Dr. McDonald
Dr. McDonald
A graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Dr. McDonald has extensive experience in primary eye care, glaucoma treatment, and pre- and post-operative care for Lasik and cataract surgery patients, and contact lenses. As a former teacher and father of three, he has cultivated a large pediatric patient relationship. Having been trained in sports vision and vision therapy through the Baltimore Academy of Behavioral Optometry (BABO), he integrates his appreciation for sports, learning, and his desire to see children succeed. Dr. McDonald is a charter member of Lakeville Rotary, the Paul Harris Fellowship, and the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife Patti have received the Business Persons of the Year award from the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce that they have been members of since 1986. Dr. McDonald served on the Lakeville Community Corp for fifteen years and was instrumental in the building of Ames Hockey Arena in Lakeville.
About Dr. Staack (McDonald)
A graduate of Lakeville High school, Dr. Molly McDonald was a four-year varsity women’s hockey player. With two girls’ State high school hockey tournament appearances, Dr. Molly was the first recipient of the Herb Brooks Award her senior year. The Herb Brooks Award is presented to the most qualified hockey player in the state tournament who strongly represents the values, characteristics, and traits that defined Herb Brooks. She went on to play Division 1 women’s ice hockey at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York graduating in 2008.
Dr. Molly is a 2012 graduate from The Ohio State University College of Optometry; where she fostered her professional interests in primary eye care with an emphasis on contact lenses, disease detection and treatment, and pre- and post-operative surgical eye care. After graduation she worked at Minnesota Eye Consultants, focusing on cataract, corneal, and glaucoma surgeries. During that time she helped write two chapters in “Limbal Relaxing Incisions: A Practical Guide” with Doctors David R. Hardten and Richard Lindstrom. She also spent time with a local Lasik group determining a patients candidacy in preoperative appointments and managing patients after Lasik surgery. While working at McDonald Eye Care, she fostered her development in Vision Therapy by continuing her education through the Optometric Extension Program (OEP). OEP is an international organization dedicated to the advancement of the discipline of optometry through the gathering and dissemination of information on vision and the visual process. It strives to advance human progress on vision, the visual process, and clinical care through research, education, and a dynamic network of professionals.
Dr. Molly was voted the 2016 “Young OD of the Year” by the Minnesota Optometric Association and 2017 Readers Choice “Best Eye Doctor” in Lakeville. As President of The Vision Performance Center of Minnesota, she enjoys helping athletes enhance their sports specific visual game. She also enjoys working with children and adults in Vision Therapy for academic and post-concussion treatments. Vision Therapy is a treatment developed by optometrist, who specialize in how vision is used, knowns as neuro-behavioral or developmental optometry. This is different than a standard optometrist who identifies and corrects defects in visual acuity (20/20 vision) and evaluate eye health. As a Behavioral/Neuro-behavioral optometrist we can look at eyes that are otherwise healthy, but function poorly due to disruptions in development or brain injury, this is different from Ophthalmology, which is a specialty that focuses on pathology (disease) of the eye. Because the brain tells the eyes what to do, visual function can be poor even when standard eye tests have found nothing wrong. Vision therapy is a non-invasive and proven effective option in addressing a variety of vision issues, including eye turn, “lazy eye” (amblyopia), convergence insufficiency, double vision, and more. There are numerous benefits to vision therapy, and it can be used to treat a wide variety of disorder and Dr. Molly enjoys service a spectrum of patients that suffer from these vision disorders (oepf.org).
Dr. Molly enjoys working with the community in Lakeville, the community that shaped her career. Dr. Molly is very excited to be involved again in the Lakeville Hockey program through her daughter Lainey! Her other hobbies include hanging with her husband Luke, daughter Lainey, sons Eli and Zeke and their dog Shooter.
The Vision Performance Center of Minnesota
McDonald Eye Care Associates
The Ohio State College of Optometry
Cornell University
Dr. Meg McDonald
Born and raised in Lakeville, Dr. Meg takes pride in serving her community. Dr. Meg is a graduate of Lakeville North High School. She spent her undergraduate years at The University of Wisconsin- Madison where she was the captain of the UW Dance Team. After a year of working as an optician and gaining experience in all aspects of a private practice, she went to optometry school in PA. She graduated from Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University with honors in 2017. She has extensive training in primary care, specialty contact lenses, pediatrics, and treating ocular diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and dry eye.
