many life-changing moments. The most difficult part is the management, insurance, and billing. I wish I had taken business courses or even minored in business in my undergraduate program. I believe you could be the most caring and best clinician, but to be successful, having business skills could really set you apart.

It is also important to not forget to have a balance in life. Having other hobbies and skills is important. I have several hobbies when I’m not working. One being I love food! I love making, creating, eating in my own kitchen as well as experimenting with cuisines and flavors in restaurants. I also greatly enjoy being outdoors especially in nature or in or by the water. Traveling and seeing different parts of the world is one of the greatest enjoyments in life. These memories are what life is about. I also have two amazing children. Practicing as an Optometrist and balancing a family life and being there for their sporting events can be very challenging at times, but it is important to somehow create a balance (I am still working on this every day).

I am so grateful to be practicing Optometry. There is so much that can be diagnosed inside the little structure and sometimes found first in the eye before the rest of the body. It also involves a lot of psychology, a lot of patience, care, love, and listening and forming great bonds. Experiencing patients laugh, hug you, and sometimes cry for the way you changed their life… it is really those moments that make what you do really worth it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.california-optometry.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CaliforniaOptometry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/californiaoptometry/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/california-optometry-san-fernando-4