About Our Optometry Practice

Dr. Amber McKnight was born and raised in Norfolk County and is a graduate of Port Dover Composite School. As a child, she was a patient at Simcoe Optometric, and having worn glasses from a young age, she knew early on that she was interested in optometry.

Dr. McKnight has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph and completed her Doctor of Optometry at the University of Waterloo in 2008. As part of her schooling, she completed an ocular disease externship at the VA medical centre in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where she received much experience in diagnosing and managing ocular conditions, particularly the management of diabetic eye disease.

Dr. McKnight started as an associate at Simcoe Optometric shortly after graduation, and in 2012 became a partner at the practice. She is currently a member of both the Canadian Association of Optometrists and the Ontario Association of Optometrists. Dr. McKnight enjoys seeing patients of all ages and has a particular interest in fitting contact lenses, especially complex fits and multifocal lenses. When not at the office, she enjoys running, camping, and spending time with her family, especially her two young children. Dr. McKnight is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Allison VanBerlo (formerly Stickl) was born and raised on a farm in Norfolk County and is a graduate of Waterford District High School. She knew from an early age that a profession in healthcare was a perfect fit for her caring personality and a way to give back to her wonderful community. Her passion for eye health, clear vision and disease prevention grew throughout her education and continues to grow today. Dr. VanBerlo graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Science in Honours Biomedical Science before continuing her education in Boston, MA where she graduated from the New England College of Optometry with honours in the Doctor of Optometry program. She was recognized with the NECO Alumni award and the J. Pat Cummings Fellowship for outstanding clinical contributions and volunteer work.

Dr. VanBerlo had the privilege of helping organize a mission trip to provide eye health exams and glasses to hundreds of people living in rural Dominican Republic without access to care.

Dr. VanBerlo enjoys practicing full-scope optometry to those of all ages with a special interest in education, diagnosis and treatment of Diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration as well as educating on the importance of eye care in children at an early age.

Outside of work, Allison enjoys cooking, spending time and travelling with her husband AJ and their family and friends as well as walking their dog, Bauer, on the Waterford trails.

Dr. VanBerlo is currently accepting new patients.

Dr Matthew Czikk was born and raised in Jarvis, Ontario.  He graduated from Hagersville Secondary School in 2012 before going on to doing 8 years of post-secondary education at the University of Waterloo.  In 2016 he finished a four-year program in Biomedical Science before graduating Optometry School at UW in 2020.  During his fourth year of optometry school, Matthew completed a rotation learning to diagnose and treat ocular health conditions at Great Lakes Eye Centre in Brantford, and completed a primary care rotation at CustomEyes Optometry in Tillsonburg.

Matthew has been a patient at Simcoe Optometric since he was 7! His interest for optometry began after his first eye exam- after having the health of his eyes assessed, he remembers being very intrigued (and concerned) about how he could see all of the blood vessels in his eyes during the examination.  Matthew enjoys all aspects of optometry, especially primary care exams and fitting contact lenses, and has a particular interest in myopia management.

Outside of optometry, Matthew enjoys reading, playing sports, and playing video games.  He grew up playing volleyball throughout school, but has also enjoyed playing tennis, squash, hockey, and, most recently, golf.  He’s a die hard supporter of the Toronto Maple Leafs and cheers for most of the other professional Toronto sports teams.  He and his wife enjoy cooking and baking together, as well as going on hikes.

Dr. Czikk is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Kaitlyn Sinclair was born and raised in Oil City Ontario, and graduated from Lambton Central Collegiate and Vocational Institute in Petrolia as a Nichol Scholar. Growing up, she played competitive softball with the Enniskillen Express, and hockey with the Petrolia Oilers. As a member of the Enniskillen Express, Kaitlyn was a two-time provincial champion and participated in multiple National Championships. She also competed as a member of Team Ontario.

After high school, Kaitlyn attended Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, MI on a softball scholarship. Kaitlyn graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 2016. She loved being a member of the softball team and the opportunity to volunteer at the local nursing home as well as at Give Kids the World in Florida on their Spring Break Training trips.

Kaitlyn attended the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science for her optometry education and graduated in 2020. It was exciting to graduate in “The Year of the Optometrist” (2020), even though the COVID-19 pandemic made things complicated! Kaitlyn was an active member of the student body while at optometry school; she was the president of the University of Waterloo Independent Optometry Club, and a member of the Canadian Association of Optometry Students Club, the University of Waterloo Association for Guide Dogs the club, and a part of a team of researchers assessing visual needs in hospitalized patients. Kaitlyn also had the opportunity to travel and provide eye care to the people of Senegal, Africa. Kaitlyn completed her clinical training at several different locations throughout Canada, including the specialty clinics at the University of Waterloo Optometry Clinic, and at clinics in Ottawa, On, and Surrey, BC.

In her free time, Kaitlyn enjoys reading, being active, and spending time with her family and friends, and her two Labrador retrievers, Stanley and Blaze. Kaitlyn is looking forward to providing you and your family with all of your eyecare and vision needs!