Dr. Gifford grew up in the Chicago land area. He graduated from Chicago’s Illinois College of Optometry in 1997. He completed his externship training at The Brunswick Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine. Dr. Gifford is married with 2 grown step children and one grandson! In his spare time he enjoys travel, golf, live music, going out to dinner, and reading. Dr. Gifford is Board Certified in the treatment and management of ocular disease. His special interest is corneal disease. Dr. Gifford is a member of the American Optometric Association. He co-manages Lasik vision correction with The Kraff Eye Institute. He enjoys volunteering around Chicago as well as traveling worldwide with his wife providing eye care, eyeglasses and medications to those in need. Their latest trip was to The Ivory Coast, Africa in May of 2017 with Ivory Coast Mothers and Children. They have also volunteered many times in remote villages of Haiti and Honduras.

Dr. Anita Patel grew up in White Plains, NY and graduated from The State Univ. of NY, College of Optometry in 2001. She completed an ocular disease externship at the VA Hospital in Syracuse, NY. Her undergraduate degree is in Psychology from Boston University. Before moving to Chicago in 2014, she practiced in CO and NJ. Prior to joining Red Eye Eyewear full time, she worked with an Oculoplastic surgeon in the Loop. When she’s not being a mom to her two daughters, she likes to travel, read, cook, ski and find new places to eat in the city.