Vanessa Garcia-Balok, O.D.

Meet Dr. Garcia

Vanessa Garcia-Balok, O.D., is an optometrist at EyeCare Associates of East Texas, serving patients in Athens, TX. She provides full-scope optometry services to her patients.

Dr. Garcia was born and raised in Elko, Nevada. Her exposure to optometry began at an early age as she was diagnosed with amblyopia by the age of 3, and a long journey of wearing glasses and patching therapy allowed her to achieve 20/20 vision before beginning kindergarten. As a child, she always had a big interest in becoming a doctor and believes this experience played a big role in her later career choice. After high school she attended Idaho State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Dr. Garcia then earned her Doctor of Optometry degree at Pacific University College of Optometry.

Following graduation, Dr. Garcia spent six years practicing in Reno, Nevada where she had the opportunity to practice the full scope of optometry and enjoys everything from comprehensive eye exams to diagnosis and management of eye diseases. After relocating to Texas in 2021, Dr. Garcia began practicing as a traveling optometrist for nursing homes in the Houston, Texas area to help provide comprehensive eye care to residents that could not readily access outside eye care from their facilities. Given her personal experiences, Dr. Garcia has a particular interest in pediatric optometry though she very much enjoys seeing patients of all ages. She is also a Spanish speaker and finds great joy in being able to communicate comfortably with her Spanish-speaking patients. 

Dr. Garcia, her husband, and their two daughters are pleased to call Tyler, Texas their home. As a family they enjoy being outdoors and are happy to have many options for hiking, fishing, and camping nearby. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, running and staying active, and watching as much football as she can.