- ArthritisHaving an autoimmune disease like Sjogren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus can affect your tear production and eye health.
- Emergency CareUse your best judgment on urgency – find the nearest emergency room or review our emergency page for tips.
- GlaucomaAmerican 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.
- OphthalmologyOur eye care center, Primary Eye Care Center of Ahwatukee, offers a full range of eye health services to clients of all ages, from children to older adults: routine eye exams and vision tests, eye disease diagnosis and management, immediate attention for eye emergencies, and complete eye health management. Specialties include Low Vision, Ophthalmology, Myopia Control, Neuro Optometry and Orthokeratology. The optometrist in our practice provides eyewear prescriptions and offers corrective laser eye surgery co-management as well. You can get in touch with our eye doctor's office to set up an appointment at your convenience and learn more about some of our key services below.
- Macular DegenerationWhile 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.
- Laser Eye SurgeryIndividuals that suffer from certain medical conditions such as diabetes, blepharitis, lupus, arthritis and thyroid problems are more vulnerable to developing DED. Other causes can be due to eye surgery including LASIK, certain conditions in which the eyelids don’t close properly or extended contact lens use.
- CataractsIf you're ready for an alternative to glasses and/or contacts look to us for co-management of LASIK, cataract, and other ocular surgery.
- Eye ExamTypically, dry eye disease can be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam and a description of your symptoms. On some occasions the eye doctor might decide to do a test that measures how quickly your tears evaporate from the surface of your eye. By instilling a simple dye called fluorescein (much like food coloring) the doctor is able to watch and count how long it takes the tears to start to break up after they’ve asked you to hold your eyes open after a blink. This is called TBUT or a Tear Break Up Time test. A low TBUT generally indicates a lipid (aka oil) deficiency in the tears resulting from oil glands in the eyelids not functioning properly. In another type of test, called a Schirmer test, a strip of filter paper is placed under the lid of the eye and you will be asked to close your eye for five minutes. Following the test the amount of moisture on the strip will be measured. Schirmer tests are performed less frequently than a TBUT test.
- Diabetes Care
- Thyroid
- Diabetic Retinopathy