Dr. Julie Poteet received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Georgia and her Doctor of Optometry degree from The New England College of Optometry. Upon completion of her residency with the Brockton and West Rosbury VA Medical Centers in Massachusetts, she worked with one of Harvard’s top ophthalmology professors in private practice in Peabody, Massachusetts. After returning to GA, Dr. Poteet has worked in private practice in the Acworth area and completed a Masters of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. Pediatric Vision care is also a passion of Dr. Poteet’s as she believes in the value of treating the whole child and removing any barriers that prevent them from achieving their fullest academic potential. Dr. Poteet is an active member of the American Optometric Association and the Georgia Optometric Association. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Ocular Wellness and Nutrition Society.

Undergraduate Education: University of Maryland, B.S. and George Mason University, Army, Medical Service Corps; Air-Force, Command and Staff College, Air War College. Optometry School: Pennsylvania College of Optometry, O.D. 1983. How are you impacting your local community or helping your patients live their best lives? Provides comprehensive eye exams, diabetic eye exams, contact lens evaluations, binocular visual dysfunctions, special eyeglass problems, and ocular disease management. Volunteer for Lions Club Vision Screenings. Hobbies/Interests: Swimming, Tropical Fish, Music Ensembles.

Dr. Shara Draper received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Doctor of Optometry from Indiana University. After completing her internships in primary care at Quantico Air Force Base in Virginia and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Pensacola Florida, she began practicing in Atlanta, GA. She is an active member of the American Optometric Association and the Georgia Optometric Association.

Undergraduate Education: Augustana College; Optometry School: Illinois College of Optometry; What drives your passion for optometry? The greatest moments in your life always come from affecting other people's' lives. Optometry give me away to do that. How are you helping patients live their best lives? We are the touch point for our patients to be made aware of incredible new technologies. They can rest assured that we will always connect them to the newest technology that applies to their quality of life. What does providing a transformational eyecare experience mean to you? You have to connect your patient with the best solution for them, which changes all the time. An adjustment of what they have repeatedly done for years rarely affects anyone's life. I love to find the new tool that fits their needs perfectly. How are you impacting your local community? I have been a varsity football coach for the local high school for decades. My hope; to affect my players in a way that gives them direction in life, not football. Hobbies/Interests: Ride my wave runner until my legs fall off, and they have.

Undergraduate Education: Northeastern State University; Optometry School: Northeastern State University College of Optometry; Professional Achievements/Associations: American Board of Optometry Delegate, Illinois Optometry Association; Clinical Certifications & Specialties: American Board of Optometry Delegate; What drives your passion for optometry? My passion for helping people far exceeds my passion about optometry. Most procedures we do in optometry become routine over time, but people make it exciting and interesting. How are you helping patients live their best lives? It's the golden rule, treat others like you want o be treated. If you offer and give them the same options you would want for yourself, they also get the chance to live their best life. What does providing a transformational eyecare experience mean to you? It means offering the best thing you can do or prescribe for a patient. It doesn't mean they have to opt for the best, but they at least have the right to know what could make the biggest change in how they see. How are you impacting your local community? I am very involved in the Gurnee community. I have volunteered at PADS, a couple of halfway houses, and the local food pantry. I am also very involved in Grace united Methodist Church. Hobbies/Interests: I teach fitness at the local park district. Classes include Spin, yoga, TRX, bootcamp, Gravity, foam rolling and Muscle Mashup. I have also spent the last 7 years training other doctors in contact lenses, practice management, and practice metrics.

Undergraduate Education: University of New Hampshire, Bachelor of Science. Optometry School: Salus University, 2015. Professional Achievements and Associations: Member of the AOA and the NHOA. The reason I became an optometrist is: To help to enhance people’s lives through their vision. In my spare time, I enjoy: Traveling, reading, and cooking.

Undergraduate Education: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). Optometry School: New England College of Optometry. Professional Achievements/Associations: New Hampshire Optometric Association (NHOA), American Academy of Optometry (AAO), InfantSee, Children's Vision Massachusetts Coalition, American Optometric Association (AOA). Received a fellowship from the American Academy of Optometry. Clinical Certifications & Specialties: Enjoy all aspects of optometry with a main interest in pediatrics (particularly myopia control) and ocular disease. Hobbies/Interests: Spending time outdoors with my family, fiancé, and dog.

Undergraduate Education: Saint Mary's University, Biology. Master's Degree; McGill University, Experimental Medicine. Optometry School: New England College of Optometry. Professional Achievements/Associations: American Optometric Association, New Hampshire Optometric Association. Clinical Certifications & Specialties: Primary Eye Care, Contact Lens Fittings, Eye Emergency Care, Diabetic Eye Evaluation and Management, Glaucoma Management. Hobbies/Interests: Travel, adventure, learning to surf, and the outdoors fills up the rest of Dr. Zeidan's free time!

Undergraduate Education: Binghamton University (SUNY) - Bachelor of Science in neuroscience. Optometry School: New England College of Optometry -2017. Professional Achievements and Associations: AOA; NHOA. Clinical Certifications and Specialties: Specialty Contact lens; Scleral; CRT /ortho k. The reason I became an optometrist is: I have bad eyesight myself and had to go to my family optometrist a lot growing up. My optometrist became a mentor and friend and I ended up working in the field and eventually going to optometry school. It’s a great feeling to help people see! My favorite part of helping my patients is: Meeting lots of new people and getting to know them over the years. Making a difference in someone’s life. In my spare time, I enjoy: Cooking, hiking, spending time outdoors or at the beach, enjoying a glass of wine with my friends.

Undergraduate Education: Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering. Optometry School: New England College of Optometry, 2008. Professional Achievements and Associations: American Optometric Association; New Hampshire Optometric Association. Clinical Certifications and Specialties: Dry eye specialist. The reason I became an optometrist is: I became interested in vision after doing a research project involving a protein like rhodopsin, a visual pigment molecule that ultimately helps us to see. Additionally, my father was a dentist. Having a parent in the health professions ultimately led me to consider optometry. My favorite part of helping my patients is: I really enjoy prescribing glasses or contact lenses for first-time wearers. That's when I feel that I have the greatest impact on the quality of their lives. By helping them to see, I can truly make a difference, especially with kids. I also enjoy helping to connect patients with other eyecare providers who provide services beyond just glasses and contacts. This includes referring in-house @ MED to optometrists who specialize in binocular vision disorders or specialty contact lenses, or even referring outside of MED to ophthalmology for cataract surgery. Ultimately, my job is to ensure that not only do my patients see their best, but for them to understand how ocular health impacts their vision. As primary care optometrists, we have a broad scope of practice that allows us to prescribe therapeutic pharmaceutical agents (TPAs) for several ocular conditions. It is our job to educate our patients about these conditions and prescribe when appropriate. In my spare time, I enjoy: spending time with my 2 year old daughter; reading; biking; traveling.