See Clearly, Live Better – Save Your Vision Month

Dr. Michael De Rubeis was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Milford, Michigan—a suburb of Detroit. He is a second generation eye care professional since his father was also an eye doctor. He grew up in this profession—in fact, he began working as a laboratory technician, manufacturing and repairing eyeglasses when he started high school. Dr. De Rubeis attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for his undergraduate studies and then received his doctorate in 1983 after 4 years of medical training at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, Illinois. The Illinois College of Optometry is the oldest optometry school in the United States. He was awarded the Irvin M. Borish Award for his "Outstanding Clinical Research in the Field of Clinical Optometric Science" on the effects of rigid gas permeable lenses on the human cornea. His thesis paper was published in the prestigious American Journal of Contact Lenses which detailed very early work on Boston gas permeable lenses. Dr. De Rubeis holds a certification in the Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease from the Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, California. He is licensed in Arizona, California, Illinois, and Michigan to diagnose and treat all eye diseases and conditions, including prescibing eyeglasses and fitting contact lenses. In his practice here in Phoenix, he has a large number of glaucoma and diabetic patients whom he has successfully treated over the years. Glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration are three of his major interests in regards to managing and treating ocular disease. He has been listed in "America's Top Optometrists" for multiple years. Dr. De Rubeis also has years of experience fitting some of the "hardest-to-fit" patients with contact lenses. His expertise in contact lens fitting extends to: keratoconus, post-operative corneal transplants, corneal dystrophies, and corneal scarring from both trauma and severe corneal infections. He has successfully fit patients of all ages including young children and even infants with both soft and rigid gas permeable contact lenses. As the oldest of eight children, Dr. De Rubeis has been around youngsters his whole life. He enjoys the challenges of examining even some of the most difficult children and infants in his practice. He believes in performing early eye examinations on children—by their first birthday—in order to ensure that they develop the ability to see and perform optimally. On a personal level, Dr. De Rubeis is a passionate sailor since he was 12 years old. He is certified by the American Sailing Association to skipper large keel boat sailing vessels. He also enjoys playing tennis, table tennis, photography, theoretical (especially quantum) physics, astronomy, computer programming, and his newest passion--making videos and special effects editing. He and his wife Phyllis are proud parents of three children: Mario, Joseph, and Jenna.

Dr. Jenna DeRubeis is a Phoenix native; she was born in Scottsdale and grew up here in Ahwatukee. She is the daughter of Dr. Michael DeRubeis and is a third generation optometric physician as her grandfather was also an optometrist. Like her father, she grew up in the profession and worked in all aspects of the practice – as an ophthalmic technician, scribe, optician, and laboratory technician – starting in high school, through undergrad, until she left for optometry school.

Dr. DeRubeis studied genetics and Spanish at the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University after graduating from Desert Vista High School here in Ahwatukee. She then received both her Doctor of Optometry and Bachelor of Science in Vision Science degrees from the Illinois College of Optometry in 2020 after four years of medical training. The Illinois College of Optometry is the oldest optometry school in the United States.

During her time at the Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. DeRubeis was awarded the Trustees Scholarship and often taught her younger peers as she worked as a teaching assistant and tutor for several classes and labs. During her final year of school, she did clinical rotations at the prestigious Loyola Medical Center in Chicago; University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington, KY; and Gundersen Eye Clinic at the Vernon Memorial Hospital in Viroqua, WI. After optometry school, she decided to rejoin Primary Eye Care Center, now as a doctor.

While Dr. Jenna DeRubeis loves the art of prescribing glasses and fitting contact lenses, she also has a passion for managing all ocular diseases and conditions, including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration. She believes in preventative medicine and thorough patient education. Dr. Jenna DeRubeis also has a passion for dry eye management:

"Gone are the days of solely treating dry eye disease with artificial tears. While artificial tears can help provide relief for patients with dry eyes and protect the ocular surface, I believe in treating the underlying causes to prevent further progression. For all my dry eye patients, I perform a comprehensive dry eye workup to identify the specific type of dry eye disease so I can create a customized treatment plan that targets the underlying issues."

Like her father, Dr. Jenna DeRubeis enjoys performing early eye examinations on children and is ardent about educating her patients and community that infants should receive their first eye examination before they are even one year old.

"Many parents do not realize both eye doctors and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children receive their first eye examination by the time they are 6 months of age. The infant eye exam allows us to monitor for normal visual development, detect large refractive errors requiring glasses or contact lenses, rule out eye diseases, and check the alignment of the baby's eyes. Unfortunately, if some of these conditions are not treated during the critical development period that takes place within the first years of life, then permanent vision problems can result."

On a personal note, Dr. Jenna DeRubeis is a loving dog mom to two golden retrievers. She enjoys powerlifting, hiking, and yoga. She loves coffee, reading, creative cocktails, and being obnoxiously competitive at board game nights.