Our Optometrists in Waterloo

Dr. Patti Ellison graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in 1988. She received the A.W. Cole prize for clinical proficiency. She practiced in Guelph until 1994 when she joined her husband, Dr. Bruce Pierce, here in Waterloo.

Dr. Ellison enjoys the wonderful diversity in her practice with patients of all ages and from all parts of the world. She especially enjoys examining children’s eyes. Children’s exams always start with a ride in the chair, pictures (if they aren’t quite ready for the letters) and the “magic” 3D glasses to check depth perception. We also have ingenious ways of examining babies and Dr. Ellison has cared for many children from their first exam at 6 months of age until they bring in children of their own.

Dr. Ellison also enjoys helping adults with any visual or eye health issues they have such as dry eyes, blepharitis (red, irritated eyes and eyelids), and specialty glasses for things like driving, reading sheet music, working on computers, or anything else task-specific.

Dr. Ellison and Dr. Pierce have 2 grown sons and live in Waterloo. Outside of the office, Dr. Ellison enjoys taking walking holidays in the UK and Ireland.

Dr. Manvit K. Singh graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in 2016 with honours through all 4 years. Having grown up in Waterloo, Dr. Singh started off as a patient of Pierce Family Vision at the age of 7, then worked with us as an optometry student and is now providing our patients of all ages with quality eye care. It’s safe to say she’s very familiar with our practice!

Dr. Singh’s past experiences include a rotation at the Lexington, Kentucky, Veterans Affairs Medical Center where she encountered and managed a vast array of ocular diseases and therapeutics. She worked closely with other healthcare professionals to provide quality patient-centred care at the Health Sciences Optometry Clinic in Kitchener.

Dr. Singh resides in Waterloo and loves spending her free time with her husband and her baby daughter. When Dr. Singh is in the office you’ll hear her laughter around the office while she’s making sure your regular eye exams are as enjoyable as they can be!

Fluent in Hindi and Punjabi

Dr. Tristan Faria graduated with honours from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry in 2018. Dr. Faria loved growing up in Kitchener and is very excited to have the chance to provide quality eye care to the people of Kitchener-Waterloo.

Dr. Faria’s past clinical experience involves a rotation at Omni Eye Services in Atlanta, Georgia, where he treated a wide variety of ocular diseases, attended weekly lectures held by ophthalmologists, and prepared patients for cataract surgery. He also provided full-scope patient care in Kitchener during his rotation at the Health Sciences Optometry Clinic.

In his free time, Dr. Faria enjoys hiking, biking, and drawing, as well as spending time with his family in Kitchener. He is excited to provide the most excellent eye care possible to patients of all ages.

Dr. Jim Dippel graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science. He is thrilled to be joining Pierce Family Vision in Waterloo after recently stepping away from his former practice of 33 years in Cambridge, Ontario. Dr. Dippel continues to work as a clinical instructor at the University of Waterloo 2 days per week.

Dr. Dippel is a member of the Ontario Association of Optometrists and the Canadian Association of Optometrists. He continues to serve the College of Optometrists of Ontario as a practice coach. Dr. Dippel is trained in co-management of refractive procedures such as PRK and LASIK surgery as well as pre- and post-operative cataract care and is affiliated with TLC Laser Centres and Clear Vision Surgical. He is licensed to prescribe therapeutic pharmaceutical agents for ocular conditions.

Dr. Dippel is active in the community, having served on the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region as well as being a long-time executive member of the local Rotary Club where he was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow recognition. He is happily married and has 2 fantastic adult children. In his spare time, he enjoys biking and woodworking as well as hiking and exploring small-town Ontario with his wife.

“I believe in performing a thorough eye examination, answering patient questions, and educating each patient about their own particular eye conditions. I look forward to meeting new patients in Waterloo and seeing old patients and friends from Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge.”

Dr. Vaishnavi Veetil is an internationally trained optometrist who is duly registered with the College of Optometrists of Ontario. She is also a member of the Canadian and the Ontario Associations of Optometrists. She has cared for patients of different age groups in India and Singapore for many years before moving to Canada in 2018.

She loves reading – Optometry or not, watching movies and spending quality time with her family. She is multilingual and can converse in English, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam.

Dr. Veetil is no stranger to Pierce Family Vision. Some of you might remember her from the years she worked with us as an Optometric Assistant. It was during this period she completed the rigorous credentialing process to practise Optometry in Ontario. She is happy to be back where she started her Canadian career and strives to provide comprehensive eye exams with a holistic approach”