Dr. Meg enjoys being involved in the community. Her free time is spent with her husband Anthony, sons AJ, Macklin and Grady, and their dogs Luci and Dutchie.
Dean Bruemmer
dean@vpcmn.com
Vision Therapist/ Sports Vision Specialist
A graduate of Winona State University and Warrior Football team member, Dean Bruemmer brings an enthusiasm for problem-solving to his patients. Certified through the Baltimore Academy of Behavior Optometry (BABO), Dean works one-on-one with 25+ patients per week while specializing in TBI, Autism and Sports Vision. Over the past few years, Dean has had the opportunity for advancement in Sports Vision by assessing the athletes for the Washington Redskins at the NFL combine as well as those who participated in the Jr. Olympics. He attended sports vision training at Harvard Medical School and the Human Performance Lab at the US Air Force Academy. Individually, he has worked with several players from the NHL to develop their visual skill to perform at a higher level on the ice. He is currently training athletes remotely in Canada, Russia and across the USA. His patient base ranges from 5 years of age to 82. Dean currently resides in Lakeville with his wife, Kelsey, and children, Trey and Aubrey. Dean enjoys playing golf in the summer. Dean has recently attended and completed The Sanet Seminars which was a year long process to further his continuing education in neuro-optometric rehabilitation therapy.
Bjorn Carlson
bjorn@vpcmn.com
Vision Therapist/ Sports Vision Specialist
Bjorn is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Science. He played on the Varsity men’s soccer team all four years while attending St. Olaf. He joined the practice in November of 2009 and has attended training at Harvard Medical School- Sports Vision Symposium, and at the Human Performance Lab at the U.S. Air Force Academy. His clinical training includes VT I (Visual Dysfunctions), VT II (Learning Related Visual Problems), VT III (Strabismus & Amblyopia), Traumatic/Acquired Brain Injury and Autism through the Optometric Extension Program. Bjorn has worked with athletes at the Junior Olympics, and many local athletes at the youth and college level. He is currently working with a number NHL players and teams. Bjorn lives in Plymouth with his wife, Elizabeth, son, Finnbjorn and daughter, Annika. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, and spending time at the cabin.
Nicole Hoagland
nicole@vpcmn.com
Vision Therapist
Nicole Hoagland (Valencia) joined the practice in June of 2015 following her graduation from St. Olaf College. Originally a vision therapy patient, Nicole understands the patient perspective and has a passion for making the activities engaging and enjoyable. She enjoys serving people of all ages and abilities. Her favorite part of patient care is helping others to achieve their goals. It is a joy to see patients exceed their expectations, like when a child who struggled to read turns into an enthusiastic bookworm, or when vision exercises help recover a portion of lost visual field for a patient post-stroke.
Nicole is certified in the full clinical curriculum of courses through the Optometric Extension Program Foundation (OEPF), and has completed additional coursework through the Southwest Congress of Optometry and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA) on the topics of post-concussion and Autism.
Nicole and her husband live in Apple Valley with their two cats, Leonardo DiCatrio and Meowly Cyrus. She is a guardian to her two special-needs siblings, who have taught her the joy of connecting with others in their own, unique ways. Nicole is an avid reader, weekly Bible study attendee, frequent volunteer in the church nursery, and she enjoys dabbling in ballroom and Latin dance.
Michelle Covington
michelle@vpcmn.com
Vision Therapist
Michelle joined the practice in July of 2021. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Crookston, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree. While attending school, she was involved in various student organizations which kept her busy volunteering in the community.
Michelle has an extensive background in child development and behavioral management. She enjoys working with people of all different ages and abilities, and her favorite part of patient care is helping her patients meet their goals. She is particularly excited when her love of reading starts to rub off on her patients!
Michelle lives in Lakeville with her 2 roommates and their crazy dogs. When she is not working or reading cheesy romance novels, she loves to spend time with her family and friends playing board games. She loves to explore new restaurants and small businesses in the community. When she is not out and about exploring, you can find her in the kitchen baking something tasty or cross-stitching sassy home decor.