Wei (Laurel) Zhu, O.D., M.D.(Equivalent)
Diplomate, American Board of Optometry
Member of American Optometric Association 
Member of Connecticut Optometric Association 

Dr. Zhu is a Board-Certified optometrist by the American Board of Optometry. Board certification is a credential that goes above and beyond licensing requirements for practicing optometry. It is confirmation of an optometrist’s personal commitment to providing the highest quality patient care and engaging in lifelong learning and self-assessment.
Dr. Zhu earned her first degree (five years) in Clinical Medicine from Hubei Medical University. After graduating from medical school, she got trained as Resident Doctor for five years and then became Attending Doctor for two years in the Department of Ophthalmology in a teaching hospital affiliated to Wuhan University Medical School. As an eye surgeon in China, Dr. Zhu specialized on Eye trauma and cornea diseases. 

Her life in the US started with joining the family in Bethesda, MD in 2003, where she worked as research specialist on murine model of inflammatory eye diseases, in National Eye Institution (NEI), National Institute of Health (NIH). During the years with NEI, she coauthored a few prestigious articles and present at ARVO meeting.   

To continue her career as an eye clinician, she went to Boston and obtained the degree of Doctor of Optometry from New England College of Optometry with honors. She started to practice in CT after graduation in 2010. She is committed to provide patients with the most advanced knowledge and well-trained clinical skills to ensure  the top-tier quality service in the eyecare field both ethically and professionally.

Dr. Zhu lived in Cheshire with her husband Jun and two children, Catherine, a freshman of UCONN Dental School and Daniel in elementary school. She likes cooking, travel and reading after work. 

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Jun (Johnny) Tang, Ph.D.
Member of American Association of Immunologist 
Consultant on Ocular Infection, Inflammation and Immunology

Jun (Johnny) Tang is the initiator and co-director of Laurel Specialty Eyecare.

Jun got a degree of Bachelor in Medicine and a Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from Hubei Medical University. After four years being a teaching faculty member in medical school, he earned a Ph.D. from Shanghai Institution of Immunology. Johnny’s relationship with eye health lies in his post-doctoral research fellowship on immune-origin eye diseases in National Eye Institution, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. During the years in the National Eye Institution, with the great contribution from Dr. Laurel Zhu and the team led by Dr. Caspi, he established a novel autoimmune uveitis model. He also identified the beneficiary roles of Vitamin D3 in anti-inflammation for uveitis. His work or the work that he contributed significantly in understanding ocular inflammatory and immunological diseases has been cited over 1200 times by the peer scientists. 

In Laurel Specialty Eyecare, Johnny is managing the day-to-day practice. He also functions as a highly valuable consultant to Dr. Laurel Zhu and the practice on the infection, inflammation and immunology of the eye diseases.  

Our Services

Comprehensive Vision and Eye Health Examinations
Regular eye exams are an invaluable tool in maintaining healthy eyes by detecting and preventing disease.  Some diseases develop slowly without causing pain or vision loss. Early detection of any problems can reduce the risk of further harm and allow for a choice of treatment options. The entire exam process can take an hour depending on the complexity of the problem. Each patient will be evaluated with a refraction, slit lamp, intraocular pressure and a retinal exam.

​Pediatric Eye Care
We take pride in maintaining the vision of our younger patients in an environment that is lighthearted and fun. We want to insure the good sight, vision, and eye health for the rest of your child's life and take a preventative approach to his/her general health and eye health. We will work with your child's primary care physician to help keep his/her eyes healthy. It is important that all of our pediatric patients have healthy and efficient visual systems to help make visual demands of learning in school easier and fun. 

Contact Lens Exams and Fittings 
Thanks to the advances in optical technology, almost everyone is a candidate for contact lens use. This includes patients with astigmatism and also those who prefer bifocal or multifocal lenses. At our office, we offer a comprehensive array of contact lenses to suit each individual patient's needs. We offer daily disposables, extended wear soft lenses to gas permeable contact lenses. We offer regular and custom lens services for both healthy and difficult to fit patients.

​Optical Department
For those patients needing glasses or contact lenses, we offer a complete optical department. We carry a wide selection of high fashion eyewear and designer frames.