Welcome to the Chao Vision Institute website. We've built the site help you make educated decisions regarding vision care and surgery.

We specialize in cataract, cornea, and refractive vision correction including LASIK and implantable contact lenses.

Our mission is to deliver university-level expertise and personalized care in the best of environment at the Chao Vision Institute, a premiere Orange County LASIK center. With dual excimer laser suites, you'll have access to the latest LASIK technologies, educational resources, and state-of-the-art procedures in a care setting designed for comfort and convenience.

If you are considering cataract, LASIK, lens implant, or cornea surgery in Orange County,  Los Angeles, or San Diego, I invite you to visit us at Chao Vision Institute,  our sole LASIK facility centrally located in Irvine/ Orange County. You will have our undivided attention to every detail of your care.

Thank you for your support,

Lawrence C. Chao, M.D.

Board-Certified Ophthalmologist | Fellowship Trained in Cataract, Refractive, and Cornea

Why Choose Dr. Chao for LASIK, Cataract, and  Lens Implant

Dr. Chao is a board-certified ophthalmologist with subspecialty fellowship training in cataract, cornea, and refractive vision corrective surgery. This higher level of training means Dr. Chao is one of a select group of refractive surgeons in the country who is able to manage both routine and complex cataract, LASIK, lens implant, and cornea cases. 

Dr. Chao offers Custom LASIK, Implantable Contact Lens (ICL) implant, and cataract surgery with custom intraocular lens (IOLs) implant at Chao Vision Institute, an Orange County LASIK center serving Irvine, Orange County as well the greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas.  For more about  Dr. Lawrence Chao M.D. - click on MEET DR. CHAO.

Why Choose Chao Vision Institute for Personalized Care

Chao Vision Institute is a premiere Orange County vision care practice and LASIK center. We maintain dual excimer laser suites offering the latest Custom LASIK Wavefront technologies. As Medical Director, Dr. Chao oversees all aspect of care at Chao Vision Institute.

We combine expert techniques, innovations, and personalized care to create a a higher level of care you'll experience at each and every encounter. With a reputation for excellence in the field of cataract, LASIK, lens implant, and cornea, Dr. Chao has been entrusted to care for the eyes of some of Orange County and Southern California's finest doctors, health care providers and their families.

Elected by peers to "Best Doctors of America", Dr. Lawrence Chao is hands-on with all aspects of your experience from consult to postoperative visits.  For more about Chao Vision Institute,  click on EXPERIENCE CVI.

How Is Your Focus?

From myopia to presbyopia, Dr. Lawrence Chao M.D. at Chao Vision Institute offers one or a combination of laser-based (Custom LASIK, PRK) and lens-based (Custom IOLs; Visian ICLs) vision surgery to help you see clearly.  To see if cataract, LASIK, lens implant, or cornea surgery is right for you - click on YOUR FOCUS.

Laser and Lens Refractive Options for the Way You Live

If you've been considering cataract, LASIK, lens implant, or cornea surgery in Irvine or the greater Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego areas , please call us to schedule a consult with Dr. Lawrence Chao at Chao Vision Institute, a premiere Orange County LASIK center.

• CUSTOM LASIK - Laser Vision Correction such as LASIK and PRK uses a cool excimer laser to correct vision (nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism). Wavefront technology provides for greater precision and customization, resulting in better vision quality.
• CATARACTS - Microincision no-stitch cataract surgery with intraocular lens implant offers clear vision to patients suffering from age-related clouding of their natural crystalline lens.
• CUSTOM IOLs - While monofocal or single vision intraocular lenses (IOLs) offer distance vision, multifocal (ReStoR, ReZoom) and accommodative (CRYSTALENS) IOLs lessen your dependence on glasses or contacts by offering a fuller range such as distance and reading or computer vision. Toric IOLs can correct for astigmatism as well as provision great distance vision. Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) - using the micro incision no-stitch technique of cataract removal, removing the natural lens, and implanting a Custom IOL can lessen one's dependence on glasses or contacts.
• ICL - Working with your natural lens to correct vision, Implantable Contact Lens (Visian ICL) or phakic lens implant offers quality of vision, safety, advanced lens material, removability, and comfort.  The Visian ICL is a great choice for patients with high degrees of nearsightedness or special vision correction needs.

Contact Us | Patient Forms

How is Your Focus -> Consult Dr. Chao -> Experience CVI 

Peers Elect Dr. Chao

When Best Doctors of America asked doctors questions like, "If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer them?", his peers elected Dr. Chao.