Off Hualalai Road, where ocean air and everyday errands intertwine, Eyewear Kona feels less like a clinical stop and more like a place of intention. A meeting point of craftsmanship, medical expertise and a shared belief that caring for vision is inseparable from caring for the whole person. At the center of it all are three professionals whose paths converged around a common purpose: bringing comprehensive eye health and wellness to the Big Island community.
For Darcy Thompson, CEO of Eyewear Kona and Eyecare Waikoloa, this work is both a homecoming and a culmination. An entrepreneur at heart, Darcy has spent more than 25 years immersed in the eyewear industry, building a career at the intersection of design, technology and innovation. Her professional roots stretch back to Silicon Valley, where she owned Wilby Optical and co-founded ThinOptics, Avantek Eyewear, and Wilby Optical Robotics. Along the way, she contributed to projects as varied as robotic surgery lenses for Intuitive Surgical and Snapchat’s original smart glasses.
Yet, despite the success and momentum of her mainland career, Hawaiʻi was always the endpoint. In 2016, Darcy returned home and purchased Eyewear Kona from longtime local optician Alvin Fujimoto, continuing a legacy of quality and trust that the community already knew well. Her own family history in the islands dates back to 1886, when her Portuguese ancestors immigrated to Hawaiʻi, and that sense of rootedness shapes how she approaches business. Eyewear Kona, for Darcy, is not about chasing trends—it’s about stewardship, giving back and doing things the right way.
That philosophy shows up in the details. Each of the company’s locations houses a full-service optical lab, allowing many prescriptions to be crafted the same day. Finishing work is done in-house because Darcy believes accountability matters. “Every pair of glasses is made with care, precision and pride—because at the end of the day, the buck stops with us,” she says. A sentiment reflected in every pair that leaves the shop. Fashion and function coexist easily here, informed by Darcy’s global eye for design and her self-professed love of lenses—part artistry, part science.
But Eyewear Kona is more than frames and lenses. Its deeper identity began through relationships, most notably with Dr. Khoa D. Nguyen, a licensed Doctor of Optometry specializing in comprehensive medical eye care. “I first met Darcy in 2018 through my mentor and hānai uncle, Alvin Fujimoto. It was a brief introduction, but one that laid the foundations.” When the world slowed down after COVID, their mutual respect led to more purposeful conversations about a serious partnership.
Dr. Nguyen had already spent nearly a decade serving the Hawaiʻi Island community, building a reputation for excellence in diagnosing and managing ocular diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy, macular degeneration, and thyroid eye disease. On the Big Island, where volcanic emissions can aggravate eye conditions, he also treats allergic conjunctivitis and chronic dry eye, offering advanced therapies designed not just for relief, but for long-term eye health.
Together, Darcy and Dr. Nguyen reimagined the original optical shop, renovating it into a collaborative eye clinic and optical boutique. Though the space itself is modest, their shared vision allowed them to maximize every square foot. Medical care and optical craftsmanship now coexist, creating a seamless experience in which patients can receive comprehensive exams and walk out with customized eyewear the same day.
For Dr. Nguyen, this integration is essential. His mission has always been to raise awareness of the importance of regular eye exams—not only for vision correction but also as a window into overall health. Trained at Pacific University, where he served as Class President and earned Student of the Year honors, he brings both leadership and compassion into the exam room. Trilingual in English and Vietnamese, with intermediate Spanish, he serves a diverse patient population and maintains close working relationships with ophthalmologists on Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu, coordinating surgical care and managing post-operative treatment locally in Kona.
Adding another layer to Thompson’s collaborative approach is Dr. James Miyasaka, who further strengthens the Waikoloa clinic’s commitment to full-spectrum eye care. A graduate of Kaimuki High School, he earned his Bachelor of Science from Cal Poly Pomona. He later earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from Western University of Health Sciences.
With a therapeutic license and glaucoma certification, Dr. Miyasaka’s own practice in Honolulu spans everything from pediatric and neurologic eye care to vision therapy, diabetic exams and dry eye assessments. His presence at Eyecare Waikoloa reinforces the idea that no two patients—and no two pairs of eyes—are the same.
Darcy met Dr. James Miyasaka through LinkedIn, and after interviewing several applicants, she felt he was the right fit for the position.
“I love that he's from Hawaiʻi and a third-generation optometrist. He knows how to take care of clients efficiently and get them exactly what they need,” she says.
What binds Darcy, Dr. Nguyen, and Dr. Miyasaka together is not just shared space, but shared values. Each brings a different strength: innovation, medical expertise and community connection. Together, they form a practice that feels both deeply local and quietly world-class. Giving back is woven into their work, whether through partnerships with the Lions Club to expand access to vision care or humanitarian missions abroad that reflect a belief in service beyond borders.
“I have a really great team,” Darcy states. “We all share the vision of helping people in our community and bringing fashion to them, too. Putting a pair of glasses on a child for the first time so they can see, or putting on a designer frame for someone, and watching them light up with a smile because of how great they look, it's so rewarding for us.”
In a place like Hawaiʻi, where lifestyle, environment and health are closely intertwined, these practices stand as an example of what happens when collaboration is guided by care. It is a practice built not overnight, but through years of experience, trust and conversation—a reminder that wellness, like vision, is best supported when multiple perspectives come into focus.
“Every pair of glasses is made with care, precision and pride—because at the end of the day, the buck stops with us.” —Darcy Thompson, Eyewear Kona and Eyecare Waikoloa’s CEO.
For more information or to book an in-person appointment, contact one of our locations on the Big Island:
Eyewear Kona, located at Credit Union Professional Plaza, 75-167 Hualalai Rd., Kailua-Kona. Mondays through Fridays, 9 AM-5 PM. Learn more at EyewearKona.com or call us at 808-329-9308.
Eyecare Waikoloa, located at 68-1820 Waikoloa Rd. Suite 305, Waikoloa Village. Mondays through Wednesdays, & Fridays 10 AM-4 PM. Thursdays, 8 AM-4 PM. Learn more at EyecareWaikoloa.com or call us at 808-315-7020.