Dr. Frances M. Silva OD, MS, PhD, FAAO is a board-certified, residency-trained optometrist with over 13 years of optometric experience. Dr. Silva earned her bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees in biology and biotechnology at the University of Texas in San Antonio. She went on to earn her Doctor of Optometry degree at the University of Houston College of Optometry and later obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in vision science at the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry (UIWRSO).

While serving in the Army, Dr. Silva completed her residency in primary care optometry with an emphasis on specialty contact lenses, traumatic brain injury, and binocular vision therapy. She went on to obtain a fellowship at the American Academy of Optometry and is only the second to complete a competitive doctoral degree in vision science at the esteemed UIWRSO, where she also conducted clinical vision research. Following this, Dr. Silva secured a postdoctoral position at the United States Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, where her work focused on ocular trauma epidemiology, electrophysiology, and immunohistology. 

Dr. Silva is an active member of several professional societies including the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). She joins the San Antonio Eye Center team as a clinical optometrist and research investigator.