Our Optometry Team

Meet Our Doctors

Dr. Sarah Keep

Dr. Keep studied sciences at the University of Alberta before completing her education at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia. As a student she was passionate about her career and education. She excelled in her studies, becoming the president of the Gold Key Honour Society. She also spent time volunteering on mission trips to Central America, which provided an the opportunity to diagnose and treat many rare ocular diseases which are not prevalent in North America. Her training in the United States provided her with experience in a variety of optometric settings including pediatrics, specialty contact lenses, laser vision correction pre- and post-operative care, as well as a large scope of eye disease and pathology.

After graduating she purchased our original clinic in 2011. After implementing many positive changes it was apparent that we needed a larger location and a name that better showcased the improved standard of eye care.  Vision By Design was born in 2014 as a representation of the customized eye care services that we felt our patients deserved.

Dr. Keep started providing Vision Therapy in 2016 for children who had developmental vision problems leading to learning issues, as well as patients who have vision problems from acquired injuries such as concussions. Dr. Keep has completed hundreds of hours of post graduate training in Behavioral and Developmental Optometry as well as Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation for post concussion care. She loves watching the transformation that patients achieve as they progress through a Vision Therapy or Rehabilitation Program!

As our vision therapy services grew, we decided to open a dedicated Vision Therapy clinic in July 2020 and have been excited to provide this well needed service to the Edmonton community.

Dr. Keep continues to enjoy providing routine eye care and disease management to our primary care patients.  She looks forward to serving our patients in all of their eye care needs.

Dr. Alysha Hirjee

Dr. Hirjee knew she wanted to become an Optometrist from a young age. When she realized she could combine her love for helping people and her interest in the human eye, it was the perfect match. Dr. Hirjee grew up in Calgary, AB and moved to Edmonton when she started University. After graduating with her Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Biological Sciences she completed her training in optometry at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL. In 2011, she received her degree of Optometry, graduating with distinction.

During her time in the United States, she was fortunate to work at different externship sites that built her experience in a wide array of clinical settings. These included the Highline Vision Center in Colorado, where she worked with pediatric patients to improve their binocular vision and accommodative disorders through vision therapy. Her training at the Veterans Hospital in Tallahassee, FL and at the Barnet-Dulaney-Perkins Eye center in Mesa, AZ gave her the skills to diagnose and treat conditions like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. She also obtained experience in contact lenses and pre and post-operative care for lasik and cataract surgery.

Giving back to the community is important to Dr. Hirjee.  She had the opportunity to travel to Honduras for an eye care mission and was able to provide eye health exams and glasses to thousands of patients who had never had access to an eye doctor before. She was inspired by this truly humbling and joyous experience.

Dr. Antoinette Chamoun

Dr. Antoinette Chamoun is excited to join the team at Vision By Design. After completing her Bachelor of Sciences at the University of Alberta, she moved to Oregon and obtained her Doctor of Optometry degree in 2016 from Pacific University. During optometry school, Dr. Chamoun was an ocular disease teaching assistant, which sparked her interest in ocular disease and dry eye. During her clinical externships, she trained with several speciality sites, including: Gimbel cataract/LASIK surgical centre, a contact lens speciality clinic (Davis Eyecare, IL), the Veterans Affairs in Lexington, KY and at Fort Washakie IHS in Fort Washakie, WY. She has a special interest in ocular disease, dry eye management, and contact lenses.

After graduating, Dr. Chamoun moved to Minnesota and practiced full scope optometry, working closely with ophthalmologists at the neighboring Mayo Clinic. In 2020, she decided to move to Edmonton to be closer to friends and family. She is excited to be back in her hometown and serving the community she grew up in! In her spare time she enjoys fitness, travelling, stand up comedy and spending time with her English Bulldog Bruno.

Dr. Chamoun provides full scope optometric care to patients of all ages.

Dr. Zachary Unrau

Dr. Unrau completed his Bachelor of Science at MacEwan University and his optometric education at Indiana University School of Optometry. During his post-secondary education, he was actively involved in volunteer work with both the community and within the school serving on multiple executive committees. In addition to his volunteer work, he became a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honours Society.

