AUBURN — Rachel Sugal, O.D., has joined the Riverside Eye Center, 245 Center St., Auburn. Sugal serves patients in need of routine eye care and examinations for eyeglasses and contact lenses, as well as assisting in the pre- and post-operative care of patients who have had various types of eye surgery such as cataract and intraocular lens implant surgery.

As part of her training, Dr. Sugal completed clinical externships on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning, Mont. There, while working at the Blackfeet Indian Hospital, she cared for an underserved population and dealt with many serious systemic and ocular diseases as well as managed diabetic retinopathy and other posterior segment diseases.

She attended Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she studied genetics, biochemistry and physiology and earned a bachelor of science degree in biology, with honors, and a master of science degree in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Massachusetts. After that, she earned a doctorate of optometry from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. During her education, she was elected to the Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society and the Gold Key Honor Society for outstanding scholarship in her field.

She enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, kayaking, running, skiing and playing tennis.