Our Doctors

Undergraduate Education: Michigan State University, B.S. Optometry School: Illinois College of Optometry. Clinical Certifications and Specialties: Primary Eyecare. The reason I became an optometrist is: So I can make a positive impact in people's lives. In my spare time, I enjoy: Traveling and photography.

Undergraduate Education: Brown University; Optometry School: Southern College of Optometry; Professional Achievements/Associations: American Optometric Association, Virginia Optometric Association, American Academy of Myopia Control; Clinical Certifications & Specialties: Myopia Management, Pediatrics, Complex contact lens fittings, Cases that involve challenges or different approaches; What drives your passion for optometry? There's always room to learn! How are you helping patients live their best lives? I help them select eye wear and eye care that enable them to enjoy their lives. What does providing a transformational eyecare experience mean to you? Ensuring the happiness and satisfaction of all patients. How are you impacting your local community? I enjoy providing eye care to those in need whether locally or internationally. Hobbies/Interests: Dance- I've done or tried most forms!/Dance fitness classes/Dancing at parties; Music; Other Fine Arts; Cultures.

Undergraduate Education: Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University in Shanghai China, Doctor of Medicine; Optometry School: New England College of Optometry; Professional Achievements and Associations: three consecutive years of People’s Scholarship at Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, member of Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology from 1996 to 2001, member of Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society from 2000 to 2002, William R. Baldwin Scholastic Achievement Award at New England College of Optometry in 2002, member of American Optometric Association and National Glaucoma Society; Clinical Certifications and Specialities: TMOD Completion by NBEO 2001, Certification of Completion in Laser Therapy for the Anterior Segment by The New England College of Optometry 2002, Certificate of Completion in BCL Scleral Contact Lens Professional Seminar by Blanchard Contact Lens 2015; The reason I became an optometrist is because I found the human eye fascinating and thought it was a fantastic opportunity to help me connect with another human beings through eye care. Being an optometrist is such an ideal opportunity for me. My favorite part of helping my patients is the opportunity to make both tangible and intangible contributions in improving my patient’s vision, eye and overall health while doing what I love to do—providing primary eye care. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, hiking, and cooking.

Undergraduate education: University of Maryland, College Park ¬¬– B.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology. Optometry school: Illinois College of Optometry. Certifications/Awards: Residency (Ocular Disease/ Primary Care): Flaum Eye Institute at the University of Rochester Medical Center/ SUNY College of Optometry. How are you impacting your local community and helping patients live their best lives? I value helping patients thrive by maximizing their visual potential; vision is integrated into almost everything we do. Every patient interaction is an opportunity to meet the needs of my community by improving eye health and overall health. Hobbies/ Interests: I find joy in staying active by running and Pilates and exploring nature and visual arts.

Dr. Tuel has spent the last 28 years building an independently owned eye care practice that outshines the rest. His mission is to provide outstanding quality of care, service, and state-of-the-art technology to meet the demands of today’s patient. In an age where time spent with a doctor is rapidly diminishing, he feels it is vital to spend time with you, discussing health issues, vision and product trends, and addressing your needs. Dr. Tuel is a native of Joliet. He attended Joliet Central High School and Joliet Jr. College. After receiving an A.S. from JJC, he went to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in Biology. He received his Doctor of Optometry Degree from the Indiana University School of Optometry in Bloomington, Indiana in 1989. Dr. Tuel is married with two sons and loves all things sports! His favorites, The Fighting Illini, Bears, and the Chicago Cubs!

Undergraduate Education: University of Houston – BS in Mathematics, Minor in Chemistry, c/o 2003 Optometry School: Pennsylvania School of Optometry, c/o 2010 Certifications/Awards: National Optometric Student Association Academic Excellence Award, Golden Key International Honour Society, Publications: NATURE International Weekly Journal of Science “The finished DNA sequence of human chromosome 12”, vol. 440, pgs 346-351 How are you impacting your local community or helping your patients live their best lives? By providing comprehensive eye exams for adults and children, diabetic eye exams, contact lens fitting, binocular visual dysfunctions, and ocular disease management. Hobbies/Interests: Traveling

Undergraduate Education: Ferris State University. Optometry School: Nova Southeastern University. How are you impacting your local community or helping your patients live their best lives? By providing comprehensive eye exams for children and adults, diabetic eye exams, contact lens fitting/exams, and ocular disease management. Hobbies/Interests: Sports (Detroit Lions Fan), working out, traveling, and exploring new areas and restaurants in downtown Cincinnati.

Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Optometry School: Southern College of Optometry. How are you impacting your local community or helping your patients live their best lives? I have lived in the area for almost twenty years. I’ve enjoyed being a part of the community, from being a VBS volunteer at church to just running into patients at the grocery store. I can help patients live their best lives by being a good listener and taking care of all their visual and eye health needs. Hobbies/Interests: We love the mountains and being able to go hiking and kayaking. We enjoy watching my daughter run cross country and track.

Dr. Greg Usdan is an graduate of Southern College of Optometry. He is a third generation optometrist and has been in practice for over 25 years. He is a member of the American Optometric Association and the West Tennessee Optometric Association, and served as a member of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. He previously served as a clinical consultant for Bausch & Lomb contact lens, and is currently on the innovative speaker's panel for Vistakon, a division of Johnson & Johnson. He is married to Melody and has two sons, Ari and Simon.

