• University of Georgia Athens, GA B.S. Degree in Biology
• University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry - Birmingham, AL O.D. Degree, with Honors
• University of Alabama at Birmingham  Birmingham, AL Master’s Degree in Public Health, Summa Cum Laude
• VA Puget Sound Health Care System Tacoma, WA - Optometric Residency
• American Board of Certification in Medical Optometry
• WG Hefner VA Medical Center Salisbury, NC - Medical Staff
• American Academy of Optometry Member
• American Optometric Association Member
• Joined M E C in 2011
• Has provided eye care as a volunteer with remote area missions in the US
• Has provided eye care as a volunteer with remote area missions in the US

Formerly the editor of the high school yearbook and an active member of the math team, Dr. Brandy Augustine recalls her youth with a laugh, “I was famously a nerd back then. Actually, I’m still a nerd today, but in better clothing.”

A native Georgian and youngest child and grandchild of her family, Dr. Augustine was encouraged by the women in her family to pursue anything that held her interest. “They always told me I could be whatever I wanted to be.”

Encouraged by their confidence in her, Dr. Augustine chose not to enter the family’s business but to pursue instead what started as a simple curiosity while in college.

“I was certain I wanted a career in healthcare, but it wasn’t until I began working as a volunteer in an optometry practice that I became fascinated with the eye and vision.”

Excelling at her new interest, the volunteer eventually became an employee, and later, traveled to locations in five states to learn and master her profession, Medical Optometry.

Dr. Augustine received her Doctor of Optometry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry and later a Master of Public Health, also from University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed her residency at the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System where she focused on Primary Care, Geriatrics, and Low Vision.

“As a Medical Optometrist, I see many patients for routine eye care, including glasses and lenses, but I am also able to work alongside other specialists to co-treat eye diseases.”

Dr. Augustine treats dry eye, glaucoma, and vision complications due to systemic diseases such as diabetes, and cares for patients recovering from cataract surgery. She works with patients of all ages but admits to having a heart for senior patients. “They remind me of the elders in my family who were so instrumental in my life.”

Dr. Augustine goes on to say she has returned to Georgia to stay. “I enjoy the southern lifestyle and pace of things, and it’s fitting that I am now here.” Members of her family are patients of the Marietta Eye Clinic, and one of her grandmothers more than once encouraged her to consider joining the practice. Dr. Augustine enjoys having her own caseload and the opportunity to develop lasting relationships with her patients. Shy and usually a fly on the wall in social settings, she comes into her comfort zone when working with a patient. “I never want to do anything halfway; the person before me in the exam chair is the most important person in the room. I give each patient my best.”

Dr. Augustine holds an unusual interest in medical anthropology and once studied plant medicines and cultural influences in the treatment of illnesses. Additionally, she follows trends in technology and its impact on the field of eye care.

When not in the office, Dr. Augustine enjoys college football, hiking, rafting, and zip lines. She has recently married and become a first-time homeowner. “I’ve taken up Italian cooking for my husband, trying to master the traditional family recipes he enjoys so much.” To relax, she enjoys reading and medical television shows. “I like watching doctors work to solve the complex and rare medical mysteries.”

It was volunteer work that first introduced Dr. Augustine to optometry, and she hasn’t forgotten the origins of her passion and career. She has completed three medical mission trips into Central America where, working with a team, she helped treat several thousand patients in the course of only a week. “On one trip, we stayed in an orphanage and played soccer with the local kids after treating patients in the clinic,” she remembers.

She has also volunteered at a summer camp for children with diabetes and with remote area missions in the United States providing eye care to medically underserved populations.

Dr. Augustine claims to be inspired by people who can balance family and career obligations with ambitions and adventures. Having accomplished so much already, it won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows her that she is quite an inspiration herself, even if a nerd.