Karen P. Skvarna, OD

Dr. Karen Skvarna joined Harvard Eye Associates in 2004 after working in South Orange County since 1990. She graduated with her Doctorate of Optometry from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry, in 1989 after receiving undergraduate degrees in physiological optics from the University of California, Berkeley, and biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Skvarna received specialized training in low vision and rehabilitative services at the Western Blind Rehabilitation Center, associated with the Palo Alto Veterans Administration. Her training includes rotations at the Mare Island Naval Station in Vallejo and at the Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco. She has extensive experience in family and geriatric optometry, as well as with contact lenses, dry eye disease and pre- and post-operative care.

Dr. Skvarna was one of the first California optometrists to be therapeutically certified which has enabled her to manage the ocular health as well as the optical needs of her patients. She has had extensive experience working in a multidisciplinary office environment which allows her to work closely with the physicians at Harvard to best manage the needs of her patients.

Outside of work, Dr. Skvarna has volunteered extensively in local community schools, coaching soccer and advising both a Girl Scout troop and Destination Imagination teams and is a Sustainer Member of the National Charity League. She enjoys cooking, reading, soccer, water sports and Lake Powell. Dr. Skvarna lives in San Juan Capistrano with her husband, Eric, and their three children: Kelly, Nicole and Kevin.

“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to care for my patients and their families. My goal is to understand each one of my patients’ unique visual needs and lifestyle in order to provide the highest level of care so that their lives are enhanced on a daily basis with good vision.”