About Our Practice

Dr. Michael Zona was born and raised in Grimsby, Ontario. He spent his younger years working the summers on his uncle’s tender fruit farm in the Niagara region. He became interested in eye care at a young age when he could not see the black board at school. His optometrist changed his outlook and gave him an appreciation for both optics and eye health.

Dr. Zona studied undergraduate science at the University of Waterloo. In 1992 he graduated with a Doctor of Optometry degree (Honours) from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry.

Dr. Zona joined Simcoe Optometric Clinic in 1992 as an associate and became partner in 1993. He is certified to use ocular therapeutics, as are all the doctors at the clinic. He has been active with the Provincial Association in political action campaigns lobbying for access to eye care for all citizens of Ontario.

In his time away from work, Dr. Zona and his wife enjoy travelling with a focus on food, wine and history. He can be found hiking on the local trail network or fixing old cars his shop. He is involved in extracurricular activities as a swim official for the Norfolk Hammerheads Aquatic Club in Simcoe and the Simcoe Seals Swim Team. Dr Zona is a certified Level 4 Swim Official.

Through Dr. Zona’s patronage, Simcoe Optometric Clinic is a proud sponsor of the Norfolk Hammerheads Aquatic Club.

Dr. Zona enjoys all aspects of optometry and eye care. He enjoys the challenges of ocular and systemic disease management as well as contact lens practice. Dr. Zona is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Linda Hadaller was born in Manitoba and grew up on the family grain farm. An interest in eye health and glasses was kindled while accompanying her legally blind grandfather to his eye appointments.

Dr. Hadaller graduated as a member of the Honour Society from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Mathematics in 1990. In 1994 she graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry, having won the Contact Lens Society Prize for that year.

Dr. Hadaller joined Simcoe Optometric Clinic in 1994 and became partner in 1996. She is certified to use ocular therapeutics, as are all of the optometrists in the clinic. She has derived satisfaction from mentoring optometry interns who have done practical rotations through Simcoe Optometric Clinic over the years.

As a Mom, she has a special appreciation of children and enjoys guiding them through the ever-changing eye care needs from toddlerhood through first glasses, contact lenses, and specific sport-related eyewear needs.

Through Dr. Hadaller’s patronage, Simcoe Optometric Clinic is a proud supporter of the Norfolk Musical Arts Festival.

Dr. Hadaller has the enjoyable responsibility of purchasing the frame inventory for Simcoe Optometric Clinic. Choosing frames is a balance of fashion, the functional and technical aspects of the prescription and lens design with an emphasis on value – and you can never overestimate the importance of exceptional fit, comfort and quality!

When not in the office, Dr. Hadaller can be found volunteering as a Swim Ontario official for the Norfolk Hammerheads Aquatic Club. A member of the Tolkien Society and an avid reader, she enjoys the outdoors and is a home “foodie”. At various times in her life she has played Royal Conservatory piano, flute, piccolo in a marching band, saxophone in a stage band, and Suzuki repertoire violin alongside her eldest son.

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 starting Optometry School at UW, gradating 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.

Matthew has been a patient at Simcoe Optometric for almost 20 years.  While he has never worn glasses, his passion for optometry started when he had his first visit at the age of 7 and he could see reflections of the blood vessels in his eyes during the health portion of his exam.  This freaked him out at first, but it sparked an interest in the eye and how it works.  Matthew enjoys all aspects of optometry, especially primary care exams and fitting contact lenses, and has a particular interest in specialty contact lenses and myopia control 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.  Recently he and his girlfriend Kaitlyn have been experimenting in the kitchen and enjoy cooking new recipes. 

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!