Doctors & Staff

Meet the experienced and friendly doctors and staff who make Eye Care Associates of Hawaii – Honolulu the leading provider of vision care products and services in Honolulu.

Dr. Dennis M. Kuwabara

Dr. Kuwabara graduated with honors from the Southern California College of Optometry in 1970 and served as a U.S. Navy Lieutenant for two years before returning to Hawaii to co-found Eye Care Associates of Hawaii. Licensed in Hawaii and California, he is therapeutically certified to treat and manage eye diseases and co-manage refractive surgeries. In 1995, he founded Hawaii’s first refractive laser center, the Laser Eye Center of Hawaii.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, Diplomate of the Academy’s Cornea,Contact Lens, & Refractive Technologies Section, and a Distinguished Practitioner of the National Academies of Practice, he is also a past President of the Hawaii Optometric Association, past Chairman of the Hawaii State Board of Examiners in Optometry, and a charter member of the Society of Contact Lens Specialists. An FDA clinical investigator since 1974, he continues to actively participate in studies for new contact lens materials, designs, and pharmaceuticals. An author and lecturer fluent in Japanese, he presently serves as a contact lens industry consultant in Japan. He has received numerous awards for his community and professional efforts, including the 1983 HOA Optometrist of the Year and the 2002 GWCO Optometrist of the Year awards.

Dr. Jon M. Ishihara

Dr. Ishihara is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Pacific University College of Optometry. He has been a partner in Eye Care Associates of Hawaii since 1988 and is certified to treat and manage ocular diseases and co-manage refractive surgeries. He has been an FDA clinical investigator since he joined the practice studying new contact lens materials, designs, and pharmaceuticals.

Professionally, he has served the Hawaii Optometric Association in various positions, including being its President. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a past Chairman of the Hawaii State Board of Examiners in Optometry, and a member of the Society of Contact Lens Specialists. In 2002, he received the coveted Optometrist of the Year Award from the Hawaii Optometric Association for his professional efforts. In the community, he continues to serve on the Board of Managers at the Leeward YMCA and coaches his son’s baseball and soccer teams. He is an avid golfer and enjoys all UH sports, especially football.

Dr. Kathy A.K. Ishimoto

Dr. Ishimoto graduated from Pacific University College of Optometry in 1981 and joined the practice of Ors. Kuwabara & Yamane, Inc. in November 1981. She became a partner in Eye Care Associates of Hawaii in 1991 and is therapeutically certified to treat and manage ocular diseases and co-manage refractive surgeries. Her areas of expertise include contact lenses and vision therapy.

Professionally, she has always been active in the Hawaii Optometric Association and has served as the Chair of the Continuing Education Committee. A Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Optometry, she currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Academy’s Hawaii Chapter. She was honored as the Hawaii Optometric Association’s “Man of the Year” in 1984 and the “Optometrist of the Year” in 1997. Since 1981, Dr. Ishimoto has been an FDA clinical investigator for new contact lens materials, designs and pharmaceuticals. Active in the community, she is a board member and Chairman of the Mililani/West Oahu YMCA, a member of the Metropolitan Board of the YMCA of Honolulu, past member of the Y Trail Maidens program with her daughter, an active St. Andrews Priory alumnae. Besides speaking to school aged children on healthy eyes and participating in school vision screenings, she enjoys reading and craftwork in her free time.

Dr. Linda T. Arakaki

Dr. Arakaki attended the Pacific University College of Optometry, where she graduated with honors as a Doctor of Optometry in May 1994. After receiving her license to practice in Hawaii, she became a partner in Eye Care Associates of Hawaii in September of 1994. Dr. Arakaki is therapeutically certified to diagnose and treat eye diseases, as well as, co-manage refractive surgery patients. Besides her interest in contact lenses, she also provides vision therapy to younger patients with developmental vision problems.

Professionally, Dr. Arakaki is a member of the American Optometric Association and has been the Hawaii delegate to the AOA’s Annual Congress for a number of years. Besides serving as its President, she has served in numerous capacities within the Hawaii Optometric Association, more recently as the Chair of the Legislative Committee. In 1997, she was named the Young Optometrist of the Year for her professional and community service and awarded the Optometrist of the Year in 2004 by the Hawaii Optometric Association. In December 1998, she became a Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Optometry. Since 1994, she has been involved in FDA clinical investigations of new contact lens materials, designs, and pharmaceuticals. In addition to participating in school and community vision screening programs, she spends her spare time enjoying outdoor activities such as runninq, hiking, biking and watching UH sporting events.

Staff