Founded by the Dr. Thomas Rippner, our practice flourished under the care of Dr. Cynthia Broady for 38 years, shaping it into the premier destination it is today. After working together for over 7 years, Dr. Broady passed the torch to Dr. Elson upon her retirement in 2023, ensuring the tradition of quality eye care will continue for decades to come.
Dr. Elson joined forces with Dr. Broady in 2016, and is honored to carry on the the legacy of quality eye care that our patients are accustomed to. Due to his advanced training, his addition has enabled us to offer services including the management and treatment of glaucoma and the fitting of specialty contact lenses. In fact, as of 2023, Dr. Elson is one of only 3 private practice optometrists in Orange County to have completed his fellowship in scleral lenses, allowing for truly specialized care for our patients with dry eye, keratoconus, corneal transplants, and other corneal disorders. His passion for high quality eye care has lead to him lecturing locally and across the country, helping doctors advance their training and understanding of dry eye, myopia control, and glaucoma management.
Dr. Elson is an Orange County native. After growing up in Mission Viejo, he went on to captain the lacrosse team at California State University, Chico. Four years later he graduated with honors and a degree in Kinesiology with minors in Psychology, Exercise Science, and Physical Education. He then moved back to Southern California to attend the prestigious Southern California College of Optometry, where he received his degree as a Doctor of Optometry. During his time at Southern California College of Optometry, Dr. Elson developed a passion for diagnosing and managing diseases of the cornea and retina. This passion was deepened during his clinical rotations throughout California, including the Optometric Center of Los Angeles, the Veterans Hospital in West Los Angeles, University Eye Center, and medical eye care with Dr. William Downey in Northern California.
Outside the realm of academia, Dr. Elson has been active with the California Optometric Association, and co-founded the California Optometric Student Section, for which he was named in the prestigious Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He is a past President of the Orange County Optometric Association, and continues to serve as an advisor to the board. He also has remained active in lacrosse since leaving Chico, playing for numerous tournament teams, and acting as Defensive Coordinator for the CSU Fullerton Men’s Lacrosse team while he was attending Southern California College of Optometry. In 2019, Dr. Elson was voted into the Chico State Hall of Fame for his contributions as a player and esteemed alumnus.
Outside of optometry and lacrosse, Dr. Elson enjoys being outdoors with his wife Taylor, son Aiden, and his dog Naya. His favorite things to do include mountain biking, hiking, camping, backpacking, and hanging in the water, whether it’s a river, lake, or ocean. Come in and see Dr. Elson to see why his patients love him!
Dr. Tanya Ngo’s optometric career started long before becoming a doctor. Years before starting optometry school, she began as a volunteer and then worked as an optometric technician. As a result of her clinical prowess and excellent chair-side manor, Dr. Ngo was recruited by Dr. Elson to join him at our sister-office in Yorba Linda (Old Towne Optometry). With the retirement of Dr. Broady in 2023, Dr. Ngo joined our office and quickly become loved by our patients and staff due to her kind and caring nature, treating every person she interacts with as if they are family.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dr. Ngo is a Southern California native. She cherishes the opportunity to practice in her home state and care for patients of all ages and backgrounds. In addition to her passion for the eyes and visual health, she enjoys the science and curiosities of the human mind and received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. During her time there, she co-founded the campus’ pre-optometry club, Precision for Vision.
Dr. Ngo received her Doctorate of Optometry degree from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR )—an experience that allowed her the opportunity to practice in both English and Spanish. During her graduate studies, Dr. Ngo took an interest in the efficacy of essential fatty acid supplementation as an adjunct treatment for dry eye disease, leading her to write her senior thesis on the topic. This interest has followed her into clinical practice, resulting in further post-graduate training on management of ocular diseases such as dry eye, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, as well as progressive myopia in children. She has been instrumental in developing our dry eye protocol, working in tandem with Dr. Elson to build a robust dry eye treatment protocol that has made a huge difference in the lives of our patients.
In addition to her clinical and academic pursuits at IAUPR, Dr. Ngo served as president of the school’s Optometry Giving Sight chapter, a global organization that focuses on providing eye care and visual aid to those in need. Her desire to give back has also led her to volunteer her time and skills to various underserved cities in Southern California, as well as participate in international mission trips to Mexico, Panama, and China.
When she’s not in a white coat, you can find her in a white apron testing out new recipes that her friends and family get to enjoy. Some of her favorite pastimes include playing the piano, attending plays and concerts, trying new foods and restaurants, and creating custom vinyl stickers with her sister. She loves traveling and exploring new cultures through art and food, and has a collection of Chinatown bridge photos from cities all over the world!
