Dr. Kristen Hawthorne is a board certified, fellowship-trained Ophthalmologist who specializes in cataract surgery, LASIK, and corneal diseases of the eye. Dr. Hawthorne is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery. She has presented at multiple national meetings and stays actively involved in corneal research.
Dr. Hawthorne completed her undergraduate degree at Clemson University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in Biochemistry. She earned her doctorate of medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston where she was elected to the honor society of Alpha Omega Alpha. After finishing her internship in internal medicine in the northern California Bay Area, she completed her ophthalmology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and received her subspecialty training in cornea, external disease and refractive surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Hawthorne performs the most current cornea, cataract and anterior segment procedures available, including corneal transplants (penetrating keratoplasty, endothelial keratoplasty and deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty), INTACS and keratoprosthesis. She specializes in treating patients with corneal dystrophies (including Fuchs dystrophy), keratoconus and corneal infections. She has a special interest in treating patients with hereditary corneal dystrophies, herpes zoster, herpes simplex, ocular surface disease, corneal scars, failed corneal transplants, and both benign and malignant corneal and conjunctival tumors.
Dr. Hawthorne performs a wide variety of refractive procedures, including LASIK, PRK, limbal relaxing incisions, astigmatism correcting lenses, accommodating/multifocal lenses, refractive lens exchange and phakic IOLs. She has a special interest in post-refractive cataract surgery.
A Dallas native, Dr. Hawthorne is thrilled to return to her home state to practice ophthalmology and raise her family. She and her husband, Grant, have two young children. Dr. Hawthorne embraces the adventurous outdoor life in Austin. When not serving her patients, she can often be found sampling the culinary diversity Austin offers and delighting in her children’s latest discoveries.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Hawthorne, please book an appointment online, contact Howerton Eye, or call our Appointment Line at (512) 443-9715 today.
If you live in Austin, Southwest Austin, or Kyle, TX and are in search of a great eye doctor, look no further than Howerton Eye Clinic. We are dedicated to helping our patients achieve and maintain healthy, beautiful vision. Contact us now!
