Our Practice in Moncton

Dr. Megan Burns grew up in Moncton, New Brunswick. She received her BSc with a major in biochemistry at the University of Moncton in 2015. She graduated from NOVA Southeastern University with a Doctorate of Optometry (OD) in 2019. Dr. Burns received honours in her clinical rotations in ocular disease, pediatrics, and contact lenses.

Dr. Burns successfully completed the PAVE Sanet Vision Therapy program in San Diego. She is passionate about binocular vision and vision therapy.

Megan grew up playing provincial basketball, volleyball, and competitive gymnastics. She was a high jumper on the University of Moncton track and field team. Megan still plays volleyball recreationally and volunteers at numerous sporting events.

She believes in giving back to the community through organized sports. Megan strives to help kids reach their full potential.

In her downtime, Megan can be found hiking at Fundy National Park or spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Ryan Kazakow is a born and raised Calgarian. He attended the University of Calgary, where he received degrees in zoology and cellular, molecular, and microbial Biology. Ryan then received his Doctor of Optometry (OD) from NOVA Southeastern University in 2018, where he was awarded honours for both academics and his clinical rotations.

Dr. Kazakow was also awarded “Extern of the Year” for the class of 2018 for his excellence in patient care and work ethic.

Ryan grew up playing high-level hockey. He is still active in the hockey community, both playing and coaching regularly. He believes in having a positive impact on the next generation through sport and hard work.

When not at work or at the rink, Ryan can be found hiking with his Husky, enjoying time with family or training in the gym.

A New Brunswick native, Alyssa is a second-generation optician. She decided to do a little globetrotting before settling down and started her journey on the west coast, studying opticianry in Vancouver, British Columbia, before heading east and pausing in Ottawa, Ontario.

She spent 4 years in the nation’s capital at one of the largest eye care centres in the city. There, she honed her optical skills while offering old-school patient care and attention in French and English before deciding to continue east and returning home.

She brings with her a wide range of experiences and talent. Having had first-hand need of concussion and vision therapy, she couldn’t be happier to have found a practice that specializes in both and allows her to give back to her patients. She looks forward to helping her patients see well and look good.

When not pursuing optics, Alyssa enjoys spending time with her family, making the questionable choice of cheering for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scrapbooking, and going on adventures with her loyal canine companion Sadie.

Michelle was born and raised in Moncton. Growing up, she played provincial basketball and volleyball and competed on her high schools’ cross country and track teams. She attended the Francophonie Games in 2014 for 3vs3 outdoor basketball and went to Nationals for volleyball in 2015.

She has been a volunteer at the District 2 track meet for the past 10 years and has previously coached basketball and volleyball. Michelle has worked at various sports camps and loves working with children.

Michelle’s passion for working with others has led her to become a vision therapist. She completed the Emergent Vision Therapy course in October 2020. She loves seeing people grow and recover through the therapy process.

In her spare time, Michelle continues to play competitive volleyball and loves to read.

Melanie is originally from northwestern Ontario—the land of the Sleeping Giant. She attended Confederation College taking the Business Administration / Marketing Program. She is a professional office administrator who found her calling in the medical field.

She now specializes in patient care services, marketing, and development, paying special attention to strategizing to keep her skills sharp. Throughout her career, she has worked in several industries, including the private sector, commercial and government sectors.

With her inherent caring nature, she has volunteered countless hours for various non-profits to raise awareness for their causes to benefit both families in need and animal welfare groups, all while raising a family of her own.

Her experiences have allowed her to know how to work well with people from all walks of life to ensure that their needs are met and that their lives are enriched a little more by tailoring their experiences to meet their needs.

Melanie is comfortable in a clinical environment and understands how important it is to set people at ease when undergoing medical assessments and/or treatments. She is a person who, in her spare time, will lend her talents to creating great memories through event planning and coordinating…

She is part of the healing process and, most of all, part of the Beyond 20/20 health care professional team.

Chris was born in Moncton and raised in various locations across New Brunswick.  She attended Pensacola Christian College, in Florida, and graduated with a B.S in Communications.  After finishing University she returned to New Brunswick and worked in the contact centre industry.  She spent the last 19 years working administration and preparing employee schedules for a courier contact centre where she honed her organizational skills.

When not in the office, Chris “crafts” as much as possible. Whether knitting or stitching, needles will be flying.  Family is super important to Chris and she spends as much time as possible with her parents, sisters and nieces who bring buckets of joy to her life.  Chris is also a dog lover and shares her life with her rescue doggo, Roxy.

Justin was born and raised in Moncton, New Brunswick. He received his Opticianry Diploma with honours at Oulton College in 2019. While obtaining his license in both dispensing glasses and contact lenses he was the recipient of the Cooper Vision Award during his studies. 

Justin has felt he’s always belonged in the eye care industry. Since childhood he has lived with amblyopia (lazy eye), and he truly understands the visual challenges it creates. Currently Justin is undergoing Vision Therapy to maximize his visual potential. The lessons Justin has learned through Vision Therapy exercises help him better serve his patient’s needs.  

Growing up, Justin has had a passion for photography. In high school he was on the Yearbook Committee. He also competed in local photography competitions such as Zoom into Moncton, where his photo was displayed in the Mayors Office of City Hall in 2014. 

In his spare time, you can find him doing one of three things with a coffee in his hand: playing his quirky games on his Nintendo Switch, shopping locally owned businesses, or combing the beautiful beaches of our province for sea glass and other treasures! 

Originally from Notre-Dame, Melissa grew up playing sports and volunteering in the community. From a very young age, Melissa was eager to help others when she could. To this day, she still has a passion for helping others to learn and grow which lead her to become a vision therapist. As a previous behaviour interventionist, she has a lot of experience working with children with autism and is looking forward to continuing her journey to help others. In her free time she enjoys going for runs with her dog, reading books, and most of all spending time with her family and friends.

Born in the beautiful island of Jamaica,  Damian is an intrinsically motivated and an industrious individual with years of experience in customer service relations. Having worked as an Optical Dispenser/Lab Technician in Jamaica for over 17 years, Damian mastered the art of frame adjustments, edging prescription lenses, frame and lens choice whilst cultivating positive relationships with customers and fellow colleagues. Damian was the service champion in the operations at Morris Optical Company. 

Damian graduated from Ferncourt High School and later received his certificate in Dinning Room Services and Bar Tending Techniques at St Monica’s College.

Damian is an active player in cricket, tennis, and soccer but his true passion is playing basketball. Even naming his son LeBron as his middle name; if his wife did not object, Damian would have given him the full name – LeBron James.