During his optometric education, he gained experience in diagnosis and treatment of ocular disease including diabetes, macular degeneration, and glaucoma during his time at the Veterans Affairs Hospitals. His passion though is for Vision Therapy and Vision Rehabilitation. Prior to starting optometry school, Dr. Unrau had an interest in binocular vision, and vision therapy. This passion was further developed during his time at Indiana University and was recognized with him being awarded the College of Optometrists in Vision Development Aware of Excellence in Vision Therapy. Following graduation with his Doctor of Optometry, he went on to complete a residency program in Pediatric Optometry, Vision Therapy and Vision Rehabilitation to further enhance his knowledge of the visual system. In his residency program, he also gained experience in the treatment and management of Dry Eye Disease.

When not in the clinic, Dr. Unrau likes to hike, attend ESO concerts, play his guitar, and woodwork. Dr. Unrau is excited to bring his expertise to Vision by Design to help patients reach their full potential to create a spectacular future.

Meet Our Front End

Sarah L

Sarah began working for Vision by Design Optometry in December of 2015. Sarah had a strong aptitude for learning many of our office procedures and grew to fulfill multiple office roles. Sarah is currently our lead office administrator and is responsible for the day to day operations of the clinic. Sarah demonstrates exceptional attention to detail, and ensure our patients receive an exceptional customer experience. The precision of her work made her the perfect candidate for the Ophthalmic Assistants program, which she completed in January 2017. This course provided Sarah with advanced training in ocular terminology, disease and triaging and allowed her to take her skill set to the next level. Additional training includes a leadership certificate through Nait as well as training in employee engagement, communications and optician works. Over the past 5 years Sarah’s continued desire to learn, hard work and efficiency has set the standard for our work culture and office environment.

Meet Our Vision Therapists

David T

David is a certified vision therapist at Vision by Design Optometry. He achieved honors with distinction as an Occupational/Physiotherapy Assistant and began working at different hospitals for several years. He has a wide range of experience that includes: geriatrics, intensive care, dementia, psychological/cognitive impairments, athletes, speech language pathology, recreation, and orthopaedics. David found the opportunity to join the Vision by Design team in 2019. With his previous rehabilitation experience paired with his immersive research in vision and the eyes, he continues to see significant improvement in the lives of the patients that he works with. David is extremely passionate about patient centered care and goes above and beyond to ensure our patients meet their goals. He currently acts as a mentor to our new therapist and has been a key member in launching our Vision Rehabilitation clinic.

Omid M

Omid moved to Edmonton in December of 2019 to fulfill a new adventure. With 12 years of past sports rehabilitation experience Omid joined Vision by Design as our second certified vision therapist. With such an extensive background in sports therapy including a bachelor in sports physio as well as a masters in sports physiology, Omid excelled in his position quickly becoming one of our core team members. Omid has experience working with disabled athletes, therapy assisting, post concussion rehabilitation, management in sports medicine, and much more. His ambitious attitude and passion for rehabilitation resulted in being a part of some major sports alliances such as the National Federation for disabled athletes, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation, the International Canoe Federation as well as the Asian Paralympic Committee that he is still actively engaged in. With such an substansial background, Omid’s theoretical approach to his patients has contributed to high accomplishments in patient recovery. The outcome of his past mentorship experience has resulted in strong leadership traits making him a go-to in office trainer for new therapists as well as creation of new policies and procedures.Omid is please to have completed the Practical Vision Therapy Accreditation Program making him a certified Vision Therapist.

Heather R

Heather began working at Vision by Design as a vision therapist when she decided to pursue a new career path. Having 12+ years experience in a customer service setting and 10+ years in a health coaching role, Heather developed a positive foundation that assisted her in stepping into her new role as a vision therapist. Heather completed 75+ hours, coaching and mentoring student’s reach their goals when she completed her Personal and Fitness training certification in 2001. With an aspiration to help others, she shines with her personable therapeutic techniques as she builds considerable rapport with her patients. Her past experience working in childhood development and playful attitude helps her excel when working with children. Heather’s ambition to grow in her role has inspired her to complete the Practical Vision Therapy Accreditation Program to become a certified vision therapist.

Denis S

Denis joined our Visual Rehabilitation Clinic team in 2022 and has quickly become an integral part of our patient care team. With a degree in Physical Education from the University of Alberta and experience working alongside both physiotherapists and athletic therapists, Denis brings a unique set of skills and expertise to his role.

He is committed to ongoing professional development and has successfully completed the Practical Vision Therapy Accreditation Program in 2023 to become a certified vision therapist. As a member of Vision Therapy Canada, Denis is dedicated to providing the highest quality care to his patients.

Denis’s warm and approachable personality, combined with his background in coaching, injury management, and athletics, make him a valuable member of our team. When he’s not at the clinic, he enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.