Undergraduate Education: University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Optometry School: Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago - Residency, Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO). How are you impacting your local community or helping your patients live their best lives? By providing comprehensive eye care for children and adults including Myopia control management, contact lens fitting, diabetic eye exams and ocular disease management. Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, hiking, reading.

Undergraduate Education: American International College (Springfield, MA). Optometry School: Pennsylvania College of Optometry (now Salus University). Clinical Certifications & Specialties: Multifocal Contact Lenses, Scleral Contact Lenses. What drives your passion for optometry? I was seven years old when I first wore eyeglasses. Ever since I was eight, my parents said that I kept telling them that I would be an optometrist. I have always wanted to help people, and I believe that this is the way that I can best do so. How are you helping patients live their best lives? I help patients live their best lives by enhancing their quality-of-life through optimized vision. What does providing a transformational eyecare experience mean to you? It is the essence, the core, of my motivation to become an optometrist. In this way, I feel that I can contribute to the world one person at a time so that each may feel more empowered to contribute to the world in their own way. How are you impacting your local community? By enhancing people's quality of life, so that they can more effectively contribute their talents and energies to others. Hobbies/Interests: Reading.

Undergraduate Education: University of Maryland, College Park. Optometry School: New England College of Optometry. Achievements: Maryland Optometric Association, American Optometric Association, New England College of Optometry Clinic Award 2021 for “Superior Knowledge and Competence in Patient Care.” How are you impacting your local community or helping your patients live their best lives? By connecting to patients in my hometown on a personal level while assisting them in seeing the best that they can! Providing comprehensive exams for adults and children for glasses, contacts, dry eye management and diabetic eye exams. Hobbies/Interests: Visiting Walt Disney World, traveling, attending concerts.

Dr. John Valle received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Michigan State University and his Doctor of Optometry from New England College of Optometry. He has acquired extensive clinical experience in treatment and management of ocular disease during his internship and residency at Omni Eye Services in Atlanta. During his residency, he took an active role in educating young eye doctors as an adjunct faculty member of ten Optometry colleges. He was selected as the Area Optometrist for Georgia and Alabama where he served as the Director of Clinics and was selected Optometrist of the Year by his colleagues. He is a Diplomate for the American Board of Optometry. He has worked alongside a local Atlanta refractive surgeon where he evaluated and treated patients for LASIK and PRK. Dr. Valle has published his research on Optic Nerve Hypoplasia and has served on panels for contact lens research and development.

Dr. Alexander W. Van Dyck attended Christopher Newport University and is a graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University. He’s proud to provide experienced care for patients with eye diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and dry eye, in addition to routine eye care. In his spare time, Dr. Van Dyck enjoys movies, music, and gaming.

Undergraduate Education: I graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a BA degree in Chemistry, first in my class and Magna Cum Laude. I also received a BS in Visual Science from Pennsylvania College of Optometry. Optometry School: I went to optometry school at Pennsylvania College of Optometry and was an Honor Graduate (top 10%) in 1988. Professional Achievements and Associations: Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry; Member of Beta Sigma Kappa Optometric Honorary; Member of the American Optometric Association (Cornea and Contact Lens Section member); Member of the West Virginia Association of Optometric Physicians (past member of the board in various offices and committees); For 10 years was a Clinical Examiner for the National Optometry Board Part III. Clinical Certifications and Specialties: Cited by PCO for Excellence in Pediatric Care; Certified in the Treatment and Management of Ocular Disease; Certified in Advanced Ocular Therapeutics and Systemic Medications; Interests in myopia management, dry eye management, and the treatment of eye disease and injury. The reason I became an optometrist is: During the summer between 3rd and 4th grade, I had to get my first pair of glasses. I hadn't known that I was not seeing things that I should, and I never complained, but when I said I couldn't read the menu to my little sister at Burger King, my father got worried. When I went to the optometrist, I was so scared, and I cried so much! But then when we picked up my new glasses, we went for a picnic lunch at a scenic overlook, and I couldn't hardly eat because I was amazed that I could see houses in the valley and leaves on the tree! Soon after my girl scouts group did a trip to an eye doctor's office, and ever since then I said I wanted to be an optometrist and stuck with that goal throughout school. My favorite part of helping my patients is: - There is no better reward than when you can do something to improve a person’s quality of life by helping them function more comfortably and see more clearly. I love it so much when patients tell me that they have never had an eye examination that was so thorough and that they appreciate how I have explained things to them in a way they understand. In my spare time, I enjoy: I have been active in robotics and STEM education in our area and was a founding member and president of West Side Robotics, a group to encourage and support teams and clubs using robotics to inspire learning in kids. I coached LEGO Robotics and VEX Robotics teams for eight years, leading several teams to state level competition awards. I served as a volunteer at the VEX Worlds competition. I also have been a board member of our high school band boosters’ program, and a supporter of the high school soccer team, as my sons have made their way through high school. With my youngest now graduating, I will miss being a part of that!

Undergraduate Education: Lake Erie College. Optometry School: The Ohio State University College of Optometry. Certifications/Awards: 2022 Best Eye Care in Geauga County Award, Awarded in 2005 graduating class: Odyssey Ocular Disease Award, Vistakon Health Advisor Award, GPC Institute Clinical Excellence in Contact Lenses Award. Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with family, reading, cooking, travel.

Undergraduate Education: Ferris State University. Optometry School: Michigan College of Optometry. Professional Achievements/Associations: AOA. How are you helping patients live their best lives? By helping my patients to see their best, they can be their best. Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my husband and my 2 sons, reading, biking, and walking.